Billing Basics for Microsoft adCenter: Payment Options, Settings and Billing Statements

It is important to understand how billing works for Microsoft adCenter to help manage your paid search accounts. This post covers the basics of billing including how you're billed by adCenter, the different payment options available and how to change your billing information.

How does adCenter bill me?

Microsoft adCenter bills you for clicks that your ad receives for the bid amount specified per keyword. You will receive a separate bill for each active account and you can specify which payment option you prefer per account.

There isn't a minimum monthly charge required to keep an account active in adCenter. This allows you to pause and resume your campaigns whenever you want.

You will be billed in the currency that was selected when a new account is created. Microsoft adCenter cannot bill in a different currency than selected for the account and currency settings cannot be changed after the initial account setup.

What are my payment options?

You have three payment options for your Microsoft adCenter accounts:

1.  Credit card or debit card

Microsoft adCenter accepts VISA, MasterCard and American Express credit cards, as well as VISA and MasterCard branded debit cards.
If you have changes on your adCenter account, your card will be charged automatically at least once per month. If you have pending charges that amount to less than your current billing threshold, you will be charged either on your monthly billing cycle day or when you reach your billing threshold, whichever comes first. (The billing date for your account is determined by the date on which you created the account.)

If you are interested in paying your adCenter accounts by credit card, please review the following article:

Microsoft adCenter Credit Card Management: Add a Card, Associate a Card with an Account, Remove a Card, Bill Me Now

2.  PayPal:

You can make adCenter payments using your PayPal account. This option is available for U.S. customers only and all PayPal transactions must use U.S. dollars.

To start this process, all you need is an adCenter account and billing address. After you enter this information into adCenter, you'll be redirected to the PayPal site where you either sign in or sign up for a PayPal account. Once you enter the PayPal site, you will be asked to review and agree to the Microsoft adCenter billing agreement, which authorizes Microsoft Online Services to charge adCenter fees to your PayPal account.

PayPal does not share any of your financial information with Microsoft.

3.   Monthly invoice billing

Microsoft adCenter will send you a monthly invoice by mail at the beginning of each month. Each invoice includes the exact billing and due dates for that period. If you are interested in this method of payment, work with your Microsoft adCenter representative to ensure that this information is specified when your account is first created.

How do I change my billing settings?

You can change your billing settings at any time directly in adCenter under the Accounts & Billing tab including the primary contact or billing address.

To change your credit/debit card or PayPal account information, access the Payment Methods tab under Accounts & Billing. Please note that when you add or update your credit card, adCenter validates your card by trying to bill a small amount of $1.00. This charge does not actually post to your account, but your credit card company may show the billing attempt.

How do I print a copy of my billing statement?

You can print a copy of your billing statement by following the instructions below in adCenter:

1. Sign in to adCenter.
2. Click the Accounts & Billing tab.
3. Click on the Billing tab.
4. In the Account drop-down list, select the account.
5. In the Date range drop-down list, select the dates for the billing activity period that you want to view, and then click Go.

This will generate your billing statement for the date range that you selected. You can save a copy to your computer or print a copy for your files.

If you have any specific questions on adCenter billing, feel free to leave a comment below.

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