Accepted payment methods on Google Play

You can purchase apps and digital content on Google Play using payment methods from your Google Account. If it's your first time making a purchase, your payment method will be added to your Google Account.

Update payment settings and fix issues

Find payment methods that you can use

Available payment methods vary by country. If your country is not listed, scroll down.

Credit or debit cards

You can add the following credit/debit cards to your account:

American Express
Mastercard
Visa
Visa Electron

Note: The types of cards accepted through Google Play may vary. If your card doesn't work when you think it should, contact your bank or card issuer for help. You may notice temporary authorisations on your account when using a credit or debit card.

Mobile phone billing

With some mobile devices and service plans, you can charge purchases to your operator bill.

Participating operators in South Africa:

MTN
Telkom
Vodacom

When you buy something, you'll see the charge on your operator account after 15 minutes.

Note: You may see an SMS (text message) starting with 'DCB' or 'DCB_Association' on your phone when you sign up for mobile phone billing. The message is automatically generated and sent to complete enrolment in mobile phone billing for your Google Play account.

Mobile phone billing troubleshooting

If you don't see an operator billing option, keep in mind that:

Mobile phone billing is only available using the Google Play Store app. It isn't available on the Google Play website on a computer or mobile browser.
Your account with your operator must be in good standing.
If you use a device with dual SIM cards, make sure that you put the right SIM card in slot 1 and leave slot 2 empty.
Mobile phone billing is not available on rooted devices.
Some mobile phone operators can't be used to pay for subscriptions.

Check with your operator to make sure that:

You haven't exceeded your operator's monthly spending limit.
Your device and service plan allow premium content purchases.
Your device can use mobile phone billing.

Cancelled purchases

Purchases that aren't successfully authorised with your operator are immediately cancelled. For help with unsuccessful mobile phone billing purchases, contact your mobile service provider.

Google Play balance and Google Play gift cards

You can use your Google Play balance to: