Unable to restore Copilot Pro+ after payment failure during subscription pause

[yusuforzibekov]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Copilot in GitHub

Body

Hello everyone,

I would like to ask for guidance regarding an issue with my GitHub Copilot Pro+ subscription.

I was previously an active Copilot Pro+ user, but my subscription renewal failed due to a temporary payment issue (card-related). I did not cancel the subscription manually.

After the failed payment:

• My Copilot Pro+ subscription was deactivated
• My account was downgraded to Copilot Free
• I can see that GitHub is still attempting to retry the payment (next attempt scheduled)
• I have already fixed my payment method and I am ready to pay immediately

However, I am now facing a problem:

• I cannot resubscribe to Copilot Pro+ manually
• It seems new subscriptions and upgrades are currently paused

My questions:

1. Since my subscription ended due to a payment failure (not intentional cancellation), is there any way to restore my previous Pro+ plan?
2. If I complete the payment now, will my Pro+ subscription be automatically restored?
3. Has anyone successfully restored their Pro+ subscription in a similar situation during the current subscription pause?
4. Is GitHub Support the only way to resolve this, or are there any known workarounds?

Additional context:

• I am also part of the GitHub Student Developer Pack
• I have already opened a support ticket and am waiting for a response

If anyone (especially GitHub staff or users who experienced the same issue) can share guidance or solutions, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[asaddevx]

Hey @yusuforzibekov! This is a known scenario and here's what you need to know:

The good news: Since your subscription lapsed due to a payment failure and not a manual cancellation, GitHub's billing system will automatically retry the charge. You don't need to manually resubscribe — the system is already trying on your behalf.

What to do right now:

1. Confirm your payment method is updated — Go to Settings → Billing & plans → Payment information and make sure your new card is set as the default. This is critical so the next retry succeeds.

2. Wait for the retry — GitHub retries failed payments on a schedule (typically within a few days). Once the retry succeeds, your Pro+ subscription will be automatically restored — no manual upgrade needed.

3. You cannot manually force a resubscription right now — because new Copilot subscriptions/upgrades are paused. But this doesn't affect automatic payment retries for existing lapsed subscriptions like yours.

4. Your Student Developer Pack — This should not interfere, but mention it in your support ticket so the team is aware.

5. Support ticket is your safety net — Since you've already opened one, if the automatic retry fails again, support can manually trigger the charge or restore the plan from their end.

Summary: Update your default payment method → wait for the automatic retry → Pro+ should restore itself. No workaround needed beyond that.

Hope this gets you back on Pro+ quickly!

[motae99]

Hey @yusuforzibekov! This is a known scenario and here's what you need to know:

The good news: Since your subscription lapsed due to a payment failure and not a manual cancellation, GitHub's billing system will automatically retry the charge. You don't need to manually resubscribe — the system is already trying on your behalf.

What to do right now:

1. Confirm your payment method is updated — Go to Settings → Billing & plans → Payment information and make sure your new card is set as the default. This is critical so the next retry succeeds.
2. Wait for the retry — GitHub retries failed payments on a schedule (typically within a few days). Once the retry succeeds, your Pro+ subscription will be automatically restored — no manual upgrade needed.
3. You cannot manually force a resubscription right now — because new Copilot subscriptions/upgrades are paused. But this doesn't affect automatic payment retries for existing lapsed subscriptions like yours.
4. Your Student Developer Pack — This should not interfere, but mention it in your support ticket so the team is aware.
5. Support ticket is your safety net — Since you've already opened one, if the automatic retry fails again, support can manually trigger the charge or restore the plan from their end.

Summary: Update your default payment method → wait for the automatic retry → Pro+ should restore itself. No workaround needed beyond that.

Hope this gets you back on Pro+ quickly!

I faced same issue here now I found it failed for 3 times retry, how can I force the retry to regain my account