# Pay by card

The card form, the bank confirmation step, and why activation can lag a successful payment

Section: app. Audience: public. Updated: 2026-09-21.

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Card payment uses an embedded card form from our payment provider. Your card details are entered into their form, inside the page, and are never held by Horizon.

## Filling it in

Pick a plan and an interval, then complete the card form and confirm. The same form is used at signup, on the paywall and on the **"Billing"** page, so it behaves identically wherever you meet it.

You are asked for your billing details alongside the card: these are the company details that appear on your invoices.

## When your bank asks to confirm

Many cards require the bank to confirm the payment. When that happens the check appears in the page itself rather than sending you off to another site, and the app tells you plainly that your bank needs to confirm the card and that you should complete the check to finish subscribing.

Complete it and the payment continues. Nothing is lost and you do not restart.

Some payment methods do redirect you away and back again. If that happens, the app picks the outcome up when you return and shows it at the top of the page.

## Activation is not instantaneous

A successful card does not immediately mean an active plan. Confirmation comes back from the payment provider, and the app waits for it rather than pretending.

So you may briefly see an activating state after paying. The app says **"Payment received"** and tells you it is activating your account. When it completes you get **"Continue to dashboard"**.

If activation takes longer than usual, the app says that too, and tells you it will resolve on its own. Do not pay again.

## Direct debit

Paying by SEPA direct debit is not available. See [SEPA direct debit](/app/sepa-direct-debit).

## If the card is refused

See [When a card is declined](/app/declined-cards).