MSFS 2020 Marketplace purchase failed? Fix account, payment, Steam Wallet, Xbox services and entitlement problems without risking a duplicate charge.
An MSFS 2020 Marketplace purchase usually fails because the Marketplace service is unavailable, the wrong Microsoft/Xbox account is signed in, payment authorisation is rejected, or the Steam overlay/Wallet or Windows Gaming Services cannot complete the transaction. Check whether money was taken before retrying; that determines the safe fix.
Was I charged even though the purchase says failed?
The word failed does not prove that the payment failed. Check the order history for the storefront used, any Marketplace receipt or purchase record, and your bank or Steam Wallet activity before pressing Buy again.
| What you find | Likely state | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No order and no charge | The transaction did not complete | Apply the account, service and payment fixes below, then retry once. |
| Payment marked pending | An authorisation may still be processing or may later expire | Do not buy it again while the payment remains pending. Follow the timing shown by the payment provider. |
| Completed order or charge, but no add-on | The payment succeeded but the entitlement or download did not synchronise | Do not repurchase. Restart the simulator and check the owned and uninstalled content filters. |
| Two completed charges | A duplicate transaction may have occurred | Stop retrying and contact the billing support team for the storefront that processed the order. |
How do I fix a failed MSFS 2020 Marketplace purchase?
- Confirm Marketplace access: In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, make sure Online Functionality is enabled under the Data options. If the catalogue will not load, the Marketplace tile is unavailable or multiple products show errors, treat it as a service or connectivity problem rather than a card problem. Our checks for an unavailable or disabled Marketplace cover that situation.
- Verify the in-game account: Confirm the gamertag shown inside MSFS 2020 is the Microsoft/Xbox account that should own the add-on. On a shared PC, the Microsoft Store, Xbox app and simulator can be signed into different accounts; identify which account actually placed the order before changing anything.
- Check the payment details: Verify available funds, expiry date, billing address, store region and any family-account purchasing restrictions. Disable a VPN or proxy during the transaction. A mismatch between the payment method's country and the storefront region can trigger a rejection, but changing regions merely to force a payment can create further account problems.
- Refresh the relevant platform:
- Microsoft Store or PC Game Pass: Close MSFS 2020, restart Windows, update the Microsoft Store and Xbox applications, then sign back into the intended accounts. Running
wsreset.execlears the Microsoft Store cache without deleting installed games. If Xbox authentication remains stuck, follow our steps for repairing Gaming Services and Xbox sign-in. - Steam: Exit both MSFS 2020 and Steam, restart Steam, confirm that the Steam Wallet can cover the displayed total, and enable the Steam Overlay. Do not run Steam and the simulator at different administrator privilege levels, because that can prevent the purchase-confirmation overlay from opening.
- Xbox console: Fully quit MSFS 2020 instead of resuming a suspended session, restart the console, and confirm that the purchasing profile, payment method and family permissions are correct.
- Microsoft Store or PC Game Pass: Close MSFS 2020, restart Windows, update the Microsoft Store and Xbox applications, then sign back into the intended accounts. Running
- Retry only once: Reopen MSFS 2020, wait for the Marketplace catalogue and product page to load fully, then make one fresh attempt. Repeated clicks can create several pending authorisations without delivering the add-on any faster.
Why is the add-on missing after successful payment?
Payment and installation are separate stages. Restart MSFS 2020, open Content Manager and check both owned and uninstalled content; a completed purchase may still require a separate package download.
If the product is not shown as owned, confirm the same gamertag and platform account used for the transaction. Platform licensing and account mismatches can prevent an entitlement from appearing even when a receipt exists. Use our detailed entitlement and missing-content checks rather than buying the product again.
Should I reinstall MSFS 2020?
No, not as the first fix. Marketplace billing is handled through account, platform and online services, so deleting the Community folder, rolling cache or the entire simulator normally will not repair a rejected payment.
Repair local files only when the Marketplace interface remains broken after the service, account and platform checks succeed. At that point, use the appropriate method to repair the MSFS 2020 installation without an unnecessary full reinstall.
When should I contact billing or Marketplace support?
Contact the storefront's billing support when an order is duplicated, a completed charge has no matching order, or payment repeatedly fails despite valid details. Contact Marketplace support when the order is complete but the product does not become owned after an account refresh.
Provide the gamertag, platform, product name, transaction or order ID, purchase date and time zone, charge status and a screenshot of the error. Never send a full card number, and avoid starting a bank chargeback before the platform has investigated the transaction because it can complicate the account record.