Saved payment method

Domains and Hosting
1

Hello

I have always refused for OVH to store my payment method, just as I have always refused automatic renewal.

When my hosting was renewed a few days ago, I didn’t have time to uncheck the box to save my payment method, and as a result it was stored by OVH.

I have made several attempts to delete it, but it’s impossible; a message tells me that I have an active service.

When I look at the list of my services, all renewals, domains, and hosting are set to manual, whereas the DNS zone of each of my domains is set to automatic, but it seems that was already the case before, so there was no requirement for a stored payment method.

Moreover, I see two new entries, with an incomprehensible service name “b9dcadd6-dea8-41a0-9670-133dff0d049d” and “fe235fa0-cfb7-4fe3-bc86-8cb6cec862f9”, both of type Zimbra email account, with a monthly automatic renewal, and effective dates of 27/06/2026 and 01/07/2026 respectively. I have no idea what these entries correspond to.

To try to understand what they correspond to, when I click on “view the invoice” in the “action” column of these rows, I get an error message “Failed to retrieve the service invoices: Got an invalid (or empty) URL”.

In the “action” column of the DNS zones there is a link to configure the renewal; should I now configure each of these services manually? grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

In the action column of the Zimbra emails there is no configuration link, only “anticipate payment, cancel the service, view my invoices”.

How can I delete my payment method?

How can I find out what these two Zimbra services correspond to?

2

Hello @Driver

You can’t delete the payment method because those two strange services that appear (the ones with names of letters and numbers like b9dcadd6‑…) are still active and set to auto‑renew. Even if you don’t know what they are, OVH treats them as services that could charge you, and that’s why it won’t let you delete the card.

It’s very likely those services are Zimbra mail services that were activated unintentionally, perhaps when renewing the hosting or from a free trial that turned into a paid one. The fact that trying to view the invoice gives you an error means they are corrupted, but the billing system still considers them active.

To fix it, try this:

First, go to the Zimbra or Collaborative Mail section in your client area. Look for those two odd services and click cancel the service. If it lets you, cancel them at the end of the period so they don’t charge you right now.

If it doesn’t let you cancel them because they give an error, you need to contact OVH support via chat or ticket. Give them those two long codes that appear and explain that they are services you don’t recognize, that you can’t cancel them and that they prevent you from deleting your card. They will have to delete them manually.

Once those two services disappear, return to the payment methods list and you’ll be able to delete the card without problem.

Don’t worry about the DNS zones being automatic; that doesn’t generate a charge or require a card, you can leave it as is.

I hope this helped you,
Sergio Turpín

3

Thank you for your reply.

My hosting includes an MX plan, so I have never activated Zimbra mail.
In the manager I do have a Zimbra Mail section, but when I follow that link I get a home page titled Welcome to Zimbra
Would you like to configure your account now?
Tutorial
Getting started with the Zimbra offering
Learn how to create your first mailboxes and administer your service
Learn more
Tutorial
Configure your Zimbra account
Learn how to set up and use your Zimbra account on an external device (PC or smartphone)
Learn more
None of the “Tutorial” or “Learn more” links work.

I don’t really want to configure a Zimbra account, especially without any explanation, particularly right now when it’s clearly buggy at OVH, and I therefore don’t have a “collaborative mail” link.

Once again I’ll create a ticket; I’m fed up with spending hours creating tickets!

4

I completely understand your anger, because this isn’t your fault. What’s happening is that OVH has started migrating the old MX Plan plans to the new Zimbra system. It’s a technical migration they perform automatically, even though you didn’t request anything. That’s why the Zimbra section has appeared in the manager along with those strange services.

The bad news comes in two parts. First, you can’t oppose this migration, because OVH is doing it to upgrade its infrastructure. Second, because we’re in the middle of this change, it’s very likely that the manager area for handling these services is malfunctioning or incomplete, which would explain why the tutorial links don’t work and why you’re seeing odd behavior.

