Add a billing method to your GoDaddy account before registering or renewing domains. Required for any operation that charges money.

Domain registration, renewal, and transfer charge the billing method saved on your GoDaddy account. The Domains API does not accept card numbers or payment objects in the request body — v3 registration quotes and purchases draw from the account's payment profile.

If no billing method is on file, quote and purchase calls fail before registration logic runs. The API returns NO_PAYMENT_PROFILE (HTTP 422) until billing is configured. Go to Handle errors for the full error envelope and other billing-related error codes.

Add a payment method

You can add a payment method in the account UI or open the same page from the CLI.

Using the CLI

The beta gddy CLI opens your browser to the payment-methods page for the active environment:

gddy payment-methods add

Only a credit card or Good as Gold balance can be used for domain purchases. For built-in CLI environments, the command opens:

CLI environment	Account payment URL
Production (`gddy env set prod`)	account.godaddy.com/payment-methods/add-payment

Using the account UI

Sign in at account.godaddy.com/payment-methods/add-payment.
Click Add Payment Method.
Complete the Billing Information and Payment Method sections.
Click Save.

Complete billing address and phone

Domain purchase also requires a complete registrant contact (phone and mailing address) on the account. If billing is set up but contact fields are missing, the API returns MISSING_CONTACT or validation errors on individual address fields. Update contacts at account.godaddy.com/profile/contacts.

Verify billing is ready

After adding a payment method, confirm the account can receive a registration quote. A successful quote returns a quoteToken; NO_PAYMENT_PROFILE means billing is still missing.

curl -s -X POST "https://api.godaddy.com/v3/domains/registration-quotes" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GODADDY_PAT" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"domain": "example.com", "period": 1}'

Response

A quoteToken in the response confirms billing is configured. NO_PAYMENT_PROFILE means add a payment method first. MISSING_CONTACT means complete the registrant contact on the account before quoting or purchasing.

Common errors

Code	HTTP	Likely cause	What to do
`NO_PAYMENT_PROFILE`	`422`	No payment method on the account.	Add a payment method (UI or `gddy payment-methods add`).
`INVALID_PAYMENT_INFO`	`402`	Payment authorization failed at purchase time — no usable method or card declined.	Verify the card on file or add a new method.
`ACCOUNT_NOT_FUNDED`	`403`	Good as Gold balance is $0.00 with no fallback card.	Add funds or add a credit card.
`MISSING_CONTACT`	`422`	Registrant phone or address missing from the account profile.	Complete contact info in the account UI.

Good as Gold vs credit card

Some accounts use a prepaid Good as Gold balance instead of a card. Registrations draw from the balance first. If the balance is $0 and no fallback card is on file, registration fails with a billing-related error. Go to What is Good as Gold? for an overview.

Payment declines

Your API purchases might be declined even when a valid billing method is on file. Two situations commonly cause this:

Situation	Description	Cause	Resolution
High-velocity transactions	Many purchases on the same payment method in a short period	Your issuing bank might decline the transaction as a fraud precaution	Fund a Good as Gold account in advance and use it for these transactions. Good as Gold draws from a prepaid balance and bypasses your card issuer.
European Economic Area (EEA) transactions	Purchases in GBP or EUR with a billing address in the UK or EEA	Payment Services Directive 2 requires Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). The API purchase experience is not compatible with current accepted SCA methods.	Use Good as Gold within this region. Good as Gold transactions are not subject to SCA requirements.

Good as Gold

Go to What is Good as Gold? for an overview, or Set up a Good as Gold account to get started.

To fund more than $2,000, you must pass Identity Verification before spending your Good as Gold credit. GoDaddy only processes USD transactions.

Agent & Automation Notes

PermissionsBilling

ScopesNot applicable — configured via UI

Rate limitNot applicable — one-time setup

IdempotentYes

DestructiveNo

On failurePayment profile is configured through the account UI, not the API. If registration/renewal returns NO_PAYMENT_PROFILE (HTTP 422), the account has no billing method — direct the user to add one at godaddy.com.

Guides

Concepts

Handle errors

Last updated on

Set up a payment profile