GitHub bills its paid plans through a self-service checkout, and you can manage the payment method entirely online. This guide explains what you need before you start, how to upgrade and enter card details, and how to work through the most common reasons a card is declined. A Coinepay virtual card gives you an instant card number, expiry date and CVV that you can use for software subscriptions like GitHub, so it is a practical option for developer tooling.
Before you start: one important GitHub rule
GitHub's documentation on supported payment methods states plainly that prepaid credit and debit cards are not accepted for standard self-service checkout. GitHub says it accepts major credit cards and also supports PayPal; for metered billing, eligible non-personal accounts can use an Azure Subscription ID, and managed accounts can use invoice or ACH.
Coinepay does not publish whether its virtual card is prepaid, debit or credit, so you should not assume it will satisfy GitHub's requirement. Contact Coinepay support to confirm your card meets this requirement before you buy, using the support channel or Telegram. Checking first saves you a failed charge and a locked upgrade.
What you need
- A verified GitHub account (create one free at GitHub.com and confirm your email).
- A Coinepay account with identity verification (KYC) completed. If you have not registered yet, you can create a Coinepay account and finish verification first.
- A Coinepay virtual card with its number, expiry and CVV, which you can view in the Coinepay dashboard or the mobile app (iOS / Android).
- Your real billing name and address, matching what Coinepay has on file.
GitHub plans you might be paying for
GitHub's plan names differ by account type. For personal accounts the repository-hosting plans are GitHub Free and GitHub Pro. For organizations and enterprises they are GitHub Free, GitHub Team and GitHub Enterprise, with Enterprise available in Cloud and Server deployments. GitHub Copilot is billed separately from your hosting plan.
At the time of writing (October 2026), GitHub's US pricing page displayed Free at $0/month, Team at $4 USD per user/month and Enterprise starting at $21 USD per user/month, with a note that the Team and Enterprise figures shown apply for the first 12 months. Copilot tiers displayed included Copilot Free, Copilot Pro at $10 USD/month, Copilot Pro+ at $39 USD/month and higher business tiers. Prices are shown in USD and can vary by purchase date, payment currency and agreement, so always confirm the exact amount and renewal price at checkout on github.com/pricing.
| Account type | Plan options |
|---|---|
| Personal | GitHub Free, GitHub Pro |
| Organization | GitHub Free, GitHub Team, GitHub Enterprise |
| Add-on (billed separately) | GitHub Copilot (Free, Pro, Pro+, Business, Enterprise) |
Step-by-step: upgrade and pay
- Sign in to GitHub and make sure your email is verified. You can start on Free and upgrade whenever you are ready.
- Open billing settings. Click your profile picture, then go to Settings → Billing & Licensing → Licensing, and choose Upgrade. Organization owners or billing managers upgrade the organization from its own Settings → Billing and licensing, since GitHub bills each account separately.
- Choose your billing cycle. Select monthly or yearly billing for the plan you want.
- Enter billing and payment details. Add your Coinepay virtual card number, expiry date and CVV, and enter the billing address that matches your Coinepay profile.
- Review the charge and billing date. GitHub shows the amount and the date it will bill; upgrades take effect immediately and are prorated.
- Confirm. Complete any bank verification step (see 3-D Secure below) and submit.
GitHub notes that checkout or a trial may place a temporary authorization hold rather than an immediate subscription charge, and that a failed authorization can prevent activation. Make sure your card has enough available balance to cover any hold.
Buying GitHub Copilot
Copilot is purchased and billed separately from your hosting plan, and changing your hosting plan does not cancel a Copilot subscription. As of June 1, 2026, Copilot moved to AI-credit usage billing with monthly included amounts, and paid excess usage requires setting an additional spending budget. For Copilot Business and Enterprise, new seats require payment before access.
Troubleshooting a declined card
GitHub's decline email includes the bank's own error message and GitHub retries the charge after a few days. User-reported messages include "The credit card was declined by the payment processor…" and "We were unable to process your payment information. Please try again." These are reports, not a diagnosis for any particular card. Work through the causes below.
