Forum Discussion

Not applicable

Re: I can't get my debit card verified as a form of payment

First of all, I can't believe that this has been a major issue for years and EA still hasn't fixed it.

Secondly, I ran into the exact same problem today when trying to buy a new game today. Once I entered my card details, an error message came up stating my card couldn't be verified. This was soon followed by a phone call from my bank informing me of suspicious activity on my card - which turns out, was just Origin having the actual audacity to charge me a $1.30 transaction fee for a purchase that didn't even take place!

After some sleuthing through pages and pages of message boards, it looks like the problem was my debit card. Apparently, and this isn't officially confirmed by EA or Origin, they don't support debit cards. (Trying to delete and re-enter saved card information or using a different web browser doesn't fix this problem either).

The good news is that I was able to create a PayPal account, link my debit card and pay for the game that way. Which is a pain, because I had actively avoided signing up for PayPal for years.

This is an issue literally dating back years, so if EA/Origin actually addressed or at least explained why some card payments aren't available, that would be much appreciated.

4 Replies

holger1405
Hero+
6 years ago
@thegildedcloud

You can find the accepted payment methods for Origin on this Website.

I can't speak for EA, but I assume that debit cards are not accepted because there are dozens of different debit card systems existing around the world, most of the time with country specific systems.

Direct debit is accepted though.

The $1.30 should be transferred back to your account in the next days, it is usually just a validation check for credit cards.

If not you should contact EA directly. If you are not from the US change the country in the top right corner.

If you have trouble with the contact attempt look at this guide.
ThandalNLyman
Not applicable
6 years ago
@holger1405; My (US bank-issued) debit card works fine for EA Store purchases. But it *does* have the "process as a credit card" capability. I don't specify that when making most purchases, but maybe it's the fallback behind the scenes.
holger1405
Hero+
6 years ago
@ThandalNLyman

Yeah, I think the credit card capability makes the differenc.

I use PayPal with a credit card, but a debit card registered and authenticate at the PayPal account should work as well.
sadyoongles
Not applicable
5 years ago
Exactly I’ve tried everything