So, even though it’s annoying to waste your time, opening a support ticket is the only real solution right now. But you can save them a lot of back‑and‑forth if you include this clear information from the start:

Tell them that your hosting includes an MX Plan and that it appears to have been automatically migrated to the Zimbra platform, something OVH itself has already confirmed it’s doing. Give them the names of the two weird services that show up. Explain that you can’t cancel those services or remove your payment method because of this. And finally, tell them that the control panel isn’t working properly because the links in the Zimbra section are broken.

While you wait for a reply, rest assured that the migration itself won’t change your service invoice nor delete your emails, although there may be minor interruptions during the process. I know it’s frustrating, but with a well‑explained ticket like this, they’ll surely fix it.

I hope it gets resolved soon :smirking_face:
Sergio Turpín

5

I had read somewhere that Zimbra was supposed to replace MX plans, but without any further information or an implementation date.

After checking my OVH invoices, I see that these two lines correspond to two incoming domain transfers I made in March and June, so they are the free Starter offer that comes with each domain name.

In fact, this free offer, included with the purchase of a domain name, shows up on the invoice as a €0.30 charge line and a negative line of the same amount.

In any case, since this offer is included in the domain purchase, it should not appear as an automatically renewing monthly service, and it should not force the requirement to keep a payment method on file!

I have created ticket No. CS15966385

6

Great! I hope they give you a solution soon, let us know :wink:

7

I don’t understand anything about this story :hot_face:

8

The proposed solution, I quote:

I’m sorry to hear that your invoices aren’t clear enough.
I’ll put you in touch with the relevant department to review them.

What to think …

Obviously, I replied that this does not solve the problem, so I’m waiting for the next steps.

9

The support reply, I quote:

You will not be able to delete your payment method as long as you have services on automatic renewal; I invite you to remove those services first, after which you will be able to delete the payment method.

I knew that.

Based on this reply, support closed the ticket, which I reopened by responding:

As I mentioned in my original complaint:

  • All renewals for my services, domains, and hosting have always been and remain manual; however, the DNS zone for each of my domains is set to automatic, which seems to have been the case already, so no registered payment method was required.
  • Currently, two Zimbra entries in my services appear as monthly automatic renewals; these services stem from inbound transfers of two domain names, thus they are part of the free starter offer that comes with each domain.

Given that this is a free service, it is incomprehensible and unacceptable for it to be treated as an automatically renewing service that requires a payment method.
Furthermore, for these two services, unlike the others, there is no option to configure renewal in the “action” menu.
Additionally, from my services list (69), when I select the two Zimbra lines and, using the global “action”, try to disable automatic payment, I receive the following response: An error occurred while disabling automatic renewal
72948177: Cannot be manual
71246986: Cannot be manual
Therefore, the answer I received is inappropriate because there is no way through the manager to change this automatic renewal status.

Please take the necessary steps to make it possible to disable automatic payment for these Zimbra services.

202606131834

10

Good evening @Driver

Create an Incident ticket:

Manager OVH > https://www.ovh.com/manager/#/dedicated/useraccount/dashboard > My support requests > Create a request / ticket

then:

Call OVH support at +33 9 72 10 10 07.
Preferably between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. or around 3 p.m. there is less wait.

Or on Twitter @ovh_support_fr or #OVHcloudsupport

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11

Support replied: With your written consent I can switch the Zimbra to manual so you can remove the payment method.

I replied: You have my consent to switch the Zimbra to manual.
However, I think it would be better to make it possible to do this from the manager, because otherwise the problem will recur with every new incoming transfer or domain purchase.

Follow‑up: I confirm the termination of the Zimbra.
I also confirm that this has been reported to the site development teams.

Except that I never requested the termination of the service… I’m exhausted.

12

New support response: I’m sorry, but Zimbra can only be in a terminated or automatic state, unfortunately.

In plain terms, the switch to Zimbra is an OVH power move to automatically record a payment method for all its customers; it’s disgraceful and risky for each of us, no one is safe from a data breach, and let’s not forget that OVH has already been one!!!

