RuneScape Wiki

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Membership and Payment Problems

Is the price of membership the same for every payment method?

The basic membership charge for RuneScape is the same regardless of payment method. The price you pay will vary depending on which payment method you use due to administration costs by our payment partners (we’re always working hard to reduce these as much as possible for you).

If you want to use the cheapest and easiest payment method available, paying by Credit/Debit Card is the way to go. There are no administration costs linked to card payments, giving you the best value for your money.

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Are all payment methods available in my country?

Not all payment methods are available in every country. To find out what is available to you, click here, select your location and choose the payment method you want to know more about.

If the payment method you want to use isn't listed after you've selected your location, it means it isn't available in your area. No need to worry though, we offer lots of options, so simply pick the next best one for you.

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Credit/Debit Card Information

Payment Declined

There are two key reasons why a payment will not be collected part way through an ongoing subscription.

  1. Your card has expired. If your card expires the information sent to your bank is incorrect and the payment will fail. You can update your expiry date by following the instructions further down this page.
  2. Your card has been declined by your bank. Your bank doesn't provide us with a reason for this. See further on in this page to find out more information about bank declines and what to do.

Occasionally, your attempt to make a payment will be declined. Don't worry, this is nothing to be concerned about.

When this situation occurs your bank may have reserved funds in advance for making the payment – please note that these could be displayed as ‘processed’ or ‘pending’ on your statement. Don’t worry, we won’t be taking those funds and they will be automatically returned by your card issuer once they are aware that we are not going to collect them. It can take between 5 – 10 working days for your card issuer to return the payment.

To help your payment succeed, please check the following things:

  • Your bank allows payments to the United Kingdom.
  • There is enough money in your account to cover the cost of membership.
  • You may be using a Gift Card. To find out more about Gift Cards click here.
  • You have correctly entered the 16 digit card number correctly, including the 3 digit security CVV from the back of the card.
  • You have correctly entered any address information as it is listed with the bank.
  • You have correctly entered the 'Verified by Visa/MasterCard Secure Code' if your bank requests it.
  • You have selected the correct country your card is registered to when you attempted the payment.

If none of the above points are the cause of your problem we recommend you contact your bank to see if the payment was declined by their security systems. If it wasn't, please contact us for more help.

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Gift Card doesn't work

We do support a large number of Gift Cards - be careful though, as not all gift cards work online or in all countries. RuneScape is created and run from the United Kingdom, so it is worth checking to see if your card can be used here.

To check, simply search the website of the brand of your card (e.g. Walmart, Vanilla...). Don't be led into thinking all Visa or MasterCard Gift Cards will work, it is the brand that decides where the cards can be used. For example, American Express Gift Cards can only be used in the USA.

Of course, if you've purchased a Gift Card already and you cannot use it on our website, you may still be able to purchase a RuneScape Game Card at your local store, so the money wouldn't have been wasted.

If you are having problems and you cannot find if your card is compatible with our systems, contact us to find out more.

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Updating card details

If you have a replacement Credit/Debit Card you can update the details under the Account Settings section of the RuneScape website, then simply select Start/Extend Subscription.

You will be prompted to enter your RuneScape account login information, then select the link to update the expiry date of the card on your active recurring subscription payment.

If you want to change the card you are using to pay to a completely different one, all you need to do is sign up for a new Credit/Debit Card recurring subscription payment. This will automatically cancel the current recurring payment, replacing it with the new one.

If you want your payments to be collected on a similar date to what you are already used to, add the new recurring subscription payment when you have 4 days of membership left. This will stop the current membership from collecting another payment when it only has 3 days remaining, plus it only moves your rebill date by 1 day.

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Credit Card terms

The full Credit Card agreement can be found here. In plain English, it means:

  • Following your payment, a binding monthly recurring contract will be in place between you and Jagex, starting when we send you confirmation of your payment or if you log into member content (whichever happens first).
  • Unless you cancel your subscription, we will continue to take your payment 3 days before your membership is due to run out – this is what you agreed to when you made the payment.
  • You are free to cancel this agreement at any time, but payments will continue until you cancel.

THE INFORMATION ABOVE IS ONLY TO ASSIST IN UNDERSTANDING THE CREDIT CARD AGREEMENT. IN THE EVENT OF ANY CONFLICT BETWEEN THE INFORMATION IN THIS WIKI AND THE BINDING PROVISIONS OF THE CREDIT CARD AGREEMENT OR TERMS AND CONDITIONS, THE LATTER SHALL CONTROL MEANING.

