GitHub Actions locked after student coupon expired — GitHub Free account cannot update billing due to government restrictions

[Amamiya23]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Other

Discussion Details

Hi GitHub Community,

I'm experiencing a billing restriction that has completely blocked my access to GitHub Actions, even though my account is currently on the GitHub Free plan.

What makes this particularly difficult is that GitHub also prevents me from updating my billing information due to a government-restrictions warning, leaving me with no apparent way to resolve the billing lock myself.

I'm hoping someone from the GitHub team or the community can help clarify what happened and how to restore access.

What happened

My GitHub username is Amamiya23, and I previously had verified GitHub Education student benefits.

Here is the timeline:

1. My GitHub Education student verification and associated benefits expired.

2. I received an email titled "Your coupon has expired", stating that my coupon for GitHub Free had expired.

3. On November 5, 2026, I received another email titled "We had a problem billing your account", stating:

   There is currently no payment method on file. A payment method must be added to continue service.

4. On the same day, I discovered that my GitHub Actions workflows could no longer start, displaying:

   The job was not started because your account is locked due to a billing issue.

5. When I checked Settings → Billing and licensing → Licensing, my account was already on GitHub Free, with Copilot Free as my active Copilot subscription.

   However, the page also displayed:

   This account is disabled because we have not been able to charge it for another month.

6. When I attempted to resolve the issue through Payment information, GitHub displayed:

   Sorry, you can't update your billing information at this time.

   We are sorry, but after reviewing we have determined that the billing information supplied is ineligible for transactions with GitHub due to government restrictions.

Why this is confusing

Before the lock occurred, I had not attempted any purchases, added a payment method, changed my billing settings, or initiated a new paid subscription.

My billing address is located in mainland China, which is not listed as a comprehensively sanctioned region in GitHub's published trade-control documentation.

I understand that my student benefits have expired, and I am not requesting their renewal.

However, my account is now on GitHub Free, which includes free GitHub Actions usage. I do not understand why my account is still considered to require payment for another month.

I suspect that the expiration of my educational coupon or an automatic subscription transition may have triggered an unexpected billing state, although I cannot confirm this without GitHub's assistance.

What I've already tried

• Checked my current subscription: GitHub Free and Copilot Free.
• Checked the Payment information page: no payment method is registered, and updating billing information is blocked.
• Reviewed GitHub's documentation on locked accounts and trade controls.
• Submitted a GitHub Support ticket (#4962343) with screenshots of the errors, billing notices, and current licensing status.
• Provided additional details about my expired student benefits and the sequence of events.

What I'm hoping to resolve

Could someone from GitHub or the community help clarify:

1. Can the expiration of a GitHub Education coupon cause a billing lock even after the account has transitioned to GitHub Free?
2. Why would a GitHub Free account still display a warning that GitHub could not charge it for another month?
3. If there is no outstanding balance or active paid subscription, is there a way to clear the billing lock without adding a payment method?
4. If the billing information is blocked by a trade-control restriction, how can an eligible user restore access to free GitHub Actions functionality?
5. Is there a way to have this specific combination of billing and compliance restrictions reviewed by the appropriate GitHub team?

My primary goal is simply to restore the GitHub Actions functionality included with GitHub Free. I am not requesting any paid services or an extension of expired student benefits.

I've already contacted GitHub Support, but I wanted to share the issue here in case other developers have encountered the same problem or the GitHub team can provide further guidance.

I can provide additional non-sensitive diagnostic information if needed.

Thank you for your time and assistance!

My support ticket is still unanswered: Ticket #4962343. Any updates on this?

[Amamiya23]

[aeejaz]

Most likely, you need to update your payment details... and set it to 0 or $1.

This is not how it should work, but sadly it is.

[Amamiya23]

I know，but i can`t.

[ujwalnk]

I am sadly facing the same issue. Had a student plan, and now that it has expired, my account too is locked.

Ticket number: #4968617

I have not gotten any response, it has been 3 days since I have opened the issue.

[king-of-Jupiter]

same

[steveimm]

same exact issue for me too

[lazlo7]

Same issue. Bummer.

[DPICODER]

LoL same
Ticket 4999955

[Syakigrodan]

same exact issue for me too

[nichind]

Experiencing the same problem after my education GitHub Pro expired, can't run any workflows even on public repositories

[nhridoy]

I have the same problem. Opened a support ticket #4957235 on Nov 05, 2026. But still no support from github.

[ujwalnk]

The support team is yet to respond back, and it has been close to a week now.

[Amamiya23]

The support team is yet to respond back, and it has been close to a week now.支持团队还没有回复，到现在已经快一周了。

Me too

[DPICODER]

update they responded in 24hrs
Hi there,

Thank you for contacting GitHub Support, and for the detailed timeline and run information. I’d be happy to assist.

I’ve reviewed your account and found out that the billing lock was linked to an expired GitHub Education student coupon, and that lock prevented your GitHub Actions jobs from starting. There is no outstanding balance on your account, and your metered usage has been fully covered by your included allowance each month.

I’ve now removed the billing lock and reset billing attempts to restore your account to good standing. You can use GitHub Actions with the allowance included with GitHub Free without adding a payment method or increasing your budget.

Please rerun one of your affected workflows to confirm that jobs now start. If you still see a billing lock error, reply with the workflow run link and the error message so we can investigate further.

I hope this helps. If further assistance is needed, don’t hesitate to write back in.
Cheers,
Santi
GitHub Support

Please note: This ticket will automatically close after 3 days of inactivity, but it can always be reopened with a reply or follow-up.

[Amamiya23]

My support ticket is still unanswered: Ticket #4962343. Any updates on this?

[Amamiya23]

My support ticket is still unanswered: Ticket #4962343. Any updates on this?

[mskacelik]

I also have the same issue (5001040). I hope the matter will be resolved ASAP, since this blocks my progress with Diploma Thesis.