13

Hello @Driver

Copy @FabL

I never use Zimbra.

What is this whole thing about using the Zimbra mail tool to perform actions that we normally would do with a browser via the OVH Manager?

14

Hi @Driver

Your issue isn’t that OVH wants to force you to have a card; it’s that the system treats those services as “active” even though they’re free, and that blocks you. Support won’t be able to do anything else because they also can’t force a switch to manual. It’s a design bug, not a conspiracy :smirking_face:

If you want to push further, ask support to delete those specific services since they’re a system error, but don’t expect them to move them to manual because they can’t. And if you see they don’t provide a solution, consider whether it’s worth losing those free emails just to remove the card.

Sorry, but this time the blame isn’t on support, it’s on the system.

Regards.

15

Me neither, my hosting includes the MX Plan offer, which is no longer the case in the currently offered plans; only the Zimbra offer is provided for free with the purchase of a domain name, and I understood that eventually the MX Plans will be replaced by Zimbra. If that is the case we will all face this problem, or perhaps I misunderstood.

Sturpin

Sorry, but this time it’s not the support that is at fault, it’s the system.

I agree with you, I don’t hold it against the people who reply, but against the people who decided to impose these services with automatic renewal and, de facto, the requirement of a registered payment method. It’s not a system error and I think it’s a deliberate intention because I find it hard to imagine it being a design oversight.

It seems to me that this mandatory registration requirement had already been tried by OVH for all services a few years ago, which triggered a general outcry, an outcry that led to the possibility of choosing the renewal method.
Today there’s no reaction because only new domain purchases are affected; what will happen tomorrow if the MX Plans switch to Zimbra?
I think each of us must react right now, without waiting, and reject this automatic renewal requirement.

16

Response addressed to support!

Hello,
I would like to point out that by automatically storing my credit card when ordering a domain‑name transfer, without having asked my consent, and then not allowing me to modify this status, OVH is in violation of the law, particularly the GDPR.
I therefore reiterate my request to be able to delete the automatic payment method and remove my credit‑card details.
It appears there is an error in the design of the free Zimbra offer with the purchase of a domain name; this free offer should not be subject to automatic renewal requiring a stored payment method.
Please forward my complaint to your management.

17

Hello @Driver

Do as I do: use an e‑card (virtual bank card)

18

Hello @Driver

Create an Incident ticket:

OVH Manager > https://www.ovh.com/manager/#/dedicated/useraccount/dashboard > My support requests > Create a request / ticket

then:

Call OVH customer support at +33 9 72 10 10 07.
Preferably between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. in the morning, or around 3 p.m. there is less waiting.

Or already now on Twitter @ovh_support_fr or #OVHcloudsupport

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19

It is worth taking a closer look at the general terms of use of the Zimbra service, available through the manager in My Offers and Services > Contracts > Specific Conditions – Email – Zimbra, where you can read:
4. WHAT ARE THE TERMS OF USE?
In order to use the Service, the Client must have a domain name.
5. WHAT ARE THE FINANCIAL TERMS?
The Service can be included in the features of a web‑hosting offer and/or a domain‑name offer.
In that case, it is automatically subject to the billing cycle of the web hosting or domain name to which it is assigned, in accordance with article 6. The financial terms of the web‑hosting and/or domain‑name offers apply to the Service.
6. WHAT IS THE DURATION OF THE SERVICE?
When the Service is subscribed as part of a joint offer with another OVHcloud service (the “Parent Service”), the Service is automatically subject to the billing cycle and the duration (including any renewal periods) of the Parent Service.

Therefore, considering that when purchasing a domain name the Zimbra service is included in that purchase, it is clearly stated that the service is subject to the same billing and renewal conditions as the domain name, so it does not have to be on automatic monthly renewal if the domain name is on manual renewal.

At the very least, it seems to me that we are entitled to expect OVH to respect its own general terms.