How to Update Funds in Your Microsoft Advertising Account

Keeping your payment details current in Microsoft Advertising is one of the simplest ways to avoid an unexpected campaign pause. This guide walks through how billing works, how to update or add a payment method, how to add funds if you’re on a prepay account, and how to set up auto-recharge so you never have to think about it again.

Understanding Microsoft Advertising Payment Options

Microsoft Advertising offers three payment settings, and which one applies to your account affects everything else in this guide:

• Prepay — you add funds before your ads run. As clicks accrue, the balance decreases. If it hits zero and auto-recharge isn’t set up, campaigns pause until you add more.
• Postpay (threshold) — you’re charged automatically once you reach a billing threshold or your regular billing date, whichever comes first. This requires a primary credit or debit card on file.
• Monthly Invoice — available to qualifying accounts after a credit check, this consolidates the month’s activity into a single invoice paid by wire transfer, check, or ACH, tied to a unique SAP ID rather than a card. This tier is typically reserved for larger accounts meeting specific spend criteria and is set up through your account manager or Support, not self-service.

Your payment setting (prepay, postpay, or invoice) determines when you pay; your payment method (card, PayPal, etc.) determines how.

Why Keeping This Updated Matters

• Preventing pauses — an expired or declined payment method stops delivery, not just future spend.
• Budget management — knowing which method is tied to which account avoids billing confusion, especially if you manage several accounts.
• Security — reviewing payment details regularly reduces the risk of unauthorized charges going unnoticed.

A Note on Permissions

Only Super Admins can add, edit, or delete a payment method. Standard Users can set an existing method as primary or backup, but can’t add a new one — if you don’t see the option to add a card, this is usually why. Check your role under account settings before assuming something’s broken.

Step-by-Step: Updating or Adding a Payment Method

1. Sign in to Microsoft Advertising with an account that has Super Admin permissions.
2. From the navigation menu on the left, hover over Billing and select Payment methods.
3. If you manage multiple accounts, choose the correct one from the account selector at the top.
4. If the payment method you want isn’t listed under Available payment methods, select Add next to the type you want (credit card, debit card, PayPal, etc.), fill in the required details, and select Create.
5. Next to the payment method you want to use going forward, select Set as primary, then confirm in the popup by selecting OK.

A few things worth knowing:

• Any existing charges will bill to the new payment method starting your next billing cycle — the switch isn’t retroactive.
• If you had auto-recharge set up on your old payment method, you’ll need to reconfigure it under the new one — it doesn’t carry over automatically.

Editing or Removing an Existing Payment Method

• To edit details like an expiration date, find the method under Payment methods, open it, and update the relevant fields.
• To remove an outdated method, select the option to delete it and confirm when prompted. As with adding a method, this requires Super Admin permissions.

Adding Funds to a Prepay Account

If your account is on prepay, you’ll need to add funds manually (or via auto-recharge — see below) whenever your balance gets low:

1. From the left navigation, hover over Billing and select Payment methods, or go to Billing Summary.
2. In the Current balance tile, select Add funds.
3. Follow the prompts on the Add funds form — instructions vary slightly depending on your payment method.
4. Select Pay now to confirm.

A couple of practical notes: the maximum amount you can add depends on your billing country and payment method (you’ll see the limit shown when you add funds), and if you’re in a region where tax applies, it’ll be deducted from the amount you add before it’s credited to your account balance. Processing can be immediate or take up to three weeks, depending on your payment method — plan ahead if you’re topping up close to a campaign deadline.

Setting Up Auto-Recharge

Auto-recharge removes the need to manually top up a prepay account:

1. From Billing, go to the Current balance tile.
2. Slide the Auto-recharge switch on.
3. Enter your preferred recharge amount and confirm your primary payment method.
4. Select Save.

Note that auto-recharge requires a card, PayPal, or SEPA direct debit as your primary payment method — it isn’t available with every payment type. Once active, Microsoft Advertising automatically charges your primary method whenever your balance drops to 20% of your set recharge amount, so there’s no gap in delivery.

Understanding Your Bill-To Customer

Separate from payment methods, your bill-to customer is whoever actually receives the invoice and is responsible for payment — this matters especially if an agency manages your account, since the agency (not you) may be the bill-to customer by default.

• To check who your bill-to customer is: hover over Billing, select Billing summary, then Who pays.
• To change it: go to Billing summary → Change who pays, select the correct account under New bill-to customer, then Next and follow the prompts to save.

Best Practices

• Review payment methods regularly — don’t wait for a decline to notice an expired card.
• Confirm your role before assuming a missing “Add” button is a bug — Standard Users have more limited access than Super Admins.
• Reset auto-recharge after any payment method change — it doesn’t transfer automatically.
• Secure your account — strong passwords and two-factor authentication protect against unauthorized changes to billing.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• “Add funds” button missing — confirm you’re on a prepay account and logged into the correct account; postpay and invoice accounts don’t show this option since they aren’t funded in advance.
• Can’t add or edit a payment method — check that you have Super Admin permissions; Standard Users can only set existing methods as primary or backup.
• Invalid payment method error — double-check the entered details, and confirm your bank or PayPal isn’t blocking the charge.
• Auto-recharge not working after a card update — this is expected; auto-recharge must be reconfigured manually under the new payment method.
• Funds not showing immediately — this is normal for some payment methods; allow up to three weeks before troubleshooting further.

Final Thoughts

Updating funds in Microsoft Advertising is usually quick, but the right steps depend on your payment setting (prepay, postpay, or invoice) and your account permissions. Keep your primary payment method current, reconfigure auto-recharge whenever you switch cards, and know who your bill-to customer is — especially if you work with an agency — so nothing catches you off guard mid-campaign.