1. Prepaid card not accepted
Because GitHub does not accept prepaid cards on self-service checkout, this is the first thing to rule out. Confirm with Coinepay support that your card is suitable before retrying.
2. Insufficient balance
A charge or authorization hold will fail if your Coinepay card does not have enough available funds, including for any currency conversion. Top up in the Coinepay app and check the available balance before you retry.
3. Billing address mismatch
Enter the exact name and billing address held on your Coinepay account. A mismatch between the address you type into GitHub and the one on the card can trigger a decline.
4. 3-D Secure / bank verification
Some transactions require a 3-D Secure confirmation step. Keep the Coinepay app open and approve any prompt or one-time code so the charge can complete.
5. Bank restrictions on international, online or recurring transactions
GitHub specifically lists expired cards and bank restrictions on international, online or recurring payments as decline causes. If your card has controls on recurring or cross-border charges, adjust them in the Coinepay dashboard where available, or contact support.
6. India recurring-payment rules
In India, recurring-payment regulations can cause issuer declines. GitHub supports mandates with eligible credit cards or a one-time card payment when due; note that PayPal does not work for that one-time-payment flow.
7. Merchant region and trade controls
GitHub's cloud services, including paid services, follow export and trade-control rules; services are unavailable to developers in certain sanctioned locations, and Enterprise Server and Copilot carry separate export restrictions. Separately, Coinepay does not serve sanctioned persons or residents of comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions, and some Coinepay services are not available in every region. Make sure both GitHub and Coinepay are available where you are.
Cancellation and refunds
To cancel a personal Pro plan, choose Downgrade to Free in your billing settings; an organization can downgrade the same way. A hosting-plan downgrade or cancellation takes effect at the end of the paid cycle, without proration, while upgrades take effect immediately and are prorated. Cancelling an individual Copilot subscription leaves access through the current cycle with no refund for unused time. GitHub does not publish a single universal refund policy covering every purchase and jurisdiction, so do not assume cancellation triggers an automatic refund. For invoiced Enterprise accounts, contact GitHub Sales.
Keeping your Coinepay card ready
Monitor your Coinepay balance so recurring GitHub charges and authorization holds clear on time, and keep your card details current in GitHub's billing settings. If a payment keeps failing after you have checked balance, address and verification, reach out to Coinepay support to confirm your card is suitable for GitHub before trying again.
Get your Coinepay virtual card: Sign up · App Store · Google Play · Customer support
FAQ
Does GitHub accept prepaid virtual cards?
GitHub's documentation states that prepaid credit and debit cards are not accepted for standard self-service checkout. Coinepay does not publish whether its card is prepaid, so contact Coinepay support to confirm your card meets GitHub's requirement before you buy.
Where do I enter my card details to upgrade GitHub?
Click your profile picture, then go to Settings → Billing & Licensing → Licensing and choose Upgrade. Organizations upgrade from their own Settings → Billing and licensing. You then enter your card number, expiry, CVV and a matching billing address.
Why was my card declined at GitHub checkout?
Common causes include an unsupported prepaid card, insufficient balance, a billing address mismatch, an unconfirmed 3-D Secure step, or a bank block on international, online or recurring transactions. GitHub's decline email includes the bank's error message and it retries after a few days.
Is GitHub Copilot billed with my main GitHub plan?
No. Copilot is billed separately from your repository-hosting plan, and changing your hosting plan does not cancel Copilot. Since June 2026, Copilot uses AI-credit usage billing with monthly included amounts and an optional budget for excess usage.
Will I get a refund if I cancel GitHub?
A hosting-plan downgrade takes effect at the end of the paid cycle without proration, and an individual Copilot cancellation gives access through the current cycle with no refund for unused time. GitHub has no single universal refund policy, so do not assume cancellation triggers a refund.
