TikTok Coins Not Showing or Can’t Buy Coins? How to Fix It, Check Your Balance and Refunds

Does this match what you see?

• You paid for Coins but your balance hasn’t changed.
• The recharge fails or won’t process.
• You don’t see the Gift button in a LIVE.
• You can’t send Gifts or buy Coins anymore.

iPhone & iPadAndroidComputer (browser)

Based on TikTok’s Gifts and Coins, Send a Gift (LIVE and video), Gift limit and web recharge pages (supplied by the site owner). Buying options depend on your location.

Why this happens: the possible causes

What TikTok says can stop a Coin purchase, or delay your Coins.

• A payment method problem in your app storeCheck this first

  TikTok says to confirm you’ve linked a valid payment method to your Google Play or App Store account.

• Several large purchases in a short timePossible

  TikTok says your payment method may have been blocked to protect your account.

• A VPNPossible

  TikTok says to confirm you’re not using a VPN for your network.

• An old app version or weak connectionPossible

  TikTok says to use the latest version of TikTok and a stable connection.

• Unusual activity on your accountLess likely

  TikTok says sending Gifts or buying Coins may be temporarily restricted if unusual or suspicious transactions are detected.

• Age or locationPossible

  TikTok says you must be at least 18 (19 in South Korea), and buying options depend on your location.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.

“Purchase function currently unavailable”

TikTok says buying Coins may be temporarily unavailable because:

• You’ve violated its Community Guidelines (see account status and appeals).
• It detected an unusual transaction on your account, so recharging is paused for security reasons.
• It may set spending limits on Coin purchases for users’ safety and wellbeing.

No recharge option at all? TikTok says buying and using Coins is only for users who are at least 18 (or the age of majority where you live), in select regions, and recharging on the website isn’t available in every country yet (TikTok says more countries will be added).

Our note: these are TikTok’s decisions, and the checklist above won’t override them. If you think it’s a mistake, contact TikTok through Need more help? on its help pages.

Asked to verify your payment card?

TikTok says it may ask you to verify your card to protect payments from fraud. Its official steps:

1. On TikTok’s “How do I verify my payment card?” help page, click Need more help? to open the feedback form.
2. Type Verify my card in the text box.
3. Upload the front and back of a government-issued ID (for example a national ID, passport or driver’s license).
4. Upload a photo of the physical card showing only the last 4 digits and the cardholder’s name. TikTok says to cover the first 12 digits and the CVV before uploading.

TikTok Promote not available, greyed out or rejected

Promote is TikTok’s paid advertising tool for boosting the visibility of your content, typically as an ad. TikTok says to use it you must be at least 18, be a creator or have a Business Account (government, politician and political party accounts can’t), post public content that uses original sound or sounds that can be used for commercial purposes (see TikTok’s Commercial Music Library), and agree to the Promote Terms of Service.

• Asked to change the sound? TikTok says promoted content must use sounds allowed for commercial use or that you fully own.
• Promote icon greyed out? TikTok says you can tap it to view details in a notification. If it has disappeared, send feedback with screenshots (how).
• Can’t place an order even though you’re eligible? TikTok says check your internet connection, then close and reopen the app.
• Post rejected? TikTok says promotions can be rejected for breaking its Community Guidelines or ads policy, and you’re notified of the status. Promote isn’t available for Stories.
• Stop a promotion: end it any time from the Promote order details page. TikTok says the remaining budget returns to your Promote balance, but you can’t delete a post while its promotion is active.
• Fees: TikTok says paying with Coins, Apple Pay or Google Pay may add a service fee set by Apple or Google, typically around 30%, plus taxes. A coupon used on an order that started running isn’t returned if you get a refund.

How to buy TikTok Coins

TikTok says how you can buy Coins depends on your location: in the app through your app store, on the TikTok website in supported countries, or with TikTok gift cards redeemable on the website in supported countries.

• From Balance: Profile > Menu ☰ > Balance > Get Coins, choose a package, tap Recharge and finish in your app store.
• From a LIVE: tap the Gift button at the bottom > Recharge, choose a package and finish in your app store. TikTok says if you don’t see Gifts, gifting isn’t available for that LIVE.
• On the website: go to tiktok.com/coin, choose a package, click Recharge and pay with your preferred method. TikTok says you can change your saved payment method with the Manage button on the payment page.
• With a gift card: go to tiktok.com/coin/redeem and enter the PIN from the card. TikTok says gift card redemption isn’t available in all regions.

TikTok says Coins are also used for services like Promote and Star Comments. Buying and using Coins is subject to TikTok’s Virtual Items Policy.

