---
title: Saved payment methods
description: How customers save a card, a Stripe wallet or a PayPal account for automatic top-up, how to remove them, and what NexCMP stores.
url: https://nexcmp.com/docs/billing/saved-payment-methods/
applies_to: NexCMP 1.6.1
updated: 2026-11-02
---

# Saved payment methods

> **Where in the portal:** Billing › Settings (`/billing?settings=1`). **Where in the admin:** Customers › List › a customer › Overview (`/customers/<id>`), card **Payment**, shows the saved method and the auto top-up history.

## What it does

A saved payment method lets NexCMP charge a customer **without them being present**, so their services never stop because the wallet ran out. It is used only by [automatic top-up](https://nexcmp.com/docs/billing/auto-top-up/). Two kinds exist: a **card** saved at Stripe (including cards used through Apple Pay, Google Pay or Link when Stripe returns a reusable card) and a **PayPal account** stored in the PayPal vault.

## Requirements

| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Channels | [Stripe](https://nexcmp.com/docs/billing/stripe/) and/or [PayPal](https://nexcmp.com/docs/billing/paypal/) configured and enabled. |
| Site | The main site, or a reseller site whose payment channel is collected by the platform. A reseller site that uses its own Stripe account cannot save cards. |
| Customer | A customer account that made a top-up with the card or PayPal. |

## How a method gets saved

1. The customer opens **Billing**, clicks **Deposit** and pays with **Card** or **PayPal**.
2. The payment is created so that the method can be reused later: Stripe stores the card with the customer at Stripe (off-session use), PayPal stores a vault token. NexCMP keeps only references (a Stripe payment-method ID and customer ID, or the PayPal vault ID) and a display label such as `visa •••• 4242` or the PayPal e-mail. **Card numbers never touch your server.**
3. When the payment completes, [automatic top-up](https://nexcmp.com/docs/billing/auto-top-up/) is switched on once if the customer never chose settings before. There is no extra tick box or message on screen. The server records the time, the customer's IP address and the method as evidence.
4. Next time, the deposit screen offers **Saved card ...** in the card dropdown, and **Saved PayPal ...** for PayPal.


## Manage and remove

1. In the portal go to **Billing** and click **Settings**. The panel shows the saved methods (Stripe card and/or PayPal) and the automatic top-up options.
2. To remove a card click **Remove card** and confirm. Stripe detaches the card and **auto top-up is turned off**.
3. To remove PayPal click **Remove saved PayPal** and confirm.


### Admin view

Open the customer in **Customers › List**. The **Payment** card on the **Overview** tab shows the saved method labels (**Saved cards**), the gateway used for automatic charges, the stored evidence of consent (time, IP, method) and the last 20 automatic charge attempts with their status and reason (**Auto top-up history**).

## Verify

1. As a test customer, deposit the minimum by card. After the payment completes, open **Billing › Settings**: the card and the auto top-up switch (on) are visible.
2. Start another deposit: the dropdown offers the saved card.
3. In the admin, the customer's **Payment** card shows the same card label.

## Limits & notes

- **Stripe Link and wallets.** Link, Apple Pay and Google Pay are Stripe features. NexCMP does not store anything Link-specific; it only keeps the card reference Stripe returns.
- **PayPal.** Every PayPal top-up the customer starts needs a click; saved PayPal is used only by automatic top-up, never by other features.
- **Reseller sites.** If a reseller uses its own Stripe or PayPal account, saved methods are hidden and automatic top-up is unavailable for that site.
- **Disputes.** A dispute on any payment blocks the account and stops its prepaid services; see [Stripe](https://nexcmp.com/docs/billing/stripe/).
- **Removing the last method** turns automatic top-up off; the customer keeps the wallet balance.
- **Evidence.** The consent record is written by the server (not editable by the customer) and is kept for dispute handling.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Customer sees no Settings button or saved card | Site uses a reseller-owned payment channel, or no card payment yet | Make a card or PayPal top-up through the platform channel. |
| "Saved card" missing after a Stripe payment | The payment was made with a method that cannot be reused (for example Alipay) | Pay again with a card. |
| PayPal: "cannot save this account yet" | PayPal did not return a vault token | Continue with a one-time payment, or try another PayPal account. |
| Auto top-up stopped after card removal | Expected: removing the card disables it | Save a new method with the next deposit. |