“Changing your payment method on YouTube” means two completely different things depending on which side of the transaction you’re on — and they live in entirely separate places. This covers both.
If You’re Paying (Premium, Memberships, Rentals)
All consumer payments run through your Google Account’s payment settings.
Add or Update a Card
- Go to pay.google.com while signed in to the account you use for YouTube.
- Under Payment methods, add a new card or remove an old one.
Change Which Method a Specific Subscription Uses
Adding a card doesn’t automatically switch an existing subscription over. To change what YouTube Premium (or a channel membership) actually charges:
- Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships.
- Select the subscription you want to update.
- Choose Manage, then update its payment method.
This two-step distinction catches a lot of people out — a subscription keeps charging the old card until you explicitly change it there.
Accepted Payment Methods
Credit and debit cards, PayPal, and Google Play balance are the most widely supported. Availability varies by country, and some regional options such as carrier billing or local wallets exist in specific markets only.
If You’re Getting Paid (Creators in the Partner Program)
Creator earnings don’t run through Google Pay at all — they go through Google AdSense, linked to your channel.
- Go to YouTube Studio > Earn (or Monetization).
- Follow the link to your connected AdSense account.
- In AdSense, go to Payments > Payment methods to add or update bank details.
Payment methods and thresholds vary by country — direct bank deposit is the most common. Changes to payout details can take a full payment cycle to take effect, so update well before you’re expecting a payment rather than after.
Common Problems
- The card won’t save — the billing address must match exactly what your bank has on file, including formatting.
- Payment declined despite a valid card — many banks block recurring international charges by default. A quick call to your bank resolves this more often than changing cards does.
- You updated the card but got charged on the old one — you added the method but didn’t switch the subscription over (see the two-step process above).
- Creator payment held — usually incomplete tax information in AdSense, or a mismatch between your AdSense address, channel country, and payment method’s country.
- Currency differs from expected — your AdSense payment currency is set by your account country and generally can’t be changed afterward.
A Note on Payment Security
YouTube and Google never ask for card details by email, and any “payment failed, update your card here” message with a link is almost certainly a phishing attempt. Always go directly to pay.google.com or youtube.com yourself rather than following a link from a message.
FAQ
I added a new card but still got charged on the old one — why?
Adding a card at pay.google.com doesn’t switch existing subscriptions. Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships and update the payment method on that specific subscription.
Where do creators change how they get paid?
Through Google AdSense, linked from YouTube Studio > Earn — not through Google Pay, which only handles consumer payments.
Why is my creator payment being held?
Usually incomplete tax information in AdSense, or a mismatch between your AdSense address, channel country, and payment method country.
My card is valid but keeps getting declined — what now?
Check that your billing address matches your bank’s records exactly, and that your bank isn’t blocking recurring international charges.