Reference

Billing and payment methods

Winston charges a payment method you keep on file for your plan, for credits you buy and for auto-recharge. You can save a credit or debit card, link a bank account, or keep both. This page shows how to add each one, which of the two gets charged, and where to find the invoice afterwards.

What you can pay with

Payment method	How it works	Good to know
Credit or debit card	Type the card once on the Card sub-tab. Winston charges it for your plan, credit purchases and auto-recharge.	US billing address with a five-digit ZIP. Winston shows only the last four digits.
Bank account (ACH)	Sign in to your bank once on the Bank account sub-tab. Winston debits the account directly.	No processing fees are passed on. A bank debit takes longer to settle than a card charge. Needs a mobile number for a verification code.

Those are the two payment methods Billing offers. You can keep one of each on file and choose which is the default.

Before you start

You need to be the workspace Owner or an Admin. Members can see Billing but cannot add, replace or remove a payment method.
A payment method has to be on file before you choose a plan or buy credits. Both buttons stay unavailable until a card is saved or a bank is linked.
Have a mobile number that can receive text messages. Linking a bank verifies you by a code sent to it, and landline, VoIP and prepaid numbers are refused.
Confirm you are in the right workspace. Billing belongs to the workspace, not to you, and every workspace is billed separately.

The Plans tab states the current prices, included credits, renewal terms and expiry rules; this guide does not. Read them there before you authorize anything. Each charge also shows its exact amount in a confirmation dialog before it runs.

Where to find it

Open Settings → Billing → Payment methods. Billing has five tabs, and Payment methods is the fourth: Overview, Plans, Usage, Payment methods, Invoices. On the Payment methods tab there are three sub-tabs: Card, Bank account and Default method, with Card selected first. If your workspace has only one of the two methods available, you see that one without the sub-tabs.

Overview also gets you there: the Finish setting up billing box and the Add a payment method button both open this tab when nothing is on file yet.

Settings → Billing → Payment methods, with the Card, Bank account and Default method sub-tabs and the Add a card form showing First name, Last name, Email and Mobile number — Payment methods has three sub-tabs. Card is selected first.

Add a credit or debit card

On the Card sub-tab, fill in First name, Last name, Email and Mobile number, then choose Continue. These are the billing contact details for the card; there is no text-message step for a card.
Under Card details, type the Card number, Expiry and CVV. Wait for Loading secure card fields… to clear before typing. The three boxes are hosted by the card processor, so the number never passes through Winston.
Fill in the billing address: the name on the card, street address, city, State and a five-digit ZIP. Addresses are US only.
Read the three authorizations listed under the address. They cover your plan amount every billing period, your auto-recharge amount whenever the balance falls below the threshold you set, and each one-time credit purchase you confirm. Tick I authorize Winston to charge this card for the three payment types above.
Choose Save card and authorize. A toast confirms Card saved. You can now choose a plan and buy credits.

The Card details step: Card number, Expiry and CVV boxes, the billing address fields, the three authorization sentences, the authorization checkbox and the Save card and authorize button — Card details, billing address and the three authorizations are one step. Nothing is saved until you choose Save card and authorize.

Once saved, the Card sub-tab shows the card as Card ending 1111 with its expiry date, a status badge, and two buttons: Replace card and Remove. Under the card a line tells you whether this is the method Winston charges (see which method is charged below).

The Card sub-tab after saving: Credit / debit card, the masked card number with its expiry, the note that Winston charges this card for plans, credits and auto-recharge, an active badge, and the Replace card and Remove buttons — A saved card. Winston shows only the last four digits.

Replace or remove a card

Replace card skips the contact step and goes straight to Card details. The new card is saved before the old one is deleted, so there is never a moment with no card on file and a renewal cannot fall into the gap. Use it when a card expires or is reissued.

Remove asks you to confirm first. The confirmation says whether the card is your default method. If it is not, nothing that charges automatically is affected. If it is, your subscription and auto-recharge payments cannot be charged until you set another default: Winston does not switch to your bank on its own, so open Default method and choose it, or add another card. Once removed, the sub-tab returns to the Add a card form.

