Credit Card Previously Used on Another Account: System Identifies an Existing User, Invalidating the Discount
Signed up again with a new email but still can't get the half-price offer? This deep dive explains how Stripe uses card fingerprints to identify repeat users, and how to truly achieve one card per account.
1. A Common Blind Spot for Many Users: Thinking a New Email Means a New User
Many people start racking their brains: If I sign up again with a brand-new email and click the invitation link again, won't I still get the half-price deal?
But when they reach the checkout screen, enter the credit card they normally use, and click pay, the system immediately pops up: This promotion is only available for first-time customers.
2. Stripe's Card Number Hash Fingerprint (Card Fingerprint)
In the international bank card system, when each physical credit card is linked, Stripe automatically calculates and generates a unique encrypted fingerprint based on its card number and expiration date.
Even if you switch to a hundred newly registered emails, as long as you enter at checkout the same old card that has previously paid for Cursor, the system can identify in seconds that the real cardholder behind it is an existing user, and instantly strip away the discount eligibility.
3. The Solution
You must use a brand-new, legitimate foreign-currency card that has never been linked to any Cursor account before, or have a legitimate top-up team pay on your behalf using a brand-new, independent physical commercial card.