Troubleshoot Connects purchases, missing credits, and balance issues

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I cannot find Buy Connects

Use a web browser. Buying Connects is not available in the Upwork mobile app.
Go directly to Connects > Buy Connects.
Confirm that a verified billing method is on the account.
If you are viewing an agency account, confirm that the agency has Agency Plus. Agency Basic cannot buy agency Connects.
Check for an account alert or payment restriction before treating a missing or unavailable button as a page error.

If the web page still does not show the available bundles or custom-amount option, capture a screenshot of the whole page and contact Support.

My payment method was declined

A declined Connects purchase is a billing-method issue, not a missing-Connects issue.

Confirm the card details and billing address.
Make sure the payment method supports online and international transactions.
Ask the card issuer whether it declined or blocked the charge.
Update the billing method or use another supported method.
If Upwork shows an account or billing-method hold, follow the instructions in that alert before trying again.

Do not assume that repeated attempts created a purchase. Check both the payment activity and Connects history. If no successful payment and no Purchased Connects row exist, the purchase did not complete.

I was charged but did not receive Connects

Confirm whether the charge belongs to the freelancer account or a specific agency account.
Open that account’s Connects history and look for a purchase with the same amount and time.
Allow five minutes after a successful payment for the credit to appear.
If the credit is still missing after five minutes, contact Support with the receipt or payment reference, amount, timestamp, and target freelancer or agency account.

A pending bank authorization is not always a completed charge. Support must verify that the payment succeeded and belongs to the same account before Connects can be credited or a refund reviewed.

My Freelancer Plus Connects are missing

New upgrade: The first month includes 90–100 Connects, depending on upgrade timing and whether Basic Connects were already granted. Allow five minutes after the successful upgrade. Each full monthly cycle after the first month includes 100 Connects.
Renewal: A successful renewal may take up to 12 hours from the exact charge time.
Plan still shows Basic: This is a membership activation issue, not a delayed Connects credit. Check the payment and membership status.
More than 12 hours after a successful renewal: Contact Support with the successful charge time, current plan, billing cycle, and Connects history.

Freelancer Plus users do not also receive a separate Freelancer Basic monthly offer for the same cycle.

A free or reward credit is missing

Some new freelancers must first make a qualifying Connects purchase or join Freelancer Plus before Free Connects and activity offers become available. Completing a profile or identity verification by itself does not unlock those offers.

First confirm that the offer appears in Find Work > Connects > Free Connects or was shown directly to your account. Offers and tests are not assigned to every freelancer, so rely only on an offer actually shown in your account.

Credit	Check before contacting Support
Basic monthly offer	Search the entire current calendar month for either a monthly renewal or a completed-task credit. Some eligible Basic freelancers receive 10; it is not guaranteed to every account.
New-freelancer offer	Confirm the 50-Connect offer was displayed and that you completed its stated purchase or Plus condition. Completing a profile alone does not guarantee it. Allow up to one day.
Proposal activity	Confirm the offer was displayed, at least three proposals were submitted, at least 54 Connects were spent, and the twice-per-month limit was not reached. Allow 24 hours.
First successful boost	Wait until the auction closes, which can take up to seven days or until the first hire. The boost must finish as chargeable.
Interview award	Not every interview qualifies. If eligible, the credit usually appears within about 72 hours.
Education or onboarding task	Confirm the activity showed as complete and follow the timing shown in the offer.

Customer Support cannot manually add a variable monthly offer, promotion, or promo code that was not assigned to the account.

My balance dropped or I do not recognize a deduction

Review the row description, date, amount, and account context. Common causes include:

A proposal or boosted proposal
A Boosted Profile interaction
Availability Badge one-Connect increments
The 35-Connect identity verification badge
Expiration one year after issue
An agency purchase or spend initiated by an authorized agency owner, admin, or member

If Connects history shows an Expired Connects row, it reflects the one-year expiration. Those Connects cannot be restored or refunded.

Upwork does not automatically refill Connects. Repeated Purchased Connects rows are separate purchases, although another authorized agency member may have made an agency purchase.

If you do not recognize a transaction, turn off optional promotions while the charge is reviewed. For a payment-card charge you do not recognize, also review unrecognized Upwork charges.

My boosted proposal shows several transactions

A boosted proposal can show:

The base proposal charge
A temporary boost reservation
A return while final auction results are calculated
A final boost charge
A separate Connects award or return of the base proposal cost

Group the rows for the same proposal and compare the net amount. A temporary return followed by an equal final charge is not a duplicate charge.

If you were knocked out before the auction ended and the client did not interact while your proposal was boosted, the boost bid should be returned after the auction closes. The base proposal cost is not returned only because you were outbid.

Review Boosted Proposal charges and returns.

Why can’t I boost my proposal?

Boosting is optional and is not available for every proposal. The option may be missing because you or the job are not eligible. You also cannot boost after the auction closes, which happens after seven days or upon the first hire, whichever comes first.

If the job still accepts proposals and your account is eligible to apply, you can submit without boosting.

The Availability Badge looks like a duplicate charge

Availability Badge pricing is deducted in one-Connect increments while the badge is on. For example, a 14-Connect weekly price creates a -1 row about every 12 hours. Those evenly spaced rows are expected when their rolling seven-day total stays within the weekly price.

Possible errors include:

The rolling seven-day total is higher than the weekly price
Two deductions have the same timestamp
Deductions continue while the badge is off
The deduction appears on the wrong freelancer or agency account

Turn off the badge under Find Work > Availability Badge > Turn Off if you do not want further usage. Save the rows and timestamps before contacting Support about a possible error.

I cannot stop my Boosted Profile

If the page says the profile was stopped because you owe a specific number of Connects, the promoted profile has an outstanding charge.

Add enough Connects to the same freelancer or agency balance that incurred the charge. The system deducts the amount owed. You can then turn off the Boosted Profile.

Freelancer Connects cannot settle agency debt, and agency Connects cannot settle freelancer debt. If the balance is settled and a new attempt to turn the boost off still fails, capture the current balance, error, and time and contact Support.

My proposal Connects were not returned

Connects are returned when the client cancels the job before a contract is made or Upwork removes the job for a Terms of Service violation.

They are not returned only because the client:

Did not view or respond to the proposal
Rejected the proposal
Hired someone else
Let the job expire without hiring

They are also not returned when you withdraw the proposal.

If Upwork removed the job and the return is missing, include the job link, proposal date, base proposal amount, boost amount if any, and relevant history rows when contacting Support.

My agency cannot buy or use Connects

Confirm that you switched to the intended agency account.
Confirm that Agency Plus is active. Agency Basic cannot buy agency Connects or pursue new non-Enterprise work. Enterprise direct offers and invitations are exceptions.
Only an agency owner or admin can purchase agency Connects.
All agency proposals draw from the shared agency balance.
Freelancer and agency balances are separate and cannot be combined.

The error “Failed to load Connects transaction details” in an Agency Basic context usually means Agency Plus is required. It is not, by itself, evidence of a failed card charge.

What to include when you contact Support

To avoid back-and-forth, include:

Whether the issue is on a freelancer or named agency account
The exact error message
The amount and timestamp
A screenshot of the full page or relevant history rows
The payment receipt or reference for a successful purchase
The job, proposal, campaign, or badge involved
What you expected and what actually appeared

Do not send a full card number, password, or one-time security code.

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