Problem with payment method

Question

I had subscription, but with my last invoice it turns up that somehow payment method is missing. When I try to input new payment method (same card as before), it turns me like not good informations, which is impossible. Like that there is some bug in system, and I just can't dill with. Tried everything. Also, I changed phone (just device) 20 days ago, but installed mcsft authenticator and logged in, but it not works properly, no pop-up notification, when asked for second step verification trough mscft authenticator. Don't know what to do. pls help. I can send you my last bill number for example, it's:
[Moderation note: PII removed] from 3rd May

Answer 1

Hello @Srdjan Andric,

I've reviewed your thread and I'm sorry to hear that you're locked out of the only business account of your company due to Authenticator.

Based on your description, you'll need to revoke your MFA access, which will allow you to set up Authenticator on a new device and then you can access Microsoft 365 admin center to change the payment method for your business account.

Please try to find the related hotline number to call the frontline and let them raise a ticket for you: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support .

For Serbia, you can refer to:

Depending on your country or region:

For some countries, when calling the support number, although there are about 30 seconds opening as something "you can visit the link...." But you can ignore this opening and wait until the option, then "1" as a business email user, "1" again for technical help.   

For some countries, it will be an automated conversation like:    

• First, when you call the hotline, it asks what kind of problem you are worried about.   
• Answered: authenticator.   
• A: What kind of product are you using?   
• B: Microsoft 365 for business.   
• A confirmation: education or company account?   
• B: For company  
• A: Are you an administrator?   
• B: Yes.   
• A: Do you have the other admin in your organization?   
• B: No.   
• A: You need one.... Service request?   
• B: Yes   

If your subscription is from a partner or reseller, contact the reseller's support provider to help open a service request on behalf of you instead.   

You may need to call multiple times before you are connected to a live support representative and can successfully create a support request with a ticket number for tracking.

If you still have trouble using the frontline support, you can try set up a new trial tenant and submit your support request:    

• Visit the Microsoft 365 Enterprise Plans page: Go to Compare Office 365 Enterprise Pricing and Plans | Microsoft 365.    
• Choose a plan and start a free trial: Select any of the available plans and click "Try for free" to begin the trial setup process.     

 

• Follow the guided setup: Complete the steps to create a new Microsoft account and a new tenant. This will be a separate and independent Microsoft 365 environment.    
• Access the Microsoft 365 Admin Center: Once the new tenant is created, navigate to https://admin.microsoft.com/.    
• Go to Support:   
  • Click on "Help & Support" button like this image. 
  
  • Toggle Support Assistant option to OFF > Type your issue under "How can we help?" Box > click Get Help. 
  • The Contact Support button will become available, you can click on it now. 

 

• Choose contact method: "Phone" or "Email"      

 

• Raise a support ticket: Describe your issue in detail. Crucially, you must clearly state that you are locked out of a different, pre-existing Microsoft 365 tenant where you are the administrator. Provide the following information about your locked account:      
  • The domain name of your locked tenant     
  • Your administrator account. 
  • Any error messages you are receiving.    
  • Details about the authentication issues you are experiencing.    
  • Your proof of ownership. 

• Finally, clicking on "Contact me".   

Important notes:

• This new trial tenant will not give you access to any of the data or settings in your original locked tenant. It is solely a temporary means to contact Microsoft support.  
• Be prepared for Microsoft support to ask for verification of your identity and administrative rights for the locked tenant.    
• The resolution time might be longer as you are contacting support from a different tenant.    
• Remember to cancel the trial subscription for the new tenant once your issue with the original account is resolved to avoid any unintended charges. You can typically do this within the Microsoft 365 Admin Center under "Billing" -> "Your products."  

I hope you'll be able to reach the Data Protection team this way. If you still have any issue, please don't hesitate to reply. Wishing you a successful day!

Answer 2

(Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.)

