If a charge from Hunter has been declined, whether for a subscription renewal, a credit pack, or an add-on, don't worry. In most cases it's a quick fix on the card or bank side. This article walks you through the common causes, how to recover, and what happens if the payment stays unresolved.
What to do first
When you see a declined payment, try these three steps before anything else:
Check the card on your Billing & subscription page. Make sure the card on file hasn't expired and the number is correct.
→ Billing & subscription → Overview tab → Billing information → Payment card → Edit card if needed.Contact your bank or card issuer. Most declines are decided by the bank, not by Hunter. They can usually tell you the exact reason in seconds — and often clear it on the spot.
Update or replace the card. Adding a new card from the Billing & subscription page automatically retries the failed payment.
If the payment goes through on retry, you're done, your subscription stays active and your credits are added.
Common reasons a payment is declined
Here are the most frequent causes we see, in rough order:
1. Insufficient funds
The card doesn't have enough available balance or credit limit to cover the charge.
Fix: Top up the account, raise the card limit, or use a different card.
2. Card expired or replaced
Cards expire on a fixed date, and banks sometimes issue a new card (different number) without changing the expiry: for example after a fraud event or a reissue. The old card token becomes invalid.
Fix: Add the new card to your Billing & subscription page.
3. The bank blocked the transaction
Banks routinely block charges they consider suspicious, common triggers include:
A first-time charge from Hunter (especially if you're in a different country to your bank)
An unusually large transaction (e.g., a yearly plan)
A recurring charge the bank doesn't recognise
Fix: Call your bank. Once they confirm the charge is legitimate, the next retry will go through.
4. 3D Secure authentication required
In Europe, the UK, and an increasing number of countries, banks require you to confirm payments in your banking app (a one-time code, fingerprint, or password). If you don't confirm within a short time window, the payment is declined.
Fix: Watch for a notification from your banking app at the time of the charge. For renewals, you may need to confirm the charge in your app. If you missed it, updating the card on file triggers a fresh attempt with a new authentication window.
5. Card type or region restrictions
Some prepaid cards, virtual cards, or cards from certain regions don't support recurring international payments.
Fix: Switch to a standard credit or debit card from a major issuer.
6. Incorrect card details
Most common at first purchase, a typo in the card number, expiry, CVC, or postal code on the billing details.
Fix: Re-enter the card carefully on the Billing & subscription page.
What happens after a failed payment
If a renewal payment is declined:
You'll receive an email from Hunter with the failure reason and a link to update your payment method.
We'll automatically retry the payment over the next 30 days. Each retry attempts the same card on file.
Your account is blocked during this period. You won't be able to use paid features (Email Finder, Verifier, Domain Search, Sequences, etc.) until the payment succeeds.
You can cancel your subscription at any time during the retry window if you no longer want to keep the plan.
If all retries fail after 30 days, your subscription is cancelled automatically. You can reactivate at any time by purchasing a new plan.
The fastest way to resolve a declined payment is to update the card on file, this immediately retries the charge with the new card instead of waiting for the next scheduled attempt, and unblocks your account as soon as the payment succeeds.
Don't want the retries? Cancel instead
If you don't want Hunter to keep retrying your card, for example, because you've moved away from Hunter, your team's budget has changed, or you simply no longer need the service, you can cancel your subscription at any time during the retry window. This stops all future retries immediately.
Go to Account → Billing & subscription
Open the Details tab
At the top of your plan card, click Cancel plan
Confirm
No more retries will be attempted, and your account stays on the Free plan. You can resubscribe anytime in the future, your data is preserved.
📘 More on this: Cancel your subscription's renewal
How to retry a failed payment manually
There's no separate "Retry" button: updating the card on file is what triggers the retry.
Go to Account → Billing & subscription
On the Overview tab, scroll to Billing information
Under Payment card, click Edit card
Enter your new (or corrected) card details
Click Save
The failed payment is retried automatically with the new card. If it goes through, your subscription continues normally and you'll receive an invoice by email.
📘 More on updating your card: Add or edit your billing details and payment card
Special cases
Credit pack purchase declined
Credit pack purchases are one-off charges, not retried automatically. If your credit pack payment is declined:
Resolve the underlying card or bank issue
Go back to Billing & subscription → Details → Credit packs → Buy more credits and try again
📘 More on credit packs: Credit packs: how to buy extra credits in Hunter
India-specific declines
Customers registered in India have additional payment requirements due to RBI regulations, which can cause unexpected declines on recurring charges.
📘 See Billing for customers registered in India for the full process.
Frequently asked questions
Hunter says my payment was declined, but my bank says they approved it. What's going on?
Occasionally a charge clears the bank but fails on the way back to Hunter (e.g., a 3D Secure timeout). The funds aren't taken, the temporary hold is released within a few business days. Update the card on file or try again to complete the payment.
Will I be charged extra fees for failed payments?
Hunter doesn't charge fees for declined payments. Your bank may apply their own fee depending on the reason, check with them.
My card was charged but my plan still shows "Payment failed."
This can happen with 3D Secure flows. Wait a few minutes and refresh, if it still shows failed, contact our support team with the date and amount and we'll reconcile.
Can I pay with a different method while I sort out my card?
Self-serve subscriptions are card-only. For yearly plans, we can accept a bank transfer via Stripe, contact our support team and we'll set it up.
Still stuck?
If you've checked everything above and the payment is still being declined, contact our support team, please include:
The date of the failed payment
The last 4 digits of the card you're using
The exact error message you're seeing (if any)
Whether you've already spoken to your bank
We'll look at the payment log and tell you exactly what happened.