Microsoft Invest - Credit limit overview
Microsoft Advertising offers credit management to support an enhanced level of service while ensuring that all our partners are treated fairly.
What is a credit limit?
A credit limit is the maximum allowed exposure on your account. Exposure (or total balance) is defined as the account balance plus unbilled activity for all members under that account. Microsoft Advertising is not obligated to allow you to purchase any ad inventory in excess of any credit limit set by us. The credit limit is shared across all members under a given parent account.
How can I check my balance against my current credit limit?
To view your credit status in the UI, your account needs to be assigned the Finance Observer role. To have this role assigned, contact your account representative.
Microsoft Advertising clients can view and track credit status by both member and account.
- A Member is the Microsoft Advertising platform instance that is currently logged in.
- An Account is the relationship between Microsoft Advertising and a business entity. An account can have multiple members. If you have a single member, then Total Member Balance and Total Account Balance are the same.
The following table shows the available information about your credit status.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Member Balance | The sum of Member Balance and Member Unbilled Activity. - A positive value indicates that the member has a pre-paid balance remaining - A negative value indicates that the member is spending against their account credit limit |
| Total Account Balance | The sum of all Member Balance values for an account. If you have multiple members associated with an account, this amount includes the buying activity across all members. Your Total Account Balance is counted against your credit limit. Payments will be reflected in your member balances within two hours for credit card payments, or on the next working day for bank and wire transfers (ACH). |
| Member Balance | The outstanding amount in dollars that Microsoft Advertising associates with this member. - A positive value indicates that the member has a pre-paid balance available to spend - A negative value indicates that the member has incurred a balance that has been invoiced, but not yet paid Payments will be reflected in your member balances within two hours for credit card payments, or on the next working day for bank and wire transfers (ACH). If you are also a seller, this number does not reflect any amounts owed to you by Microsoft Advertising. |
| Buying Status | The current status of your member. A member's buying status must be Enabled in order to spend on the platform. |
| Member Unbilled Activity | The amount this member has spent in the current calendar month. This amount has not been invoiced. This amount includes the cost of media, the cost of data, and other service fees, but does not include monthly fees. |
| Credit Limit Remaining | The amount of credit available to this account. This amount is updated every two hours. If it reaches zero, your account may be suspended until a payment is made and processed. |
| Credit Limit | The amount of approved credit extended to you by Microsoft Advertising. Usage against this limit is shown under Total Account Balance and Credit Limit Remaining. If your Total Account Balance exceeds this credit limit, your account may be suspended until a payment is made and processed that brings the account balance within your credit limit. |
If you have questions regarding your account balance and credit limit, please contact your collector or credit collections.
Why is Microsoft Advertising assigning credit limits?
Credit Limits are used to monitor an account's activity, understanding when an account may be in financial distress and/or may need its limit reassessed. On a daily basis, your account exposure (i.e., the total amount outstanding to Microsoft Advertising) will be reviewed against your Credit Limit. If your account balance reaches or surpasses its Credit Limit, a payment will be required to reduce the account’s exposure. All UI admin users will receive a notification via email when thresholds are reached (80% and 100%) to keep account exposure within the established credit limits.
Does my credit limit affect my bills and rates in any way?
No, your Credit Limit does not affect your account’s contractual rates and fees. Credit Limits are a tool to help us (and our clients) identify potential problems and minimize financial risk.
How are Microsoft Advertising credit limits calculated?
Credit Limits are calculated based on a variety of factors including but not limited to financial health, payment history, and third party credit reports.
Can my credit limit change?
Yes, the credit department conducts periodic credit limit reviews. During the Credit Reviews, a credit limit can be adjusted based on the following (including but not limited to): account balance, payment history and spending trends. Credit Limits are set at the sole discretion of Microsoft Advertising and we reserve the right to change or revoke your Credit Limit at any time.
What can affect my Microsoft Advertising credit limit?
Microsoft Advertising takes the following into consideration when reviewing Credit Limits:
- Payment History
- Spending Trends
- Bank References
- Trade References
- Business-changing events, such as a merger or acquisition
What happens if I exceed my credit limit?
If you exceed your credit limit, Microsoft Advertising will disable your ability to buy third-party inventory. In this event, you can reactivate buying ability by one of the following:
| Submit Payment | Request credit limit increase |
|---|---|
| - You may reactivate spending by submitting a payment to Microsoft Advertising to bring you below your credit limit. Once a payment has been sent, please email creditcollections@appnexus.comimmediately to notify us and specify the invoices numbers that you want this payment applied to. Once payment has been processed, and you have brought your account below your credit limit, your ability to spend will be re-activated. - If you anticipate using more credit than your approved credit limit, you are also able to submit multiple payments to prevent future spending freezes. - The estimated time frame for processing a wire payment is four (4) business days for U.S.-based companies and five (5) business days for non U.S.-based companies after the payment is received in our bank. Payment by check may take longer to process. Your ability to buy third-party inventory will not be re-enabled until the payment has been processed. |
- If you have no past due balances, you may request a credit limit increase via the following steps: - Send an email to credit@appnexus.com - Include reason for credit limit request in your email - We aim to respond to requests to increase credit limits within approximately three (3) business days after a request is submitted. Please also note that a credit limit increase request does not guarantee an increase to your credit limit. - To prevent any potential disruption to your buying ability, please contact your collector regarding these options. |
How do I request a credit limit increase?
A client can request an increase to the assigned credit limit via the following steps:
- Send an email to credit@appnexus.com
- Include reason for credit limit request in your email
We aim to respond to requests to increase credit limits within approximately three (3) business days after a request is submitted. Please also note that a credit limit increase request does not guarantee an increase to your credit limit.