# Payment Methods

Add a credit card, mark one as your default, or remove a card you no longer use, all from your billing settings. Cards are added through Stripe, so your card number never touches Sistava's servers.

Every plan, top-up, and credit pack purchase runs against a saved card. Payment method management is the settings screen where you add a new card, change which one is charged by default, and remove a card that has expired or that you no longer want on file.

Adding a card starts a Stripe SetupIntent, scoped to your account's Stripe customer record. Stripe's own form collects and verifies the card details directly, and Sistava only stores a reference to it, along with its brand and last four digits, never the raw card number or CVC. That SetupIntent is created for off-session use, which is what lets a saved card be charged later for a subscription renewal or an automatic top-up without you being in the browser at the time.

Payment Methods only controls which card is on file, not what gets charged. Your plan decides what a subscription costs, and a credit pack purchase is a separate one-time charge; both draw on whichever card you have marked as default here. Only a teammate whose role includes billing management can add, change, or remove a card, so someone without that permission can see the plan and billing status but cannot touch the cards on file.

If you remove your default card while another card is still on file, Sistava automatically promotes the most recently added remaining card to default, so a scheduled charge is never left without one to run against. If you remove your only card while a subscription is still active, nothing blocks the removal, but you get a warning first: without a card, that subscription will fail to renew. A card can also land on your account outside this screen entirely, for example through Stripe's own flows; if you had no default set at that point, that card becomes the default automatically.

## Adding a card

From billing settings, choose to add a new payment method. Sistava requests a SetupIntent from Stripe and hands your browser a client secret; Stripe's card form takes it from there. Once Stripe confirms the card, it appears in your list of saved payment methods with its brand and last four digits.

You can add more than one card. This is useful if you want a backup on file in case your primary card expires or gets declined, so a scheduled subscription renewal or credit top-up does not fail. Adding a card only verifies it with Stripe; nothing is charged until a subscription, renewal, or credit pack purchase actually runs.

## Setting a default and removing a card

Any saved card can be marked as the default. The default is the card Sistava charges for your subscription renewal, manual top-ups, and one-time credit pack purchases, so switching it takes effect the next time a charge runs.

Removing a card checks that it belongs to your tenant, then deletes it from Stripe and your account right away, so you can only remove your own saved cards. If the card you remove was the default and another card remains, Sistava automatically makes the most recently added remaining card the new default, no action needed on your part. If it was your only card, the removal still goes through, but the confirmation step warns you that any active subscription will fail to renew until a new card is added.

## How It Works

**Stripe handles the card, Sistava handles the choice**

When you add a card, the backend asks Stripe for a SetupIntent scoped to your account's Stripe customer record and returns a client secret to the browser. Stripe's own form collects the card number, expiry, and CVC, and confirms the SetupIntent directly with Stripe. The raw card details never pass through Sistava's servers.

Once Stripe confirms the card, Sistava saves a payment method record tied to your tenant, including the card brand, last four digits, and expiry, so you can recognize it later without exposing the full number.

Setting a card as default updates which card future subscription charges, top-ups, and credit pack purchases use. Deleting a card checks that it belongs to your account before removing it, and it also updates your active subscription record so billing stays accurate.

## Use Cases

### Switching your default card

Your company issues a new card and the old one is being cancelled. Add the new card, set it as the default, then remove the old one once you have confirmed the new card is active.

### Keeping a backup card on file

You want to avoid a failed subscription renewal if your primary card has an issue. Add a second card as a backup so you can switch the default quickly if the first one is declined, or let Sistava auto-promote it if you remove the first.

### Handing billing to one teammate

You want only one person managing what's charged. Give that teammate billing management permission so they're the one who can add, default, or remove cards, while the rest of the team can still see plan details without being able to touch payment methods.

## FAQ

### Does Sistava ever see or store my full card number?

No. Card entry and verification happen directly with Stripe through a SetupIntent. Sistava only stores a reference to the saved card along with its brand and last four digits, never the full card number or CVC.

### Does adding a card charge me anything?

No. Adding a card only verifies it with Stripe and saves a reference to it. Nothing is charged until you subscribe to a plan, a renewal runs, or you buy a credit pack.

### Can I have more than one card saved?

Yes. You can save multiple cards and choose which one is the default at any time. Keeping a backup card on file helps avoid a failed subscription renewal or top-up if your primary card expires or is declined.

### What happens if I delete my default card?

If another card is still on file, Sistava automatically promotes the most recently added one to default, so you don't have to pick one yourself. If it was your only card, the removal still happens, but you'll see a warning that your subscription will fail to renew until you add a new card.

### Who on my team can manage payment methods?

Only a teammate whose role includes billing management can add, set default, or remove a card. Everyone else can see the plan and billing status but cannot change what's on file.

