Problems donating

Is this site secure?

The Wikimedia Foundation donation website is extremely secure and powered by Verisign Trusted. After clicking a banner or following a donation link, the page you're taken to is on a secured site (https); all information is encrypted and handled following the highest standard of data protection.

My preferred payment method is not yet offered by the Wikimedia Foundation.

We're sorry that we're currently unable to offer your preferred method of payment; in future fundraisers, we hope to have additional options for donation in additional currencies. Please also see our full list of : other ways to give.

Why did my credit/debit card donation get rejected?

If your donation attempt was unsuccessful, please check your debit/credit card for the following cases:

Your credit/debit card should be enabled for International use. Cards that can only be used in country (AKA Domestic cards) may not be accepted at this time. Please call your bank and request international access to be enabled.
However, credit cards from the United States, United Kingdom and Canadian credit cards will only be accepted in their country of origin.
Not all Virtual Cards may be accepted at this time. Virtual cards are frequently used for online purchases to protect your physical card's sensitive information. However, rest assured that our donation processing is backed up by professional, fully compliant processors and your information is extremely secure. So if your virtual card gets rejected, please try to use a traditional credit/debit card instead.

If you are using your debit card, please notice that the security code (CVV) is optional. If your debit card doesn't have a CVV just skip that field.
Your bank may have flagged the transaction. This is particularly likely if this is the first time you are donating to Wikimedia. Please call your bank and request they unblock future transactions to Wikimedia so that your future donations will be processed. If your bank or credit card company is not able to identify the cause of your issue, please contact us at problemsdonatingwikimedia.org. For your security, please do not include credit card numbers in your email.

Why did my Paypal donation get rejected?

If your Paypal donation was rejected, or your recurring subscription donation was canceled, please contact Paypal customer service for more information. You may also call PayPal directly at 888-221-1161 or 402-935-2050 if you’re calling from outside the US. Here are some common reasons why donations fail:

Paypal sometimes requires a backup payment method for various reasons, such as hitting a monthly spending threshold or performing a transfer. You can solve this by adding a backup payment method to your account.
Paypal can occasionally give an error saying we do not process donations in a given country. However, you may be receiving this message because Paypal needs some additional personal identification information from you. Please contact their customer service department and inquire further. This is especially common in some parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Please note that due to in-country regulations, we no longer can process PayPal donations from Japan and Singapore.

I received an error message, but I still see a charge on my statement

If you received an error message stating that your transaction could not be accepted, your donation may not have been processed or accepted by the Wikimedia Foundation. Please contact us at problemsdonatingwikimedia.org for more information about your donation. Please do not include credit card numbers in your email.

A charge may show up on your card, held by your bank, as this is standard operating procedure for any online transaction. If your donation was unsuccessful, your bank will release these funds in about 3-5 business days, depending upon their rules and regulations. If you would like to attempt a donation again, please visit our ways to give page for a full range of options.

Why won’t your donation form accept my information?

Please ensure that your browser is up to date, that you have JavaScript enabled, and that you are not whitelisting certain domains. Please also check to ensure you have entered information into all fields correctly, such as the spelling of your email address or number of digits in your credit card number. Note that extra spaces in these fields may generate an error.

Why did I get a warning/error certificate while trying to donate?

Please don't worry if you see a warning/error certificate while trying to donate. It is likely due to an outdated version of your browser. Please update your browser to a newer version or use a different browser.

Why don't I see my currency or country on the donation form?

The donation banner you clicked is set-up to geolocate based on the IP address provided by your internet service provider. A small number of donors run into trouble with geolocation via IP and need a banner specific to their home country - this tends to be an issue if you are traveling. If this is the case, please send the fundraising team an email at donatewikimedia.org. Please be sure to include the name of your home country and/or currency so that we can send you the correct donation URL.

How can I update/cancel my recurring donation?

For donations via credit card, as a security measure we cannot update your donation amount or card number. If you would like to update or cancel your recurring donation, please email donatewikimedia.org and we will cancel it for you right away. You may then initiate a new recurring donation at Ways to Give
For donations via Paypal, you may be able to update or cancel your donation yourself by logging into your Paypal account. Go to your profile under “My Account” and click "My Money", then "Update" next to My Preapproved Payments. You can find more information on PayPal's page. Please email us at donatewikimedia.org if you have any trouble or would like us to cancel your donation for you.
To change or cancel your recurring donation, please visit this link for instructions related to both Paypal and credit card donations.

Still having trouble?

The fundraising team at the Wikimedia Foundation is small, so please be sure to read through the common questions above. Please also take the time to review our frequently asked questions, as this may help resolve any problems you are experiencing. If you still have doubts or need help tracking your transaction, please contact donatewikimedia.org.