When cards expire, get reissued after fraud, or get replaced when a customer's bank switches card programs, the card you have saved on file stops working. Unfortunately, you usually find this out when a payment fails.
Card Account Updater (CAU) fixes this automatically. Once enabled, Method Pay checks with the card networks weekly and updates any stored card's number or expiry when it changes, so neither you nor your customer needs to do anything.
CAU Requirements
Applies to: Method Pay customers using saved (stored) card payment methods.
Requires: Platform-level enablement by Method Pay. Billing fees apply.
Why enable it
CAU turns a manual, customer-facing chore into an automatic background process, and it protects revenue you have already earned.
Benefit | What it means for your business |
Fewer failed payments | Expired and reissued cards are refreshed before the next charge fails, so recurring and scheduled payments keep going through. |
Faster cash collection | Payments that would have declined and sat in A/R get collected on schedule instead. |
Less chasing | No emails asking customers to "update your card," and no waiting for them to respond. |
A better customer experience | Your customers are never interrupted to re-enter card details they already gave you. |
Less admin work | Your team spends less time re-keying cards, reissuing invoices, and reconciling failed payments. |
Cleaner card data | Cards that can no longer be used are flagged, so you know which customers actually need to be contacted. |
How it works
CAU runs every Wednesday as a batched process against your eligible saved payment methods.
The card networks respond within up to 5 business days.
Payment methods are updated in real time as each network responds, so you don't wait for the whole batch to finish.
When a card is updated, the old payment method is replaced with a new one. Any Payin that references the old payment method ID automatically uses the new card, so nothing needs to be re-linked on your side.
If a network reports that a card can no longer be used and there is no replacement, the payment method is marked as disabled so you can follow up with that customer directly.
Which cards are covered
Card | Supported |
ACH | ✅ |
Visa | ✅ |
Mastercard | ✅ |
Discover | ✅ |
American Express | ❌ |
Amex cards on file still need to be updated manually when they expire or are reissued.
Eligibility requirements
A saved payment method is included in the weekly CAU run when all of the following are true:
Card Account Updater is enabled on your Method Pay account
The payment method status is Active
The payment method was created or used within the last 13 months
CAU has not been disabled on that specific payment method
If a card hasn't been created or used in over 13 months, it falls out of scope and will not be updated.
Fees and billing
A fee applies per payment method that is replaced or marked as disabled through CAU. Cards that come back with no change are not billed.
CAU fees are included in your daily funding deposit as an adjustment, with an 11:00 PM ET daily cutoff.
For the fee amount that applies to your account, contact your Platform Success Manager.
These fees are logged as deposit Adjustments.
💡 Tip: Deactivate payment methods you no longer intend to use. Inactive-but-still-active cards can generate CAU fees for updates you'll never need. A quick review of stored payment methods before enabling CAU is worth the few minutes it takes.
What CAU does not do
It does not update American Express cards.
It does not prevent declines caused by insufficient funds, credit limits, or fraud blocks — CAU refreshes card credentials, not the customer's ability to pay.
It does not retroactively fix payments that have already failed. Those need to be retried after the card is updated.
It does not guarantee an update on every card. Networks only return data when the issuing bank has an update to share.
Best practices
Clean up stored cards first. Deactivate payment methods for customers you no longer bill.
Watch for disabled payment methods. A card marked disabled by CAU is your signal to contact that customer, since it's a much shorter list than "everyone with a card on file."
Keep Amex on your manual radar. If a meaningful share of your customers pay by Amex, build a light process for refreshing those cards.
Enable it before your busy billing period, not during it. The first run surfaces the backlog of stale cards.
How to enable Card Account Updater
CAU is not on by default. It must be enabled by Method Pay at the platform level. Contact your Platform Success Manager or your Method Pay support contact to turn it on and confirm the applicable fees.
FAQ
A customer's saved card changed and they say they didn't do anything. What happened?
That's CAU working as intended. The weekly run picked up a new card number or expiry from the network and replaced the old payment method. No action is needed.
Do I need to re-link anything after a card is updated?
No. Payins that reference the old payment method ID automatically use the new card.
Will this stop every failed card payment?
No. It removes the most common and most avoidable cause — stale card credentials. Declines for insufficient funds, limits, or fraud blocks still happen.
Can I turn CAU off for specific cards?
Yes. CAU can be disabled on an individual payment method, which excludes it from the weekly run.