Why is my account on hold?

Have you run into a payment problem? Don't worry. We'll guide you through the process of removing the hold from your account. Read this article to find out how.

We've all been there: A payment slips through the cracks or is declined by your financial institution. Don't worry. We're making it easier to get issues with declined and overdue payments resolved, so that you can get your ads up and running again quickly.

What is an account hold and what should I do?

An account is placed on hold in two situations:

Postpay threshold account. We tried to process a payment and the charges were declined by credit/debit card company. There are a number of reasons that this can happen. For example, your card has been blocked, you've reached your authorized credit limit, or your card has expired. Any Microsoft Advertising account that uses that card is now on hold.
Monthly invoice account. We haven't received one or more of your invoiced payments. Accounts that have overdue payments are placed on hold.

Remember, when an account is on hold none of your campaigns are running and the ads in those accounts are not eligible for display. So, you'll want to get the hold removed as quickly as possible. If you don't remove the hold, we might need to put all of your accounts on hold, regardless of whether they have declined or overdue payments.

How to remove the hold

Important

Only users with full permissions (Super Admins) or users with permissions to manage some billing activities (Standard Users) can remove the hold on an account. Standard Users can only remove the hold on an account when there are other payment methods to choose from. For more information, see How do I give someone access to my Microsoft Advertising account?

If your account is on hold, you'll see a message at the top of Microsoft Advertising alerting you to the problem. The message varies depending on whether a single account is on hold or multiple accounts are on hold and whether you can fix the hold yourself or you need to contact a Super Admin or support. We'll provide you with the appropriate link for the next steps. If you go to a page titled Remove the hold take a look at the column How do I remove the hold?

If the column tells you to...	Then you'll need to ...
Fix declined payments	Click the button and we'll step you through the process of using a different payment method or adding a new one and then paying your account balance. After you complete these steps, the account error will disappear. What if I want to continue using my existing payment method?
Contact support	Call support and pay off any overdue account balance.
Contact the agency that pays your advertising charges (the bill-to customer)	If someone else manages your account and pays the account charges on your behalf, you should contact them to make sure that they are aware of the hold on your account.

Consider adding a backup payment method

To prevent your accounts from being placed on hold because of problems with your primary payment method, you should consider adding a backup payment method.