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Unrecognised payment on your Credit Card statement

Payments for RuneScape will appear on your statement with the following prefix: "info.jagex". This is also true for any payments relating to other games that Jagex produce.

We always recommend you to contact our Billing Support Team to help if you don’t recognise a payment on your statement. We are able to investigate and help.

Below is a list of things that our Billing Support Team will need to know:

  • The first 6 and last 4 digits of the Credit/Debit Card, plus the expiry date (this helps us to search for any payments linked to your card and cancel the recurring subscription payment)
  • Any information you can provide about who made the payment (do you have a RuneScape player in the house who may have used the card?)
  • Have you reported the payments to your bank (do you believe your card details to be stolen, or has somebody misused it? This also helps us to know if the bank has initiated a chargeback procedure to return the payments to you)

We would always advise you to ensure your computer is secure also, just to make sure your card details were not taken this way. You can find out more about securing your computer in the security section.

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Payment Restrictions

We sometimes limit the payment methods an account can use to purchase RuneScape membership. This happens following a payment being reversed by the bill payer.

If your account owes JCoins due to a reversed payment then click here to find out what to do next.

If you do not owe JCoins, but still cannot use all of the available payment methods in your location, please contact our Billing Support Team for more information.

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PayPal

Payment Declined

If PayPal tell you the payment has failed at our end it means that our payment security systems have not accepted the payment – don’t worry this is nothing to be concerned about.

When this occurs PayPal may have reserved funds in advance for making the payment (depending upon how you paid PayPal) – please note that these could be displayed as ‘processed’ or ‘pending’ on your statement. Don’t worry, we won’t be taking those funds and they will be automatically returned by your card issuer/bank once they are aware that we are not going to collect them. It can take between 5 – 10 working days for your card issuer/bank to return the payment.

As a general guide, follow these key points to help payments to be made successfully:

  • Make sure there is enough money in the account you are making a payment from.
  • Correctly enter your PayPal information.
  • Select the correct country (the country in which you are making the payment from) for your payment.

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Verified/Unverified explained

To put it simply, a Verified account is able to purchase membership for multiple accounts. You can also use your verified PayPal account to purchase RuneScape membership for different accounts you own at different times, whereas an unverified account is locked to just one account, regardless of if your membership has expired.

All Verified really means is that PayPal are happy you are the owner of your account because you've linked it to your bank account through their website.

The good news is it's very easy to verify your PayPal account.

  1. Log in to your PayPal account
  2. In the Account Overview page, click on the 'Get Verified' link found towards the top of the page
  3. Enter your bank details and review the direct debit agreement
  4. PayPal will then deposit two small amounts into your bank account within five working days - make a note of the amounts
  5. Log into your PayPal account and go to 'Complete bank setup' in your Notifications box
  6. Enter the two deposit amounts for confirmation

PayPal will then be linked to your bank account, providing a clear confirmation of your identity to PayPal.

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Payment Restrictions

We sometimes limit the payment methods an account can use to purchase RuneScape membership. This is usually done due to reversed payments appearing on an account.

If your account owes JCoins due to a reversed payment then click here to find out what to do next.

If you do not owe JCoins, but still cannot use all of the available payment methods in your location, please contact our Billing Support Team for more information.

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How to contact PayPal

If you need PayPal to support you with your problem, you can contact them at the support page of their website. We have close links with PayPal and will work with them to resolve your problem.

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RuneScape Game Card

Where to purchase RuneScape Game Cards

RuneScape Game Cards are available in lots of different stores in many countries. To find the nearest store that supplies Game Cards near you, click here to open the store locator.

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Card PIN unreadable

The PIN on a RuneScape Game Card is very difficult to scratch off. However, if this has happened to you, please contact the store you originally purchased the card from.

If your problem is still ongoing, send the following information via e-mail. Our contact details are available on the contact page.

  1. A brief description of the problem
  2. Your account username (or display name)
  3. The name of the store you purchased the card from, including the country and town
  4. Pictures of the front and back of the card (all visible numbers must be readable)
  5. Pictures of any receipts you were given with the card (proof of purchase)

Pictures from camera phones are ok to send providing they are clear enough to read.

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Card deactivated

If you receive a message telling you your card is deactivated, this means the store has not activated it correctly. The first thing you should do is return to the store to see if they can do this for you.

You should have received a receipt containing an authorisation code, always make sure you collect this when purchasing a RuneScape Game Card.

If the store are unable to activate the card after you've purchased it, please contact our Billing Support Team.

