How to get rid of the error message "Purchase failed" on Xbox

Troubleshooting payment issues will vary depending on whether you play on multiple devices and whether the payment window appears or not after clicking the Buy and Download button. 

GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING

SIGN OUT OF YOUR XBOX PROFILE

Press the Xbox button to open the guide, select Profile & system, and then select Sign out.
Your profile has been saved and will be accessible the next time you sign in to this console.

RESTART ONLINE SERVICES AND TRY AGAIN

1. Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator
2. Go to Options > General > Data
3. Toggle Online Functionality OFF
4. Click on Apply & Save
5. Toggle Online Functionality ON
6. Click on Apply & Save

END THE SESSION

As basic as this is, a simple restart can set many things right. Log out and try again (If you play Microsoft Flight Simulator on multiple devices, log out of the sim on every device)

We recommend logging out at the end of each session rather than using "quick resume". 

1. Click on your icon in the top right-hand side corner of the screen
2. Click on Sign out then quit the game  
   • Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
   • Highlight the game, press the Menu button on your controller, and select Quit.

 

TROUBLESHOOTING IF THE PAYMENT POP-UP DOESN'T APPEAR

>> Follow these steps if the payment window doesn't appear after clicking the Buy and Download button

RESET YOUR XBOX CONSOLE TO FACTORY DEFAULTS (KEEP YOUR GAMES & APPS) 

1. Press the Xbox button to open the guide.
2. Select Profile & system > Settings > System > Console info.
3. Select Reset console.
4. On the Reset your console? screen, you'll see three options:
   • Reset and remove everything. This option resets the console to factory settings. All user data, including accounts, saved games, settings, home Xbox associations, and all games and apps will be deleted. Use this option when selling or gifting the console, or as a last resort in some troubleshooting cases.
   • Reset and keep my games & apps. Use this option as your primary choice when troubleshooting. It resets the OS and deletes all potentially corrupted data without deleting your games or apps. In some cases, if a corrupt game file is causing the issue you're troubleshooting, you may have to choose Reset and remove everything, but you should always start with Reset and keep my games & apps.
   • Cancel. To back out of this screen, simply select the Cancel button. No action has been taken at this point. This is a safe exit from this screen.

After you select one of the options, your Xbox console begins the process of erasing the selected content and resetting itself to the default settings.

DISABLE THE SETTING "ASK BEFORE BUYING" PROMPT

1. Go to Settings > Account
2. Select Privacy & online safety > Xbox privacy > View details & customize > Buy & download
3. Toggle "Ask before buying" Off

TROUBLESHOOTING PAYMENT AND PURCHASES ISSUES

>> Follow these steps if you can see the payment window after clicking the Buy and Download button.

QUIT THE GAME AND TRY AGAIN

1. Click on your gamertag in the top right corner of the screen
2. Click Sign out
3. Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
4. Highlight Microsoft Flight Simulator then press the Menu button on your controller, and select Quit.
5. Restart the Microsoft Flight Simulator.

CONNECTIVITY ISSUE

If you are using wifi, switch to an LTE or wired connection and try again.

REMOVE OUTDATED INFORMATION

If the problem persists with a wired connection, clear the cache of your console. To do so you have two options:

Cold restart

1. Turn off your console
2. Unplug the power cord from the back of the console
3. Wait for two to three minutes 
4. After two to three minutes, plug the power cord back and restart your system

Clear persistent storage

1. Press the Xbox button on your controller
2. Go to your Profile
3. Select “Settings”
4. Select “Devices and Connections”
5. Click “Blu-Ray” in your menu
6. Select the “Persistent Storage” 
7. Click “Clear Persistent Storage"

RE-ENTER OR CHANGE YOUR PAYMENT METHOD

Even if the information seems correct, enter a new payment option, or delete the current payment option and re-enter it.  NOTE: If your payment method is about to expire (<30 days), you'll need to enter a new valid payment method. 

Sign in to the Microsoft account you want to update. Use a different payment method. Your payment method might have a billing decline violation against it or a previously unpaid balance. If this is the case, you’ll need to provide a different credit card for the purchase.

1. Microsoft account
2. Go to Payment & billing and select Payment options.
3. Under Payment methods, select Add a new payment method.
4. Enter the new payment info, and select Save. You're done unless you see more prompts.

CHECK YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS

A privacy and online safety setting for your Microsoft account may be preventing you from making purchases. Sign in to the Privacy section of your Microsoft account and review your settings. Privacy settings

ADDITIONAL TROUBLESHOOTING

TOO MANY TRIES

Too many recent declined purchase attempts occurred. Try again later. The purchase might be blocked for one of the following reasons:

• The Microsoft account or the payment method is being used from a suspicious location.
• The payment method you provided may have a violation for non-payment that’s preventing it from being used for new purchases.

Wait and try the transaction again in 24 to 48 hours. 

INFORMATION MISMATCH

Make sure that the region of your payment method matches the region of your Xbox Console and Microsoft Account (i.e. if your credit card is from the US, make sure that your billing address is in the US and that your Xbox is set to the US (System > Language and Location > Language EN-US, Location US)

PAYPAL

Sign in to the Microsoft account you want to update. Your PayPal account may have a different country/region listed than your payment method does. If they don't match, you'll need to update your PayPal account or payment method or use another payment method to complete the purchase. To add another method of payment:

• Microsoft account
• Go to Payment & billing and select Payment options.
• Under Payment methods, you can select Add a new payment method, View or edit card, or Remove card.
• Enter your updated info, and select Save. You're done unless you see more prompts.

BILLING ADDRESS

Sign in to the Microsoft account you want to update. Make sure the billing address for your Microsoft account matches the billing address you use with your credit card company. Also, make sure that your card's expiration date hasn't passed.

1. Microsoft account
2. Go to Payment & billing and select Payment options.
3. Under Payment methods, select View or edit card.
4. Enter your updated info, and select Save. You're done unless you see more prompts.

CONTACT YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY OR BANK

The credit card hasn’t been activated. The purchase might have failed for the following reasons:

• The credit card was declined due to insufficient funds.
• The credit card can’t accept online purchases or automatic billing.
• The credit card company is intentionally preventing the card from being used.

Contact your credit card company or bank and make sure that the payment method you’re using was activated, that it has available funds, and that the transaction isn’t being blocked for some reason.

CONTACT XBOX SUPPORT

Your Xbox console or Microsoft account may have been banned or Microsoft may have detected suspicious activity and is preventing charges. To see if this is causing your issue, visit Xbox Support and click on the Contact Us button.