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Payment methods

EcoLink keeps a list of saved cards on your account, used for manual top-ups and the auto-recharge worker. Cards are saved on Stripe's side — EcoLink never sees full card numbers; what's on our database is just the pm_xxx reference, the card brand, and the last 4 digits.

Where to find your saved cards​

Billing page in the console → Payment methods card.

Each row shows:

  • Brand + last 4 digits — e.g. Visa •••• 4242
  • Expiry — month / year
  • Pinned indicator — a small badge when this card is set as the auto-recharge target
  • Detach button — removes the card from your EcoLink account

If the list is empty, you haven't completed a top-up yet. The first top-up saves the card automatically; from then on it appears here.

Adding a card​

EcoLink doesn't have a "just add a card" flow without an associated purchase. The pattern is:

  1. Click Add credit on the Billing page.
  2. Pay the smallest amount you're comfortable with (the minimum is $1).
  3. The card gets saved during that flow.

Future top-ups can use the saved card directly; the auto-recharge worker can also use it.

Pinning a card for auto-recharge​

The card the auto-recharge worker charges is set on the Auto-recharge card on the same Billing page, NOT on the Payment methods card. Open that section, pick the card from the drop-down, and Save.

You can keep multiple cards on file and only auto-recharge from one.

Detaching a card​

Click Detach next to the card row → confirm. Effects:

  • The card is unlinked from your EcoLink account. EcoLink can no longer charge it.
  • If this was the auto-recharge target, the pin is cleared automatically — the worker won't try to use a card you just removed.
  • The card itself isn't deleted from your bank or from Stripe's vault; EcoLink just loses access to it.

Re-attaching a detached card means going through the Add credit flow and entering it again.

Why does my list show Stripe Link · email@example.com?​

If you used Stripe Link to autofill the card during a top-up (recognized by your email), Stripe may save the card as a Link payment method rather than attaching the raw card to your EcoLink Customer profile. The card still works for top-ups and auto-recharge, but the displayed name shows the Link email instead of the brand + last 4 digits.

If this bothers you (or if you want auto-recharge to be reliably attached to a normal card), redo a top-up with Link disabled — click "Use a different card / payment method" on the Stripe Checkout page before entering details. The next saved card will show as Visa •••• 4242 style.

Multiple cards​

EcoLink doesn't cap how many cards you can save. Each top-up that uses a different card adds a new row. The auto-recharge pin is single-card; pick whichever you want as the recurring-charge target.

Card security​

  • EcoLink never sees or stores full card numbers, CVCs, or magnetic-stripe data.
  • Stripe holds the actual card info and is PCI-DSS Level 1 certified.
  • EcoLink stores: the pm_xxx reference, card brand, last 4 digits, expiry month/year, and (for Link payment methods) the email.
  • Cards are charged via the Stripe API using only the pm_xxx reference — they cannot leak through our infrastructure.

Common questions​

Can I have a different card for top-ups vs auto-recharge?​

Yes. Save multiple cards (one per top-up flow). Set the auto-recharge pin to whichever card you want for the recurring path. Manual top-ups let you pick any saved card at Stripe Checkout time.

Card declined when I tried to top up — should I retry?​

If the decline reason was transient (timeout, soft decline), retry. If it was hard (expired, lost, stolen, insufficient funds), fix the underlying issue first:

  • Expired → detach the old card, re-add the new card via a fresh top-up.
  • Lost / stolen → bank will replace the card; once you have the new number, add it via a fresh top-up.
  • Insufficient funds → add money to the card or use a different one.

No. Stripe sees the new card via the Stripe Card Updater service (works with major US issuers) for some cards, but for reliability, treat the saved card as a snapshot. When your bank issues a replacement, do a fresh top-up to save the new card on EcoLink.

I want to remove my card but keep my balance​

Detaching the card doesn't touch your balance. Detach, then auto-recharge stops; any wallet credit you already have stays usable for inference / GPU / fine-tuning until depleted. Top up manually with a different card when you want to add more.

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