Check your balance, refunds, payouts and Gift history

• Balance: Profile > Menu ☰ > Balance. TikTok says this shows your estimated Coin balance, recharge history, refunds, withdrawals and Gift sending history.
• Refunds: Balance > Transactions > the Refund filter.
• Withdrawals: Balance > Transactions > the Payout filter (some TikTok help pages call it Withdrawal). TikTok says Balance is also where you manage rewards from monetization features such as LIVE Gifts and Creator Marketplace.
• Diamonds balance (creators): Profile > Menu ☰ > Balance > LIVE rewards. TikTok says Diamonds come from Gifts in your LIVEs or from missions and campaigns, and need you to be 18+ (or the local age), in a country where they’re available, and in good standing. Tap Help & feedback there for balance questions.
• Coin history: Profile > ☰ > Balance > Get coins, then tap the icon at the top right.
• Gifts you sent: Balance > Coins > the History icon > All types > Gifts sent.

Can’t withdraw your balance? TikTok says you may have reached the maximum number of withdrawals per day, or not have enough balance. It also says you can’t link countries or payment methods in more than 2 countries, and withdrawal isn’t available in some regions. See TikTok’s withdrawal terms (external site, opens in a new tab).

Tax information for creator rewards (W-9, W-8BEN, 1042-S)

TikTok says all creators collecting rewards must provide tax information where US tax rules apply, and that without it TikTok may have to withhold tax and you may not be able to join or stay in monetization programs.

• Where: in your wallet, where you manage your payment method, tap Tax information and choose the form that applies.
• US citizens or US resident aliens: Form W-9, with your legal name, Tax Identification Number (TIN), address and federal tax classification.
• Non-US creators or entities: Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E. TikTok says only rewards from US engagement are generally subject to US tax, typically withheld at 30%, and you’ll get Form 1042-S (generally by March 15 of the next year, possibly up to 30 days late).
• Update your form if your name, TIN or tax residency changes, or you spot a mistake.
• Refunds of withheld US tax go through the IRS, not TikTok.

How to request a refund for Coins

TikTok says to submit a ticket with Need more help? on its refund help page, saying exactly which order you want refunded, with:

• Your TikTok @username.
• The transaction ID of the order. On tiktok.com, click your profile picture > Get coins > View transaction history (top right).

What TikTok says about refunds:

• You typically have 14 days from the payment date (the “Withdrawal Period”) to ask. Later requests aren’t accepted.
• If you use some or all of the Coins from that package on Gifts before the 14 days are up, you waive your right to a refund for it.
• Each recharge order can only be refunded as a whole.
• Once a refund is granted, it can take up to 7 business days to reach your payment method, and TikTok sends you an inbox message.

Refund for a TikTok subscription: TikTok says if you subscribed through the App Store or Google Play, request the refund there. If you subscribed on the TikTok website, contact TikTok through its feedback form (external site, opens in a new tab).

How Gifts work, and why you might not be able to send them

TikTok says Gifts are virtual items you can send during a LIVE or while browsing your feeds. Each Gift shows how many Coins it costs, and those Coins are deducted when you send it.

• You must be at least 18 (19 in South Korea) to access Coins and Gifts.
• If there’s no Gift button in a LIVE, TikTok says gifting isn’t available for that LIVE.
• TikTok says your ability to send Gifts or buy Coins may be temporarily restricted if unusual or suspicious transactions are detected on your account.

Send a Gift during a LIVE: TikTok says to tap the Gift button at the bottom of the LIVE > choose a Gift (tap Recharge if you need more Coins) > tap Send below the Gift. TikTok says government, politician, political party and other public interest accounts can’t send or receive Gifts in LIVEs.

Send a Gift to a video: TikTok says to tap the Comments button on the video > the Gift button next to Add comment > choose a Gift (tap Recharge if you need more Coins) > write a comment > Send. If you don’t see Gifts, TikTok says the video isn’t eligible to receive Gifts.

• TikTok says Gifts are available only in select countries.
• Only Personal Accounts can send Gifts to videos. TikTok says Business Accounts and government, politician, political party and other public interest accounts can’t send Gifts or receive them on their content.

Receiving Gifts on your videos (creators): TikTok says to turn on Video Gifts at Profile > Menu ☰ > TikTok Studio > Video Gifts (within Monetization) > turn on Gifts. To be eligible you need:

• To live where Video Gifts is available, and be 18+ (19 in South Korea).
• At least 10,000 followers, an account at least 30 days old, and a public video in the last 30 days.
• A Personal Account in good standing. TikTok says Business and public interest accounts can’t receive Gifts.
• TikTok says Duets, Stitches, ads, sponsored or promoted posts, and rule-breaking videos can’t receive Gifts.

Set a daily Gift limit: TikTok says you can set one and get notified when you reach it, and turn the setting on or off at any time: tap LIVE at the top > Share at the bottom > Settings > Gift limit notification, turn it on, set your daily limit and tap Set. When the notification arrives you can tap Manage limit to change it, or switch the notification off for 7 days. Our tip: it’s a simple way to keep spending in check. More LIVE Gifts settings are in TikTok LIVE Gifts.

How to know it worked

• Your Coins show in Balance, or you’ve sent TikTok your receipt.
• A new recharge completes after the checks above.

Still not working? Your next steps

1. Submit a ticket: tap Need more help? at the bottom of a TikTok help article in the app. In a web browser, click No under Was this helpful?, then Need more help?.
2. App problems in general? See TikTok not working.

Frequently asked questions