Hi, Srdjan Andric

This looks like two separate problems happening at the same time: the billing profile is not accepting the card, and the new phone is not fully registered for Microsoft Authenticator. Also, please don’t post the full invoice number publicly, keep that only for Microsoft support.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

First, if you can still sign in, go directly to myaccount.microsoft.com > Security info and check whether the old phone is still listed. Remove the old Microsoft Authenticator entry, then add the new phone again by choosing Add sign-in method > Authenticator app. If the push notification does not appear, choose I can’t use my Microsoft Authenticator app right now or use a verification code if that option is shown.

On the new phone, open Authenticator itself and make sure the work account is not just restored from backup, but actually re-added by scanning the QR code. Also check that the phone date/time is automatic, VPN is off, and Authenticator notifications are allowed in the phone settings.

For the payment issue, try signing in with another admin account, if the business has one. It is recommended that the account used for billing has the right billing profile or billing account permissions, because sometimes a normal admin or billing admin can see only part of the billing page. If another admin can see the subscription/payment page correctly, try updating the billing profile from that account.

If none of this works, don’t keep trying the same card many times, because it may trigger more payment security checks. At that point, contact Microsoft support and provide the invoice number privately.

Please be advised that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.   

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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Answer 3

For the missing/declined payment method on the Microsoft 365 business subscription:

1. Verify and update the card details
   • Confirm that the card details (card number, expiration date, name on card, and full billing address including city, state, and ZIP/postal code) exactly match what the bank has on file and what appears on the statement.
   • If the card was previously used but now fails, update the card information and resubmit the payment.
   • If the card is still declined, contact the bank to confirm the card is active, has sufficient funds, and that international/online and recurring transactions are allowed.
2. Replace the old payment method instead of editing the card number
   • The card number on an existing payment method can’t be changed directly. To “reuse” the same physical card, create a new payment method with that card and then move the subscriptions to it.
   • In the Microsoft 365 admin center, replace the old payment method with the new one so all active subscriptions move to the new payment method.
3. Clear any outstanding balance
   • If there is an outstanding balance because the previous charge failed, use the Pay your balance or Pay now option in the Microsoft 365 admin center invoice view to clear it.
   • When paying the balance, choose whether to retry the same card, use another payment method, or add a new one. After updating, select Review and pay balance, then Save.
4. If the card still can’t be added
   • Ensure the card is issued in the same country/region as the tenant.
   • If the bank confirms there are no blocks and the card is valid but still cannot be added, contact Microsoft support from the admin center so they can review the tenant’s billing profile and payment method issues.

For the Microsoft Authenticator / second-step verification issue after changing phones:

1. Use Microsoft support for admin account lockout
   • If this is the only admin account and second-factor verification via Authenticator and SMS both fail, the Microsoft Data Protection team must verify identity and help regain access.
   • Call Microsoft customer service using the regional support phone number and state that the issue is with “Authenticator” for an Office 365 for business administrator account and that there are no other admins.
   • If the subscription was obtained via a partner/reseller, contact the partner to open a service request on behalf of the tenant.
2. Alternate path if direct support is hard to reach
   • As a workaround, create a temporary trial Microsoft 365 tenant, go to the Microsoft 365 admin center for that trial, and open a support ticket from there explicitly stating that access is needed to a different, existing tenant where you are the only administrator and are locked out due to MFA issues.

Because the scenario involves both billing problems and MFA lockout, resolving the MFA/identity issue with Microsoft support is critical; once full admin access is restored, the payment method and outstanding balance can be corrected in the admin center.

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References:

• Manage payment methods for Microsoft business accounts
• Pay your Microsoft business invoice by using a credit or debit card
• Troubleshoot payment option issues
• Troubleshoot Azure payment issues
• Add, update, or delete a payment method
• Payment method tasks in the Azure portal
• I have a Micrsoft business account and I am the admin and the only user registered under this account. I can't log in because i have replaced my phone and the authenticator doesn't work. - Microsoft Q&A