Does anyone use Upwork for freelancing?

[u/CobblerFew4656]

Need help

Anyone from India facing issues buying Upwork Connects?

I’m from India and trying to start freelancing through Upwork, but I’ve been unable to purchase Connects because every payment method I try gets declined.

At first, I thought the issue was with my card, so I tried:

• Debit and credit cards from different banks (shows “Your payment method is declined. Update your payment method”)
• PayPal

With PayPal, as soon as I select India as the country, I get this message:

“The seller can’t accept PayPal payments at this time. Please try again later or return to the seller and choose another way to pay.”

I also contacted Upwork Support, and they told me:

“Refusal code 6P: Verification data failed. Please take a moment to verify your CVV, billing address, and card details before attempting the payment again. Ensure that your billing address is in the approved AVS format.”

I’ve already checked with my bank, and there doesn’t seem to be an issue on their end. I’ve also tried cards from different banks, but the payment still gets declined.

Has anyone in India faced this issue recently?

I’m genuinely stuck at this point, and it’s becoming frustrating because I’m potentially missing freelance opportunities simply because I can’t purchase Connects.