Overview
If a payment for your individual permit fails — for example, your card was declined or expired — your permit doesn't end straight away. Parkable will retry the payment automatically a few times over the next several days, and you can also retry it manually from the app.
If all retries fail, your permit ends and you lose access to your space.
What happens when a payment fails
When a permit payment fails, Parkable does the following:
Marks the invoice as unpaid
Shows a Payment failed banner on your app home screen
Sends you an email letting you know
Automatically retries the payment over the next few days (see schedule below)
Sends you another email if all the automatic retries fail
You keep access to your space throughout the retry period.
How long you have before the permit ends
Parkable retries your payment three times before cancelling the permit. The schedule depends on whether you have a weekly or monthly permit:
Weekly permit — retries at 6 hours, 30 hours, and 78 hours after the first failure (about 3 days total)
Monthly permit — retries at 24 hours, 72 hours, and 144 hours after the first failure (about 6 days total)
If a retry succeeds, your permit continues as normal — your end date isn't affected.
How to fix it before the permit ends
You don't need to wait for the automatic retries. You can clear the failed payment yourself by retrying it manually or switching to a different card.
See My payment has failed, how do I fix this? for the steps.
Tip: If the same card keeps failing, add a new payment method first and set it as your default — see Add a credit card to your profile.
FAQs
Will I lose access to my space straight away?
No. Your permit stays active during the retry period (about 3 days for weekly permits, 6 days for monthly). You only lose access if all three retries fail.
What happens if all retries fail?
Your permit is automatically ended and you'll get an email letting you know. To park again, you'll need to start a new permit — see How do I start a monthly permit in the app?.
My permit was cancelled after a failed payment — can I get it back?
Once a permit is cancelled, your space is released and isn't held for you. To park again you'll need to start a new permit, and the same space may not still be available. If you'd like to try to recover your original space, contact Parkable support as soon as possible — the sooner you reach us, the better the chance it hasn't been reassigned.
Why might my payment have failed?
Common reasons include insufficient funds, an expired card, or your bank flagging the charge for security reasons. Check the card details in your Parkable account, then try again.
I've fixed my payment method but I'm still seeing the failed payment banner
Manually retry the payment from the app — see My payment has failed, how do I fix this?. The banner clears once the retry succeeds.
My permit ended but I didn't cancel it — why?
There are two common reasons a permit can end even though you didn't cancel it:
A payment failed. If a renewal payment fails and all the automatic retries are unsuccessful, the permit ends automatically (see the retry schedule above)
Parkable no longer manages that parking facility. When Parkable stops managing a site, the permits there end. We email everyone affected to let them know we're no longer managing the parking — so check your inbox (and spam folder) for that message. It explains the change to the site
If neither seems to apply and you think your permit ended in error, contact Parkable support with your permit details.