This topic describes the payment methods of Alibaba Cloud.
Supported payment methods
The payment methods of Alibaba Cloud vary based on the country or region in which you are registered. In the following table, a check mark (√) indicates that the payment method is supported, and a cross (×) indicates that the payment method is not supported.
Online payment method | American user | European user | Malaysian user | Indian user | User in other countries or regions | |
Bank card | Visa | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × | ✓ |
Mastercard | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × | ✓ | |
American Express | ✓ | ✓ | × | × | ✓ | |
JCB | × | × | × | × | ✓ | |
Digital wallet | PayPal | ✓ | × | × | × | ✓ |
Paytm | × | × | × | ✓ | × | |
Prepayment | Offline remittance | × | × | × | ✓ | × |
All countries or regions except the United States, Europe, Malaysia, and India are regarded as other countries or regions. Typical examples include Hong Kong (China), Taiwan (China), Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.
Indian users refer to the users registered in India after July 29, 2019. Malaysian users refer to the users registered in Malaysia after October 8, 2019. Users registered in India and Malaysia before the two dates are regarded as users in other countries or regions.
Only the balance in the Paytm wallet can be used for payment. This payment method does not support other fund sources, such as bank card or Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
The prepayment balance feature is available to Indian users. Indian users can complete prepayments to Alibaba Cloud by using bank transfer.
Alibaba Cloud provides a credit limit for enterprise users. Enterprise users can use Alibaba Cloud services within the credit limit and pay monthly bills by using bank transfer. If you are an enterprise user and have similar business requirements, contact your account manager.
Bind a bank card
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console. On the Billing Account page, click Add Payment Method in the Bind Third-party Payment Method section.
On the Add Payment Method page, select Bank Card and configure the following parameters:
Your bank card number
Validity period of the bank card
Security code, which is not saved on Alibaba Cloud
Name of the card holder (Enter your last name and first name if you use an enterprise bank card that does not show the names on the surface. The middle name and enterprise name on the card are optional.)
Bill address (The address that you specify when you create your Alibaba Cloud account is filled in automatically. You can modify the address based on your business requirements.)
Click Submit to bind the bank card.
During the bank card binding process, the system initiates a pre-authorization charge of USD 1.00 to check the validity of the bank card. The pre-authorization charge is MYR 1.00 for Malaysian users. After verification, the bank card is bound and the pre-authorization charge is refunded at the earliest opportunity.
The card issuers that Alibaba Cloud supports vary based on the country or region. Pay attention to the specific prompt that is displayed when you bind a bank card.
Bind a PayPal account
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console. Navigate to the Billing Account page. In the Bind Third-party Payment Method section, click Add Payment Method.
On the Add Payment Method page, select PayPal and click Next.
Click Add Now to go to the official website of PayPal. Log on to the official website of PayPal with your PayPal account and sign a billing agreement with Alibaba Cloud. After you sign the billing agreement with Alibaba Cloud, the system automatically adds PayPal as one of your payment methods on Alibaba Cloud. If you specify PayPal as the default payment method and activate a pay-as-you-go service on Alibaba Cloud, the system initiates pre-authorization for your PayPal account.
FAQ
Can I add a UnionPay card?
Alibaba Cloud does not support bank cards with only the UnionPay logo. Alibaba Cloud supports bank cards with only the VISA or MasterCard logo, or bank cards with both the VISA or MasterCard logo and the UnionPay logo.
Why cannot my bank card be added?
You may fail to add your bank card due to the following causes:
The card issuer is not supported by Alibaba Cloud. For example, Alibaba Cloud does not support bank cards with only the UnionPay logo.
The card type is not supported. Alibaba Cloud does not support prepaid cards, gift cards, or virtual cards.
Your bank card has been bound to another Alibaba Cloud account. A bank card can be bound to only one Alibaba Cloud account.
The country or region in which your bank card is issued is not supported by Alibaba Cloud.
Your bank card does not support online payment. Contact your card issuer to activate online payment.
Your bank card balance is insufficient to pay the pre-authorization charge of USD 1.00 initiated by Alibaba Cloud. The pre-authorization charge is MYR 1.00 for Malaysian users.
The pre-authorization charge of USD 1.00 initiated by Alibaba Cloud is rejected by your card issuer. The pre-authorization charge is MYR 1.00 for Malaysian users. In this case, contact your card issuer.
If the error message shown in the following figure is reported, your bank card is new and the card number cannot be identified by Alibaba Cloud. In this case, contact the customer service of Alibaba Cloud to manually identify your card number.
How do I check the pre-authorization charge when I bind a bank card?
You can find the pre-authorization charge initiated by Alibaba Cloud in your bank card bill, which is MYR 1.00 for Malaysian users and USD 1.00 for other users.
Will the pre-authorization charge during bank card binding be refunded?
Yes. The pre-authorization charge initiated by Alibaba Cloud, which is MYR 1.00 for Malaysian users and USD 1.00 for other users, will be automatically refunded after successful pre-authorization. In most cases, the pre-authorization charge is refunded in one to five business days.
How do I complete 3D verification for switching the default external payment method?
If you set your bank card as the default external payment method, Alibaba Cloud may instruct you to complete 3D verification. You can find the notification of Alibaba Cloud in an internal message or the registered email address. Click the link in the internal message or email to complete 3D verification by following the instructions.
After you complete 3D verification, set your bank card as the default external payment method on the Payment Methods page again.
What is the limit on binding a PayPal account?
PayPal accounts registered in China cannot be bound as a payment method of Alibaba Cloud.
What do I need to take note of when I add a PayPal account as a payment method?
When you add a PayPal account as an Alibaba Cloud payment method, you are navigated to the PayPal official website. After you enter the logon information and agree to the payment agreement between PayPal and Alibaba Cloud, the PayPal account is bound to your Alibaba Cloud account.
If you have not bound a fund source such as a bank card to your PayPal account, PayPal may require you to immediately bind a fund source to your PayPal account. If you have questions about how to bind a fund source to your PayPal account, contact PayPal technical support.