> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://faq.universalaccountservicing.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Automatic card updates

> How a replaced or expired card can keep working with AutoPay, why you should not rely on it, and how to stop it if you would rather it didn't.

If you pay by card and your card is replaced — because it expired, was reissued, or was lost — your
AutoPay can keep running without you entering the new details.

Most people find this useful. Some are startled by it. Both reactions are reasonable, so here is
exactly how it works.

## Where the new number comes from

You did not send it to us, and we did not guess it.

Visa, Mastercard and Discover each run an **account updater service**. When your bank issues you a
replacement card, the card network passes the new number and expiry date to businesses that already
have a recurring payment set up with you. Utilities, subscriptions and lenders all use it.

So the sequence is:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Your bank replaces your card">
    New number, new expiry, or both.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The card network updates its records">
    It links your old card to the new one.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Your next AutoPay payment uses the new card">
    If the update arrived, the saved payment method in uPortal360 shows the updated last four digits
    and expiry date. Check that page — it is how you tell whether the update reached us.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Do not count on it

<Warning>
  **Automatic card updates do not always work. Treat them as a safety net, not as your payment.**

  The update depends on your bank and your card network sending the new details, and on them
  arriving before your payment date. Any of that can fail, and we are not told in advance when it
  does. A payment that relies on an update that did not arrive is a **missed payment**.

  **If you know your card was replaced, reissued, or had its number changed, update it yourself** on
  the **Payment Methods** page — then check after your due date that the payment actually posted.
  See [Managing payment methods](/payments/managing-payment-methods) and
  [When payments post](/payments/when-payments-post).
</Warning>

A card update is more likely to be missing when the replacement card has a new account number rather
than a new expiry date, when the replacement comes from a different bank, or when your card was
replaced close to your due date.

<Warning>
  **A missed AutoPay payment costs money.** You may be charged a returned payment fee, and if you
  have a [promotional offer](/promotional-offers), a missed payment can end the promotion early and
  make deferred interest payable. Do not leave that to an automatic update you cannot see.
</Warning>

## What this means for you

<Info>
  **Your AutoPay does not stop when your card expires either.** An expired card is not a reliable way
  to stop a payment — the update may well arrive and the payment may well be taken.

  So the caution runs both ways. Do not rely on an automatic update to make a payment happen, and do
  not rely on a lapsed card to make one stop. If you want a payment to happen, confirm it. If you
  want one to stop, [opt out of AutoPay](/autopay/opting-out).
</Info>

It also means the card shown on your account may not be the card you originally entered. If the last
four digits on your **Payment Methods** page are not the ones you remember, this is usually why —
not an error, and not someone else's card.

## If you would rather it didn't happen

You have three routes, depending on what you actually want:

| What you want                                              | What to do                                                                                                                              |
| ---------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Stop AutoPay entirely**                                  | [Opt out of AutoPay](/autopay/opting-out) in uPortal360                                                                                 |
| **Keep AutoPay, use a different card**                     | [Change your payment method](/autopay/changing-autopay) — the updater only follows the card you have saved                              |
| **Stop your card being shared with any business this way** | Contact your card issuer. The updater service is run by the card networks and your bank, not by us, so opting out is done at their end. |

<Warning>
  **Letting a card lapse will not reliably stop a payment.** If you want a
  payment to stop, [opt out of AutoPay](/autopay/opting-out) — and do it at least **three business
  days** before your next scheduled payment date.
</Warning>

## What we store

Even with updates arriving automatically, your full card number is not kept in the portal. Only the
last four digits are shown, and the security code is never stored. See
[How we protect your data](/trust-and-compliance/how-we-protect-your-data).

## If you don't recognize a card on your account

Contact us. If you believe a card was added that is not yours, say so when you call — that is
handled differently from a routine query.

<Card title="Contact us" icon="phone" href="/getting-help/contacting-uas">
  Have your Account Number to hand.
</Card>