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How to Manage Your Cloudways Payments

Manage your Cloudways payments with ease. Learn how to add payment methods, use promotional credits, track your account balance, and understand how invoices are settled.

Written by Syed Abuzar Mehdi

Managing your finances effectively is essential for the smooth operation of your web applications and services.

On Cloudways, the billing system provides a simple and centralized way to manage payments, add funds, and settle invoices.

This guide covers everything you need to know about managing your Cloudways billing, including understanding account credits, promotional credits, and tracking and handling invoices.

Note:

With the transition to DigitalOcean’s new billing platform (go-live on April 1, 2026), Cloudways now provides an enhanced and structured billing system that supports multiple payment methods, automated invoice handling, and transparent reporting.

Cloudways Billing Currency

All transactions on Cloudways are now exclusively in USD, ensuring standardized billing for global customers. Any past invoices in other currencies may still be settled in the original currency, but all new transactions after the migration are processed in USD.

Understanding Cloudways Credits and Account Balance

Cloudways uses a structured billing system to manage your account balance through two main components:

1. Credits & Discounts

  • Purpose: Includes promotional credits and discounts such as signup bonuses or referral rewards.

  • Auto-Usage: Automatically applied first when settling invoices.

  • Validity: Promotional credits expire 1 year from the date they are issued.

Notes:

Only one promo code can be active at a time.

2. Prepayments

  • Purpose: Represents prepayments made through credit card or PayPal, along with any refunds added to your account.

  • Usage: If promotional credits are not sufficient, the remaining invoice amount is covered using your account funds.

  • Payment Flexibility: You can add multiple payment methods, including recurring PayPal payments and backup credit cards.

Total Account Balance

Your total balance reflects the combined value of your promotional credits and available account funds, giving you a clear overview of your available balance.

How Billing Works

  • Invoices are generated on the 1st of every month.

  • The system automatically applies promotional credits first.

  • Any remaining balance is deducted from your available account funds.

  • You can also make partial payments during the month based on your current usage.

How to Manage Your Cloudways Billing and Payments

Follow the steps below to pay your invoices using PayPal on the Cloudways Platform.

Log in to the Cloudways Platform using your registered email address and password.

Step #1:

  • Go to billing by clicking on your profile icon at the top-right of the dashboard, then select Billing from the dropdown.

Step #2 - Billing Overview:

  • You’ll land on the Billing → Overview tab.

  • Top Section: Shows billing tabs (Overview selected), help option, and “Make a Payment” button. Other features in the Billing Overview include:

  1. Estimated Due: Displays your current estimated bill amount with due date based on month-to-date usage.

  2. Charges Summary: Shows breakdown of Total Charges, Past Overdue, and Funds/Prepayments.

  3. Month-to-Date Summary: Provides a detailed breakdown of charges by services (e.g., Autonomous, Flexible, AgencyOS, Other Charges). For details, read below.

  4. Subtotals & Adjustments: Includes Subtotal, Discounts, Credits, and Taxes applied to your bill.

  5. Total Amount: Displays the final payable amount after all adjustments.

  6. Export Option: Allows you to download billing details in CSV or PDF format.

Month-to-Date Summary:

The Month-to-Date Summary section provides a detailed breakdown of your usage and charges for the current billing cycle.

This section includes:

  • Charges grouped by services (such as Cloudways Flexible, Autonomous, add-ons, or other services)

  • A subtotal of all usage

  • Applied discounts and credits

  • Applicable taxes based on your billing location

  • The final estimated total amount

This summary reflects your approximate charges for the current month after applying discounts, taxes, and prepayments, helping you track your spending in real time.

You can also export this summary in CSV or PDF format for your records.

Step #3 - Billing History:

  • The Billing History tab displays all of your transactions, including invoices, payments, prepayments, and credit memos.

  • You can click on the three dots at the end of each transaction to access downloads.

  • You can download PDF or CSV for any billing transaction that you have made.

Note:
​If you add a prepayment to your account, it will also appear in the Billing History as a credit entry. This helps you easily track when funds were added and how they are applied toward your invoices.

Step #4 - Credits & Discounts:

Under the Credits & Discounts section, you’ll see promotional credits and discounts. These credits (such as promotional or referral rewards) are automatically applied to your next invoice.

  • If no credits are available, it will display as $0.00.

  • You can also check expiry date for promotional credits, start and end months for discounts, discount percentages, and their status.

Note:

Promotional credits expire 1 year from the date they are issued. Only one promo code can be active at a time.

