Having a spending limit on your Facebook prepaid account can be useful for managing your budget and avoiding overspending. However, there may be times when you want to reset the spending limit, either to increase or decrease it. Resetting the limit is easy to do through your account settings.
What is a Facebook prepaid account?
A Facebook prepaid account allows you to purchase ads, boost posts, and access other paid features on Facebook by pre-loading the account with funds. This differs from a regular Facebook account connected to a credit card or PayPal, where you are billed after the fact for any ads or boosts purchased.
With a prepaid account, you add money upfront and can only spend up to the amount you have loaded. This allows for more controlled spending and can prevent surprise charges on a connected payment method.
Why set a spending limit?
Setting a spending limit on a prepaid Facebook account can be useful for a few reasons:
- Budgeting – Setting a spending cap can help prevent overspending and allow you to allocate a set budget for Facebook advertising or boosting posts.
- Avoid surprises – With no ability to be charged beyond the prepaid amount, a spending limit prevents unexpected charges.
- Manage multiple users – If multiple people have access to the ad account, a spending limit can curb spending by each individual.
When to reset the spending limit
In most cases, the spending limit for a prepaid Facebook account is set when the account is first created. However, there are a few instances when you may want to reset or modify the spending limit:
- Increase budget – If you want to allocate more funds to Facebook ads or boosting, you can raise the spending limit accordingly.
- Decrease budget – Alternatively, you may want to reduce the spending limit to scale back on Facebook expenses.
- Reset after renewal – When you add more funds to a prepaid account, you may take that opportunity to reset the spending cap.
- Start a new campaign – Resetting the limit can help control spending for a new advertising campaign.
How to view current spending limit
To view the current spending limit set on your Facebook prepaid account, follow these steps:
- Go to facebook.com and log into your account.
- Click on the upside down triangle in the top right and select “Manage Ads”.
- In the left column, click “All accounts”.
- Select your prepaid account.
- Click on the Settings tab.
- Look for “Spending Limit” to see the current limit set on your account.
This will display the maximum amount you can spend per day using this prepaid account. Keep in mind this is based on your time zone and resets at midnight each day.
How to change spending limit
To change the spending limit on your Facebook prepaid account, follow these steps:
- Go to the account Settings tab like above.
- Locate “Spending Limit” and click “Edit”.
- Enter the new desired spending limit in the daily budget field.
- Click “Confirm” to save the new limit.
The new spending limit will take effect immediately. Keep in mind you can always come back and adjust the limit up or down at any time as needed.
Can I remove the spending limit?
Facebook does not allow you to completely remove the spending limit on prepaid ad accounts. This is to prevent uncontrolled spending of prepaid funds. There is a minimum daily spending limit of $1.
However, you can set the limit to a high amount like $50,000 per day if you want minimal restrictions. But some limit must be set at all times.
Prepaid account vs. no spending limit
Compared to a regular Facebook advertising account with no spending limit, a prepaid account has a few key differences:
| Prepaid Account | Regular Account |
|---|---|
| – Funds added upfront | – Charged after spending |
| – Hard spending limit | – No spending limit |
| – Prevent overspending | – Risk of overspending |
While prepaid accounts limit your daily and overall spending, regular accounts have no restrictions. The right option depends on your budgeting needs and risk tolerance.
Impact of changing the spending limit
Whenever you adjust the spending limit on a Facebook prepaid account, here are some key impacts:
- New limit takes effect immediately – As soon as you confirm the new limit, it will apply right away.
- All daily spending halted at limit – No charges beyond the daily limit are allowed on that calendar day.
- Unused funds carry over – Any unused portion of the daily budget will roll over to the next day.
- Budget resets at midnight – The account resets back to the full daily spending limit after midnight based on your time zone.
So in effect, changing the spending limit initiates a hard reset on spending for the current day, while unused funds remain available in the account for future days.
Facebook policies for spending limits
Keep in mind Facebook does enforce certain policies related to prepaid account spending limits:
- Minimum daily limit is $1.
- Maximum daily limit is $10,000 unless a higher request is approved.
- Limits can’t exceed the total balance loaded to account.
- Limits must be at least $5 for political, social issue, or election-related advertising.
Violating these policies could result in your Facebook ads being disapproved or your account being suspended. Stay within the set guidelines and modify limits when needed to ensure compliance.
Spending notifications
To help you monitor your prepaid spending, Facebook provides notifications as you approach your daily limit:
- 75% of limit reached – You’ll get an in-platform notification.
- 100% of limit reached – Your ads will stop running.
- At 100%, you can increase your limit or wait until the next day when the limit resets.
Keep an eye out for these notifications so you can adjust your spending as needed before hitting the limit and having your ads paused.
What happens when the limit is reached?
Once your prepaid account hits the maximum spending limit for the day, here is what happens:
- All advertising immediately stops – No new charges can occur.
- Ads resume the next calendar day – The daily budget resets after midnight.
- You can increase the limit – If needed, you can expand the limit to continue ads.
- Unused budget rolls over – Any unused funds remain available for future days.
So you do have options if you reach the limit but still want your ads to keep running. Just log in and adjust the spending limit upwards or wait until the next day when the budget resets.
Changing limits when the account balance is low
If your prepaid account balance starts running low, you may want to proactively lower your spending limit to ensure it does not exceed available funds.
Facebook will try to prevent you from setting a daily limit higher than your balance. But be sure to keep an eye on your remaining funds nonetheless.
As you near a zero balance, reduce your spending limit accordingly or add more money to the account to continue advertising without disruptions.
Adding funds and changing the limit
When adding more funds to your Facebook prepaid account, you have an opportunity to reassess and reset your spending limit.
Steps to take when replenishing your prepaid balance:
- Add money to your prepaid account via payment method on file.
- Review your current spending limit in account settings.
- Determine if you want to keep or reset the current limit.
- Adjust the limit using the “Edit” button if desired.
- Confirm the new spending limit.
Use this as a chance to not only add more money, but also make any needed changes to your daily spending cap in one step.
Troubleshooting spending limit changes
In some cases, you may encounter issues trying to modify your prepaid account’s spending limit. Here is how to troubleshoot common problems:
- Error changing limit: This usually occurs if trying to exceed the $10,000 maximum. Reduce the amount and try again.
- Limit won’t save: Make sure you fully confirm/save changes after adjusting the limit amount.
- Limit exceeds balance: Add more funds or lower the limit so it’s under your account balance.
- Facebook rejects limit: Very high limits may get rejected. Try reducing the amount before resubmitting.
- Changes don’t take effect: It may take up to 24 hours for a new limit to fully activate in the system.
If issues persist, you can also contact Facebook support for help adjusting your prepaid account’s spending limit.
Use spending limits responsibly
While spending limits are useful for controlling Facebook ad budgets, keep in mind that:
- You are still responsible for keeping spending in check.
- Monitor your account regularly to avoid misuse.
- Adjust limits according to your available funds.
- Don’t fully rely on Facebook limits to manage spending.
Use your prepaid account’s spending limit wisely in tandem with your own oversight to manage your advertising budget effectively.
Conclusion
Spending limits allow prepaid Facebook accounts to set daily budgets and control ad costs. Review your current limit frequently and reset as needed to accommodate changes in funds, campaigns, or goals. Just keep in mind the minimums, maximums, and policies enforced by Facebook on limits. With the right limit in place, you can make the most of your prepaid account funds and manage paid Facebook activities on budget.