> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.uplifter.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What are stored cards, and who manages them?

> How the cards and bank accounts on file behind families' recurring charges are stored and kept current.

<Note>
  **Must know**

  * The full card number is **never stored on your side** — it's tokenized by the payment processor, and only the **brand, last 4 digits, and expiry** are kept for display.
  * **Guardians add and manage their own payment method** in their account. You can't key a family's card in on their behalf.
  * A card added from the billing page (or a payment-method prompt) is verified through a **\$0 authorization** — a temporary check, not a charge. A card saved during checkout is verified as part of that real payment instead.
  * Depending on your region, families can also save a **bank account** — shown as **Bank Account (ACH)** in the US or **Pre-authorized Debit (PAD)** in Canada — and recurring charges bill it just like a card.
</Note>

Every recurring charge needs a saved payment method to run against. Those stored payment methods — usually a card, and in some regions a bank account — are what families save in their own accounts, and they're what your Recurring Billing page bills.

## How they're stored

When a guardian saves a card, it's tokenized and held securely by the payment processor. Your club only ever sees the safe display details — brand, last four, and expiry — so there's no sensitive card data sitting in your system.

## Who adds them

Families add their card themselves during checkout or from their billing page, and they manage it there too (set a default, remove it, add a new one). Where bank payments are offered, a family can save a bank account the same way — at checkout or from the billing page's **Add Payment Method** dialog. Because the payment method belongs to the guardian's account, there's no admin screen to type one in for them — if a family has nothing saved, the fix is for them to add one.

## What you see as an admin

On the **Recurring Billing** page, the **Payment Method** column shows each charge's saved payment method (a card's brand and last 4, or the family's bank account). When nothing is on file it reads **No payment method** in yellow — a clear signal that charge can't run until the family saves one. A weekly sync can refresh stored card details, but only for families with a charge that recently failed or is due soon — it isn't an instant, universal update. So if a card expires or a bank reissues it and a charge starts failing, the reliable fix is for the family to add the new card.

**Related:** [What are recurring charges?](/club/payments-checkout/what-are-recurring-charges) · [What happens when a recurring charge fails?](/club/payments-checkout/what-happens-when-a-recurring-charge-fails) · [Save a card or payment method](/families/families-payments-billing/save-a-card-or-payment-method)