How to Fix the Error "Funds Could Not Be Added to Your Wallet" on the PS3

There's nothing more frustrating than wanting to download a game or game pack onto your PS3 only to find that your account won't accept a credit card funds transfer. PlayStation doesn't make things easy for you when this happens -- all you're likely to get is an error message telling you that funds could not be added to your wallet. You'll have to try to work out why for yourself. This may be down to the PlayStation network, your credit card or errors in your account details.

PlayStations, like many other electronic devices, often get glitches for no apparent reason. Sometimes a quick reset of the console and the network cures a multitude of problems. If you can't add funds to your wallet, try a reset before you do anything else. Sign out of your account and turn off your PS3. Wait a couple of minutes, power it up again and see if you have any luck adding money now.

Check that your credit card meets PlayStation requirements -- your PS3 may block transfers if it doesn't. As of September 2014, PlayStation accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover credit cards, and MasterCard and Visa debit cards. It no longer accepts prepaid credit cards. Your billing address must be in North America -- you'll have problems if you try to fund a U.S. PlayStation account with an international card. Also, your card must support the credit card industry's AVS address verification system. If you aren't sure that it does, check with your bank. It's also worth checking that you have enough credit on your card to make the payment and that your bank hasn't blocked PS3 transactions without telling you.

You can't add funds to a wallet if your credit card or address details are incorrect or out of date. From the Home screen, navigate to "PlayStation Network" and press "X" on your controller. If you aren't automatically signed in, do that now. For the next steps, highlight and press "X" to go through the "Account Management," "Account Information" and "Billing Information" options. Enter your Playstation Network password if prompted, highlight "Continue" and press "X." You should now see your card details. Edit them if they are not correct. Highlight the "Continue" button and press "X." Check your billing address -- this should match the address associated with your card. When you're done, highlight "Continue," press "X" and wait for an update confirmation message.

PlayStation may refuse a funds transfer if your primary account home address doesn't match your credit card's billing address. To check this, highlight the "PlayStation Network" icon on your Home screen and press "X" on your controller. Sign in if you need to. Highlight "Account Management," press "X," then highlight "Account Information" and press "X." Scroll down to "Address," press "X" and edit your address if it is incorrect or different to your billing address. Highlight "Continue" and press "X" to save your changes.

If you don't have any luck fixing the funds error yourself, try contacting PlayStation support and asking an agent to help. Sony runs a Live Chat service on the PlayStation website and phone support on 800-345-SONY. If the agent can't work out what is wrong, they're likely to tell you that you need to use an alternative funding method. For example, you can use your credit card to add funds to your wallet on your computer. Or, you can pay through PayPal and some mobile providers. You can also buy a prepaid PlayStation Network Card and use that to transfer funds.