  1. A brief description of the problem
  2. Your account username (or display name)
  3. The name of the store you purchased the card from, including the country and town
  4. Pictures of the front and back of the card (all visible numbers must be readable)
  5. Pictures of any receipts you were given with the card (proof of purchase)

Pictures from camera phones are ok to send providing they are clear enough to read.

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Card already redeemed

If you RuneScape receive a message saying your Game Card has already been redeemed one of the following things will have happened:

You have successfully redeemed the card to your account, but have not received the confirmation message. In this instance I would suggest logging into your account to see if you can access members worlds.

The card (or card number) was given to you by a friend. In this case the card has already been used before it was given to you. You will need a new card to purchase membership.

Please be careful to enter your username correctly when redeeming a RuneScape Game Card. These are non-reversible methods of payment and if you add the membership to the wrong account it will stay there.

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Ultimate Game Card

An Ultimate Game Card is very similar to a RuneScape Game Card, but you are able to choose which game you want to redeem the credit against. You can find a full list of these games and where to purchase Ultimate Game Cards at their website by clicking here.

Ultimate Game Cards are run by the same people that offer the PayByCash payment methods, so to redeem your Ultimate Game Card you will need to select the PayByCash payment method from the RuneScape subscription page.

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Help with other payment methods

The majority of our payment partners prefer to manage payment queries themselves - as a result, only they have access to your detailed information.

To get a speedy response to your payment problem, please use the most suitable support team from the list below:

  1. Boku/PayByMobile/Text message: http://www.boku.com/help/customer-support/
  2. Surfpin/PayByPhone: http://support.surfpin.com/home
  3. PayByCash: http://www.paybycash.com/service/index.php
  4. Wallie Card/paysafecard: http://www.wallie.co.uk/index.php?page=helpPage&mode=supportForm
  5. Level Up!: https://www.thelevelup.com/contact
  6. Direct e-banking: mailto:support@uk.clickandbuy.com or call at +44 (0)207 - 1539160
  7. Giropay: https://www.giropay.de
  8. Sofortüberweisung: https://www.payment-network.com/sue_de/general/kontakt_b2c
  9. Ideal: Ideal allows you to check the status of your payment online here.

We do work closely with these teams, so you are welcome to forward their messages to our Billing Support Team for extra assistance.

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JCoins

JCoins are the virtual currency created to be used with Jagex accounts. You can currently only use them for two purposes:

  1. To purchase WoLCash in War of Legends
  2. To repay any debt that is owed on a RuneScape account.

Any membership credit claimed back by a bill payer is converted into JCoins. To find out more about paying a debt, please read the Can't play due to negative JCoins section further down this page.

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Unable to access the members game

Frozen membership

A ban is added to an account if it has been caught breaching our rules. If you receive an in-game ban you are likely to be banned for either 7 days, 14 days or permanently. If you have active membership on the account, you will not lose any membership days due to this. Your membership credit will be frozen and will continue as normal once the ban has expired.

We will not refund a payment if an account has been banned as the Rules of RuneScape have been broken. To find out more about our refund policy, please see the refund section.

You can appeal your offence under the account settings section of the website.

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Account is banned

A ban is added to an account if it has been caught breaching our rules. If you receive an in-game ban you are likely to be banned for either 7 days, 14 days or permanently. If you have active membership on the account, you will not lose any membership days due to this. Your membership credit will be frozen and will continue as normal once the ban has expired.

We will not refund a payment if an account has been banned as the Rules of RuneScape have been broken. To find out more about our refund policy, please see the refund section.

You can appeal your offence under the Profile and Settings section of the website.

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Can’t play due to negative JCoins on your account

Negative JCoins are added to an account when the bill payer has questioned a payment with one of our payment partners (e.g. Global Collect, Boku, PayPal etc.) This is called a disputed payment and the cost of membership has been returned to the bill payer.

As the payment has been returned, any membership used will need paying for again. This turns used membership into a debt. We display this debt on an account as negative JCoins, all other membership packages are removed from our payment screens until the debt is paid.

Negative JCoins can only be repaid using the PayByCash payment method due to the risk of further charges using other methods.

The first step you should take when faced with negative JCoins is to speak to the bill payer. It is possible they didn't understand what the charge was and disputed it by mistake. If they are able to reverse the dispute any negative JCoins are automatically removed from your account, putting back to exactly the same status it was in beforehand.

If you need more information regarding which payments have been disputed, please contact our Billing Support Team.

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