# error message when subscribing with a credit card **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 23, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/error-message-when-subscribing-with-a-credit-card/235809 "2004-03-23T00:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/error-message-when-subscribing-with-a-credit-card/235809/1 "2004-03-23T00:55:46Z")
Hi! Long-time lurker here who feels she owes you $5 bucks for everything I’ve learned here! Apparently, though, you don’t really want my money. 🙂 When I click on ‘Subscribe’ in the menu bar, I get sent to the subscription page which explains the deal and at the bottom has the place to order a membership. I click on the ‘Order’ button and I get sent to the Select Payment Page. This has a box with one prominent option - credit card - and a small text link below that says ‘Pay with Paypal.’ When I click on the big button that says “Order Using Credit Card,” I get sent to [this page here,](https://securesite.chireader.com/cgi-bin/sdmb/subscribe.bat?subscriptionid=1&userid=18825&amount=4.95¤cy_code=USD) with the message: “Invalid HTTP\_REFERER. Please restart and use the Straight Dope Message Boards subscriptions page.” Restarting hasn’t helped yet. I’m using Win XP & Opera 7.23, all cookies all allowed (including for the moment 3rd party & illegal paths.) Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/error-message-when-subscribing-with-a-credit-card/235809/2 "2004-03-24T18:36:25Z")
I’m inquiring. In the meantime, try a different browser or, better yet, a different PC, and see if that helps. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/error-message-when-subscribing-with-a-credit-card/235809/3 "2004-03-24T22:19:10Z")
Here’s the word from Sean the tech guy: "For security reasons, I check the HTTP\_REFERER to make sure they are coming from our site. The HTTP\_REFERER contains the last paged you viewed. "She is using Opera. There is a setting under File -\> Quick Preferences -\> Enable Referrer Logging. If this setting is check off, Her HTTP\_REFERER will always be blank. This will cause the “Invalid HTTP\_REFERER. Please restart …” error. “The simple solution is to have her turn on the Enable Referrer Logging for the subscription process and then turn it off when finished.” Let me know if this helps. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/error-message-when-subscribing-with-a-credit-card/235809/4 "2004-03-25T02:23:41Z")
Thanks - this worked! Sorry to trouble you over an Opera setting. I love this browser but I don’t think I’ve seen half of what it can do yet. Thanks again! > [@Ed Zotti](#): > > Here’s the word from Sean the tech guy: > > "For security reasons, I check the HTTP\_REFERER to make sure they are coming from our site. The HTTP\_REFERER contains the last paged you viewed. > > "She is using Opera. There is a setting under File -\> Quick Preferences -\> Enable Referrer Logging. If this setting is check off, Her HTTP\_REFERER will always be blank. This will cause the “Invalid HTTP\_REFERER. Please restart …” error. > > “The simple solution is to have her turn on the Enable Referrer Logging for the subscription process and then turn it off when finished.” > > Let me know if this helps.