This article explains how upgraded ShareASale programs manage payment settings on Awin, including auto-deposit, manual funding, payment methods, and how your account balance affects link status.
You can access your payment settings by navigating to Billing in the Awin platform.
Important
Only account owners and admins with two-step verification (2SV) enabled can manage payment settings.
Managing your payment settings
An optimized payment structure helps keep your account funded and reduces the risk of failed payments or links going offline.
We recommend setting up auto-deposit with a secondary payment method to minimize manual intervention.
Supported payment methods
You can use the following payment types:
Auto-deposit: credit card or ACH
Manual deposit: credit card or ACH
Note
PayPal is not supported on the Awin platform.
How to set up auto-deposit
Auto-deposit automatically tops up your balance when it drops below a set threshold, helping prevent your balance from falling below $0 and your affiliate links from going offline. Learn more about offline links here.
To enable auto-deposit:
Go to Billing > Prepayment.
Select Turn on auto-deposit.
Insert the amount that will be added each time you reach your minimum balance.
Click Save changes.
Each top-up generates a prepayment invoice in your Invoice History.
Note
To reduce invoice emails and admin, set a higher threshold to trigger fewer, larger top-ups. The lowest minimum balance allowed is $50.
How to set up a secondary payment method
You can add a secondary payment method as a fallback if the primary payment attempt is unsuccessful. This helps recover payments automatically and reduces the risk of service disruption caused by issues like expired cards or temporary bank errors.
To add a secondary payment method:
Go to Billing > Prepayment > Payment methods.
Select Add a new payment method and add another credit card or select an existing one.
Note
Only credit cards can be used as a secondary payment method.
How to add funds manually
If you prefer to fund your account manually:
Go to Billing > Prepayments.
Select Make payment now.
Choose the amount.
Continue to payment.
Choose the payment method: Credit card or Bank account.
Fill out the credit card or bank account details.
Click on Pay.
It takes couple of minutes to show on your account balance. Once processed, an invoice is generated and you’ll receive an email informing you about the successful payment.
Important
Manual funding doesn’t automatically top up. If your balance drops below $0, your program links will go offline until funds are added.
How to remove or change your payment methods
To update your primary or secondary payment methods:
Go to Billing > Prepayment > Payment methods.
Within the list, locate the payment method you wish to update and click on three dots. From there you can either:
Set or unset the payment method as your primary method.
Set or unset the payment method as your secondary method.
Remove the payment method.
Note
If you remove the primary payment method linked to the auto-deposit, it will be automatically deactivated.
Where to check the account balance
The Account balance page gives you a clear, real-time view of everything happening in your account, including payments, fees and refunds.
At the top of the page, you can see both your available balance (ready to use now) and your pending balance, which reflects funds that are still being processed.
To access your account balance, go to Billing > Account balance on Awin platform (previously known as the Ledger Report in SAS).
Working with Account balance tab
Use the filters to narrow down your transaction history by:
Date
Item
Payment type
Deposit method
You can also personalize the data shown within the tab by clicking on Edit table, making it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.
When you’re ready to export, you can download your full transaction history as an Excel or CSV file. Exports always include your complete transaction history, regardless of any filters applied on screen. For larger accounts, this may take a few minutes to prepare.
Why the account balance could be negative
A negative balance may occur due to:
Pending transactions: Tracked commissions reduce your balance in real time.
Platform fees: Minimum monthly fees, tech bundles, and manual adjustments may impact the balance.
Timing gaps: Delays in payment processing may briefly show a negative balance, especially during the upgrade process.
Important
If your balance drops below $0, your Link status will switch to offline.
What happens once Link status is offline
If your available account balance drops below $0, your Link status switches to offline. When this happens, affiliate links immediately go offline and stop tracking and redirect to partner-defined fallback URLs, such as a homepage or promotional page.
The account owner and admins are notified by email and prompted to add funds as soon as possible. If the balance is not restored, your program’s Traffic light status changes to amber, signaling an active funding risk.
Link tracking doesn’t resume until funds are added and your available account balance is above $0. Once this happens, your Link status automatically returns to online, links reactivate, and your Traffic light status switches back to green - no manual reactivation is required.
Why auto-deposit might fail
Common reason is an expired, invalid, or declined credit card or ACH details.
Awin will retry failed card on the following schedule:
1 day after the initial failure.
3 days after the second attempt.
7 days after the third attempt.
Important
No retry payment attempts are made for ACH debit/credit.
If all three attempts fail, auto-deposit will be turned off automatically, and you’ll need to manually re-enable it in your Prepayment settings. A secondary payment method set up is recommended because it acts as a safety net. If your primary payment fails, your links stay online without any manual intervention needed.
A failure notification email will be sent with the reason for the failed payment. Please make sure your payment details are up to date and monitor alerts to avoid disruptions to your tracking.
Requesting a refund
You can request a refund at any time from the Account balance page for any eligible card deposit made within the last 120 days. Select the refund icon next to the relevant deposit, choose a reason and submit. Our team will review and respond within 7 days. Please note that refunds can’t reduce your balance below zero.
Refunds are always issued to the same payment method used for the original deposit.
If a refund can’t be completed for any reason, our Accounts Receivable team will contact you directly.
Important
Refunds can only be requested within 120 days. We are unable to process any requests submitted after this period.
FAQ
Who can manage payment settings?
Only account owners and admins with two-step verification (2SV) enabled can update payment settings.
What happens if my balance goes below $0?
Your Link status will switch to offline and your partner links will redirect to fallback URLs. Once funds are added and your balance is above $0, your links reactivate automatically.
How can I change my payment method?
You can update or add a payment method in the platform by navigating to Billing > Prepayment > Payment method area. We recommend adding both a primary and a secondary credit card to avoid disruptions.
How much should I deposit at a time?
We recommend depositing at least 50% of your average monthly program costs to reduce the number of prepayment requests.
Can I easily request a refund?
Yes. In the platform, go to Billing > Account balance page, find the relevant deposit and click on three dots to access the refund request.
What happens after I request a refund?
When you submit a refund request:
It’s sent directly to Awin’s Finance team for review.
The team checks your request in line with card network rules.
They’ll contact you if they need any extra information.
Is there a time limit for requesting a refund?
Yes. Refunds must be requested within 120 days, as required by card network guidelines. We’re unable to process requests submitted after this period.
Can I track the status of my refund request?
Once your request is submitted, the Finance team will manage it. If they need anything from you or have an update, they’ll contact you directly.