How To Create A Facebook Prepaid Ad Account In 5 Minutes (2025)

Hello fellow Facebook advertisers! Are you frustrated at your money being held or your advertising being restricted due to payment failure? Then a Facebook prepaid ad account can be your game-changer. So what is a prepaid ad account? How is it different from a postpaid account, and how can you create one to minimize these risks? This article will walk you through the detailed process of using a prepaid account and managing preloaded funds efficiently.

What Is A Facebook Prepaid Ad Account?

A prepaid ad account is a type of ad account on Facebook where you have to deposit money before running ads. As your ads start spending, Meta will deduct from your prepaid funds approximately once a day. When the prepaid fund is depleted, you must reload more funds to keep ads running or they will be paused.

A prepaid ad account is also called a manual payment ad account.

Learn more: What Is An Ad Account In Facebook? Overview & Best Tips [2025]

Pros And Cons Of Using Prepaid Accounts For Facebook Ads

Like most things, using prepaid advertising accounts has its benefits and drawbacks. 

Pros of prepaid accounts

• Better budget control: Preloading funds allows advertisers to control their budgets better, avoid unexpected charges, and dodge overspending.
• Fewer account bans: With higher reliability, the prepaid payment method significantly minimizes the risk of holding money and payment failure which can lead to disabled ad accounts.
• Improved ad account health: Advertisers who want to improve ad account health and build reputability can benefit from it.
• No need for cards: For advertisers who use multiple ad accounts, prepayment eliminates the need to open more debit or credit cards.

Cons of prepaid accounts

• Risk of losing all funds: Prepaid funds on Facebook are usually not accepted for a refund. If your ad account is abruptly disabled, you could lose all the money you’ve loaded into a prepaid account.
• No payment thresholds: Prepaid ad accounts don’t have payment thresholds like postpaid. This is a significant disadvantage as you cannot leverage Facebook’s credit line to run ads.
• Less financial flexibility: To use a prepaid account, you must deposit funds upfront to run ads. Meanwhile, with a postpaid ad account, you can run ads now and pay later.

What Is The Difference Between Postpaid And Prepaid Ad Accounts?

The main difference between prepaid and postpaid ad accounts is when you pay for your ads on Facebook. This in return affects the way Facebook treats your ad account. 

Generally, prepaid accounts are more reliable, while postpaid accounts are more flexible in ad spending.

Let’s compare the two accounts head-to-head to see which one is right for your business.

Choosing between a prepaid and postpaid ad account depends on various factors, including your budget, goals, and level of Facebook ad experience. For example:

• If you want to generate leads or boost sales, use prepaid ad accounts. They help manage ad spending better and avoid going over budget.
• To enhance brand awareness or reach more audiences, select postpaid ad accounts. They allow you to spend more than your initial budget, reach more people, and grow your brand’s presence more efficiently.

How To Create A Facebook Prepaid Ad Account In 2025

Now that you know what a prepaid ad account is and its advantages, it’s crucial to learn how to create an account for your business. 

Step 1: Set up a Facebook ad account

Go to Ads Manager to set up your personal ad account or Meta Business Suite to create a new business ad account. 

Step 2: Go to Payment Settings

In Ads Manager, select Billings & Payments, then choose Payment Settings.

Step 3: Choose a prepayment method

Select Add Payment Method at the top right of the Payment Methods section.

Choose an accepted payment method for prepaid funds, like Alipay, PayPay, or VNPay. 

Step 4: Add prepaid payment info

Now, enter the required information including your country, currency, timezone, and payment method details. Make sure they match Meta’s accepted payment methods. 

Then click Save to finish your Facebook prepaid ad account settings.

Step 5: Preload your funds

After you finish step 4, you’ll see the Available Funds section appear on the top of the Payment Settings page. 

Select Add Funds and follow the on-screen instructions to top up your account. 

Steps may vary depending on your selected payment method.

Related Article: How To Add A Payment Method To A Facebook Ad Account: 4 Easy Steps

How To Change A Facebook Ad Account To Prepaid?

You can convert a Facebook postpaid ad account into a prepaid account following these steps:

1. From Ads Manager, go to Payment Settings.
2. In the Payment Method section, select Add Payment Method.
3. Save the new prepayment method to the ad account.
4. Click the 3-dot icon on the right of this new prepaid method.
5. Select Make Default twice.
6. Click Done to confirm the change.

Your ad account’s default payment method will be updated to prepaid. Now you can add money to the prepaid funds as usual.

How To Remove Prepaid Funds On Facebook?

Facebook prepaid funds are mostly non-refundable except in some particular circumstances. 

To request a refund for leftover funds, you can do as follows:

1. Go to Payment Settings.
2. Select the 3-dot icon (…) at the top right of the Available Funds section. 
3. Select Request Refund. 
4. Your ad account will be deactivated after the request. Don’t reactivate it if you want to get a refund. 
5. Wait for a notification in Facebook Ads Manager or from your Meta account representative.
6. After at least 1 month, Facebook may issue the refund to your payment method or in the form of ad credits.

Note: If you don’t see the Request Refund option or don’t hear anything from Facebook, you won’t receive the refund.

Agency tip: Use a Facebook agency ad account for rent to get refunds swiftly.

In A Nutshell

This article has covered the definition, pros and cons, and how to create Facebook prepaid ad accounts. If you are using the postpaid payment method, you can still convert to a prepaid one by following my outlined instructions.

Remember that preloaded funds are usually non-refundable, so consider carefully before making this significant swift. You can also start over with a new ad account or rent agency ad accounts from GDT Agency for quick top-ups and refunds. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to let us know via the contact info below.

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