### Can someone else's payment method show up in my account?

No. Every lookup and change to a payment method is checked against your own account's Stripe customer record before it is read, updated, or deleted.

## Where Payment Methods fits

Payment Methods is part of How you run the account itself.

Sign in the way your company already does, decide who can do what, and keep the money side legible. Credits, plans, invoices, referrals, and the controls that decide who reaches which part of the workspace.

- [How you run the account itself](/en/features/account): Your workspace, your money, your people.

## Read the guide

- [Guide: Payment Methods](/en/guide/billing/plans)

## More in Account & Billing

- [Monthly Credits](/en/features/account/monthly_credits): Every paid plan comes with a pool of credits that refills automatically at the start of each billing period. Credits are the single unit that pays for everything your AI employees do: thinking, tool calls, media generation, voice, and meetings. There is nothing to top up manually each month; your allowance is just there again when the new period starts.
- [Lifetime Credits (Free)](/en/features/account/lifetime_credits_free): Pick the Free plan and your workspace gets 2,000 credits in one grant, no card required. Those credits never reset and never expire; you spend them at your own pace across chat, tools, and media generation until they run out. It is a one-time bucket, not a monthly allowance, so it is meant for trying the platform before you commit to a paid plan.
- [Buy Credits](/en/features/account/credit_packs): Add credits to your workspace balance any time, on any plan, without changing your subscription. Pick from three one-time packs, pay by card through Stripe, and the credits land in your balance as soon as the payment clears.
- [Upgrade & Downgrade](/en/features/account/plan_upgrade_downgrade): Move to a bigger plan the moment you need more credits or a higher employee cap, and the change takes effect immediately. Move to a smaller plan when you need less, and it takes effect at the end of your current billing period so you keep what you already paid for. Both happen from Settings, Subscription, no support ticket required.
- [Promo Codes](/en/features/account/promo_codes): Redeem a promotional code for a one-time, lifetime grant of bonus credits on top of your plan's monthly allowance. Enter a code at signup or any time afterward from Settings, Subscription, Get Free Credits. Each grant shows up in your Credit Grants history with its source, date, and amount, and one code can be redeemed once per workspace.
- [Referrals](/en/features/account/referral_program): Share your personal referral link or invite someone by email, and you both get 1,000 free credits the moment they sign up. Track every invite from a dedicated Earn Credits page, and keep earning until you hit the 10-referral cap.
- [Data Retention](/en/features/account/data_retention): Sistava deletes operational data on a fixed schedule instead of keeping it forever by default. A cleanup job runs every day and removes rows past their retention window: short-lived debug data within a week or two, working memory after 30 days of inactivity, and usage and activity history after two years. Chat messages, documents your employees write, and persistent notes are kept indefinitely unless you delete them yourself. There is no setting to change these windows; they apply the same way to every workspace.
- [Google Sign-In](/en/features/account/oauth_google): Sign in to Sistava with your Google account instead of creating a separate password. Choose Sign up with Google on the signup page and your workspace is ready after one approval, with your name and photo carried over automatically from Google. Because Google has already confirmed your email address, there is no verification email to chase before your AI employees can start working.
- [Microsoft Sign-In](/en/features/account/oauth_microsoft): Sign up or sign in with your Microsoft account instead of creating a password. Sistava reads your Microsoft account's name, email, and profile photo to set up your account, and your Profile page shows Microsoft as your connected sign-in method. Because Microsoft has already confirmed the address belongs to you, the account counts as verified from the start and your employees can begin working straight away. Google sign-in and an ordinary email and password are the other two ways in.
- [Workspace Roles](/en/features/account/tenant_roles): Every workspace you create has an Owner, Admin, and Collaborator role, each with a fixed set of permissions over billing, the collaborator roster, and resource access. Owners can grant a non-owner collaborator extra access, or take some away, without changing their overall role. A Roles page shows your own effective access and the full permission matrix so nobody has to guess what they can do.
- [User Profile Picture](/en/features/account/user_profile_avatar): Upload a photo for your account so your teammates and AI employees see a real picture of you instead of initials. It shows up in chat, comments, and the collaborator list across every workspace you belong to. If you signed up with Google or Microsoft, your picture is pulled in automatically the first time you sign in, and you can replace it any time.
- [Two-Factor Authentication](/en/features/account/two_factor_auth): Add a second sign-in step to your Sistava account using any TOTP authenticator app, like Google Authenticator or Authy. Once enabled, a code from your app is required in addition to your password, so a leaked or guessed password alone is not enough to get in. Turning it on immediately signs out every other active session, so a session created before you enabled it cannot be used to bypass it.

## Explore

- [Every feature](/en/features)
- [Hire an AI employee](/en/market)
- [Pricing](/en/pricing)