billing issue

[yusuf601]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Other

Discussion Details

Hello everyone,

My workflow waka-readme.yml suddenly failed with this error when I manually triggered it:

"The job was not started because your account is locked due to a billing issue."

What confuses me is that I am on the Free plan and this workflow has not been run for over a month — so there should be no Actions minutes consumed in this billing cycle.

Workflow info:

Workflow file: waka-readme.yml

Trigger: workflow_dispatch (manual)

Branch: main

Job: Update this repo's README

What I've checked so far:

My repository is public

I am on the GitHub Free plan

No unpaid invoices in Settings → Billing & plans

Spending limit is set to $0 (default)

Zero Actions usage this billing cycle

My questions:

Why would a billing lock occur on a free account with zero usage and no failed payments?

Could this be related to the $0 spending limit flagging a metered event even when actual usage is $0.00?

Has anyone else experienced a billing lock after a long period of inactivity?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[kevinwangombe]

Hi! This is a known GitHub issue that has nothing to do with actual billing charges. Here's what to try:

1. Contact GitHub Support directly — go to https://support.github.com/ and report the billing lock. GitHub can manually unlock free accounts, this is usually resolved quickly.
2. Check if your account has any pending verification — sometimes GitHub flags accounts for identity verification after long periods of inactivity. Go to Settings → Billing & plans and look for any banners or alerts.
3. Try re-adding a payment method — even on a free plan, adding and then removing a payment method can sometimes reset a billing lock. Go to Settings → Billing & plans → Payment information.
4. The $0 spending limit is not the cause — that setting is correct for free plans and does not trigger locks by itself.
5. Check for any emails from GitHub — they usually send a warning email before locking. Check your spam folder too.

[eversp]

Hello,

I subscribed to GitHub Pro by mistake, even though I already have GitHub Copilot Pro. I don't use GitHub Pro and noticed the error in the first month of billing. The system only allows me to downgrade at the end of the annual cycle (December 2026), but I would like to cancel the subscription immediately and request a refund of the annual charge of US$48 (US$31.30 debited from my card).

Since this subscription was made in error and was not used, I kindly request an exception to the standard no-refund policy. Please process the cancellation and refund as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Sincerely,
Everton
github-eversp-receipt-2026-04-08_2.pdf

[fortuneitman-cel]

github-fortuneitman-cel-receipt-2026-05-03.pdf
Me too — I have the same situation.

[zuoxiaoyi]

Me too — I have the same situation.
Uploading github-zuoxiaoyi-receipt-2026-06-05.pdf…

[TheKirrrra]

same situation
github-TheKirrrra-receipt-2026-06-11.pdf

[eversp]

They're quick to take payment, but resolving issues is a bureaucratic nightmare. Are we on GitHub or some beginner platform... lol

[eversp]

This is not the right attitude for a large platform like GitHub. I understand that the mistake was mine, but they should be prepared for this type of situation, since smaller platforms handle it very skillfully, regardless of the sector in which they operate.

[fortuneitman-cel]

Very accurate

[thisisakoo]

My credit card got a payment information by github copilot. but i can't found out which account to pay. How can i find out which account to payed??