Link a bank account

On the Bank account sub-tab, fill in First name, Last name, Email and Mobile number, then choose Continue. Winston debits the bank directly, with no processing fees passed on. A note under the form says payment and account communications will come directly from Aeropay, the bank-payment provider, by text or email.
Verify your phone. Enter the code sent to your mobile number and continue. If the number is refused, the reason appears under the field; use a mobile number that can receive texts.
Choose a bank. If you have linked a bank before, it is listed with a button to select it. Otherwise choose Add a different bank, which opens a secure window to sign in to your bank. This can take up to ten seconds to appear. Your bank sign-in stays with the provider; Winston receives only a reference to the account.
Authorize your payments. Read the three debit authorizations (plan amount each period, auto-recharge amount, one-time purchases), tick the box and choose Link bank and authorize. A toast confirms Bank linked. You can now choose a plan and buy credits.

The Bank account sub-tab after linking: the bank's name and account label, the note that Winston charges this account, an active badge, and the Change bank and Unlink buttons — A linked bank is named by bank and account label. The last four digits are never shown.

A linked bank shows its bank name and account label, never the account digits, with Change bank and Unlink. Change bank returns you to the Choose a bank step. Unlink asks you to confirm, with the same warning as removing a card: if the bank is your default method, subscription and auto-recharge payments stop until you set another default.

Which method is charged

With one payment method on file there is nothing to choose: that method pays for everything. With a card and a bank on file, one of them is the default, and renewals and auto-recharge always go to the default. The Card and Bank account sub-tabs each say which it is: the default reads Winston charges this card for plans, credits and auto-recharge, the other reads Saved. Winston charges your other payment method, not this card (or account).

To change it, open the Default method sub-tab. It lists every method on file with a Default badge on the current one and a Make default button on the other. Choose Make default and confirm; a toast says which method is now the default. If the sub-tab says No default is set, so subscription and auto-recharge cannot be charged, choose one there.

The Default method sub-tab: a line saying the default method is used for subscription and auto-recharge payments, then Card ending 1111 with a Default badge and Bank account with a Make default button — Default method lists what is on file. Make default moves renewals and auto-recharge to the other method.

When you subscribe, change plan or buy credits, a confirmation dialog states the exact amount before anything is charged. With both a card and a bank on file, check in that dialog which method will pay. Renewals and auto-recharge have no dialog: they charge the default method, and if the default has been removed and no other is set, the charge fails until you set one.

You authorize each method once, when you save it. After that, every charge is either confirmed by you in a dialog that states the exact amount, or is a renewal or auto-recharge you turned on.

When you are charged

A monthly plan is charged on the same calendar day each month as the day you subscribed. If a month is shorter than that day (the 29th, 30th or 31st), that month is charged on its last day and the original day resumes the month after. A yearly plan is charged on the same date each year. Auto-recharge charges whenever your balance falls below the threshold you set on the Plans tab; a one-time purchase charges as soon as you confirm it.

Invoices and receipts

Every charge appears on the Invoices tab. The invoice number and the PDF become available once the charge settles; until then the row reads Not issued yet and the download reads Available once this charge settles. A bank debit takes longer to settle than a card charge, so its invoice appears later. The company name, billing email, address and optional tax ID printed on each invoice are under Invoice contact information, below the tabs on the Billing page. Invoices and receipts are emailed to that billing email, and an owner or admin can edit it.

The Overview tab's purchase history lists the same charges with the credits each one added, and Usage shows where those credits went. See Credits and billing for how credits, plans and auto-recharge fit together.

If something goes wrong

What you see	What it means and what to do
Only an owner or admin can manage the payment method	You are a Member in this workspace. Ask the owner or an admin to add or change the method.
Card entry is unavailable right now	The secure card fields could not load. Reload the page and try again; if it repeats, contact Support from the ? menu.
Loading secure card fields… does not clear	A browser extension or network filter may be blocking the processor's fields. Try another browser or network.
Enter a 5-digit ZIP code	The billing address must be a US address with a five-digit ZIP.
The mobile number is refused when linking a bank	Landline, VoIP and prepaid numbers cannot receive the verification code. Use a mobile number.
That verification code is incorrect or has expired	Go Back and Continue again to receive a new code. Codes are single use.
No default is set, so subscription and auto-recharge cannot be charged	The default method was removed. Open the Default method sub-tab and choose Make default on the method you want charged.
A banner ending “Winston is paused. Add a payment method or choose a plan to continue.”	The trial ended or a renewal could not be charged. Add or replace a payment method, then choose a plan on the Plans tab.
A renewal failed after a card expired	Choose Replace card, then check the Plans tab: the plan may need to be resubscribed, and the dialog shows the new billing date.

For anything else, including a charge you do not recognize or an invoice that needs changing, open Support from the ? menu. Say which workspace and which charge you mean; do not paste card or account numbers into Chat or a support message.

Back to Account and access.