Step #5 - Billing Settings:

On settings page, you can see the following options:

  1. Billing Address: Displays your invoice details (country, account type, phone) with an option to edit.

  2. Tax Location: Indicates how taxes are applied to your account and shows current tax status.

  3. Payment Method: Lets you add a payment method with a small authorization charge for verification.

  4. Billing Alerts: Allows you to enable email alerts based on usage or spending limits.

Manage Payment Methods on Cloudways

You can add and manage multiple payment methods on the Cloudways Platform, including credit/debit cards and PayPal. This allows you to set up backup payment methods and enable recurring payments for uninterrupted service.

How to Add a New Payment Method?

Step-by-Step Instructions

You can following the steps through UI image navigation from Step #1.

  1. Log in to the Cloudways Platform.

  2. Click on your profile icon and go to Billing.

  3. Navigate to the Settings tab.

  4. Under Payment Method, click Add Payment Method.

  5. Choose one of the following:

    • Credit/Debit Card

    • PayPal

  6. Enter the required details:

    • For cards: Card number, expiry date, CVC

    • For PayPal: Complete authorization via PayPal

  7. Add your billing address.

  8. Click Proceed (or PayPal button).

Supported Payment Methods

Cloudways currently supports:

  • Credit/Debit Cards (Check the card type through displayed Icons: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover)

  • PayPal (with recurring payments enabled)

Make a Payment:

  • From Billing Overview Page, click Make a Payment as shown below:

  • Since you have already added a payment method, choose your payment type and payment method, or add new payment method as shown above as a backup payment method.

  • Click on Submit Payment in the top right corner of the page to submit your payment.

Pre-Authorization Charges (Important)

When adding a credit card, a $1 pre-authorization charge is placed temporarily and automatically reversed. For PayPal, a $5 charge is applied; this amount is credited to your account and will be automatically applied toward your next invoice or any outstanding balance.

Adding Backup Payment Methods

You can add multiple payment methods to your account. Just go to settings in the billings and add a new payment method, such as add a new card or PayPal.

Key Points:

  • Backup methods are used if the primary payment fails

  • Helps avoid service disruption

  • Works for both cards and PayPal

Important:

If your primary card is expired (shown with an orange 'Expired' badge as seen in Settings), add or promote a valid backup card immediately to avoid payment failures.

Using PayPal for Recurring Payments

When adding PayPal:

  • You authorize recurring billing

  • Cloudways can automatically charge your PayPal account for:

    • Monthly invoices

    • Outstanding dues

Important:

  • PayPal must be verified and active.

  • Recurring payments are set during authorization (no manual renewal needed).

  • Only one PayPal account can be active on your account at a time.

Important Notes

  • Only one discount promo code can be active at a time

  • Ensure billing details match your payment method to avoid failures

  • Failed payments may lead to service suspension

  • You can update or remove payment methods anytime from Billing Settings

FAQs

How do I add prepayments to my Cloudways account balance?

You can add prepayments via Credit Card or PayPal by following this knowledgebase article.

How are invoices settled if I have both promotional credits and advance funds?

Invoices are settled using promotional discounts and credits first. If the credits are insufficient, the remaining amount is deducted from your available prepayemnts (account balance).

Can I change the currency of my Cloudways account?

No, the default currency for all transactions on the Cloudways Platform is USD. All previous funds have been aggregated and converted to USD.

How can I track the balance of my prepayments, if it is used to settle an invoice?

You can monitor every individual transaction within your Billing History, where any deductions made from prepayments are clearly displayed.

What will happen if my invoice remains unpaid?

Your account will be restricted on Day 7, servers stopped on Day 10, and data permanently deleted on Day 28. Update your payment method or add funds immediately to prevent this. More Details

Who should I contact if I have issues with billing or payments?

For any billing-related questions, you can contact Cloudways Support via Live Chat (Need a Hand > Send us a Message) or create a support ticket. You can also email to [email protected].

How can I enable promotional credits on my account?

Promotional credits are typically added to your account through special offers, promotional rewards, or referral programs. They are automatically applied to your Cloudways Credits and used to settle invoices before any advance funds.

How are affiliate payouts handled on Cloudways?

Affiliate payouts are added to your account balance and can be used to pay future invoices.

How are invoices settled if I have both promotional credits and prepayments?

Promotional discounts and credits are used first. If they don't cover the full invoice, the remainder is deducted from your prepayments, and any further balance is charged to your primary payment method.

How often are the Transaction Details updated?

The Transaction Details are updated in real time, providing the latest information about your fund usage and available balances.

That’s it! We hope this article was helpful.

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