Getting a popup every time I open Outlook that I need to update my payment details, after a successful payment with that credit card

Question

In January my credit card company decided to decline the automatic MS 365 renewal (after years of no such problem). Once I informed the credit card company that it was legit, I was able pay with the same card. My MS 365 account says it is renewed, and the next payment will be in January 2027.

However, I continue to get a "Don't lose your benefits... To avoid losing access, please update the payment details in your MS account." popup every day when I first open Outlook, on both my laptop and desktop.

Short of deleting and then resubmitting my credit card, how can I stop this annoyance?

Answer 1

Hello Howard Epstein,

Thank you for posting your question to Microsoft Q&A. I understand that receiving a payment update popup after you have already paid is frustrating. This typically happens when the Outlook application on your computer has not yet synced the updated subscription status from the servers.

Please follow these steps to force Outlook to recognize your active subscription.

Step 1: Update the License Status

1. Open Outlook and close the popup.
2. Go to File > Office Account (or Account).
3. Look under Product Information on the right side.
4. If you see a button that says Update License, click it.
5. If that button is not there, click Sign Out, wait a moment, and then Sign In again to refresh the account connection.

Step 2: Clear Cached Credentials

If the popup persists, we need to clear the old login data stored in Windows.

1. Close all Office apps completely (Outlook, Word, Excel).
2. Open the Start menu and type Credential Manager.
3. Open it and select the Windows Credentials tab.
4. Scroll down to Generic Credentials.
5. Remove every entry that starts with MicrosoftOffice16_Data or MicrosoftOffice15_Data.
6. Restart Outlook. It will ask you to sign in again, which should pull the correct payment status.

Step 3: Run an Online Repair

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
2. Find Microsoft 365 in the list.
3. Click the "..." (three dots) > Modify.
4. Select Online Repair and click Repair.

I hope this information helps resolve the issue you are experiencing with your system. Please let me know if you need further assistance or if there are any other details I can clarify for you.

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Answer 2

It sounds like you are experiencing a persistent prompt in Outlook to update your payment details, even after successfully renewing your Microsoft 365 subscription. Here are a few steps you can try to resolve this issue:

1. Check Your Payment Method: Ensure that your payment method is correctly set up in your Microsoft account. You can verify this by logging into your Microsoft 365 account and checking the billing section.
2. Clear Cache: Sometimes, clearing the cache of Outlook can help resolve persistent notifications. You can do this by closing Outlook, navigating to the cache folder, and deleting the contents.
3. Repair Office: You can try repairing your Office installation. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, select Microsoft Office, and then choose the option to repair.
4. Sign Out and Sign Back In: Signing out of your Microsoft account in Outlook and then signing back in can sometimes refresh the account status and stop the prompts.
5. Contact Support: If the issue persists, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for assistance. They may be able to provide more specific guidance based on your account details.

These steps should help mitigate the issue without needing to delete and resubmit your credit card information.

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References:

• Why am I getting billed for Microsoft 365 after I activate the benefit?
• Manage recurring billing in the Microsoft 365 admin center