Almost every agency ad account — whether for Douyin, Meta, TikTok or Google — runs on a prepaid basis. Instead of the platform billing your card after spend, you fund the account balance in advance and campaigns draw from that balance as they run. For advertisers used to post-pay thresholds and monthly invoicing, the model takes some adjustment, but it is also what makes agency accounts possible in markets where you have no local entity, no local bank account and no direct billing relationship with the platform.
This page explains how top-ups work in practice: the funding process step by step, how the common payment methods compare, how balances and credit lines are managed, and what generally happens to leftover funds.
The prepaid model in brief
When an ad account is opened through an agency, the billing relationship usually sits with the agency rather than with you. The platform charges the agency; you fund the agency; the agency credits your ad account. Your available budget at any moment is the balance sitting in the account, and when it reaches zero, delivery pauses until you top up again.
Three practical consequences follow from this structure. First, cash flow planning becomes part of media planning — a campaign cannot outspend the balance you have funded. Second, the payment step sits between you and the platform, so payment speed and reliability directly affect whether campaigns keep running. Third, because the agency is the platform’s counterparty, the agency has to apply its own checks on where funds come from, which is why first payments in particular can involve more documentation than advertisers expect.
How a top-up normally works
The exact screens differ by agency and platform, but the sequence is broadly the same:
- You request a top-up. You tell the agency which account to fund and how much. For accounts on Chinese platforms, the working currency of the account matters here — many accounts are denominated in RMB even when you pay in USD or USDT, so the amount to send is confirmed against the conversion applied at that time.
- The agency confirms the payment details. You receive the amount, the receiving details (bank account or wallet address) and, importantly, a payment reference. References exist so that incoming funds can be matched to the right advertiser and the right ad account without manual detective work.
- You send the payment. By bank wire or stablecoin transfer, as described below.
- The agency verifies receipt. Funds are checked against the reference and the payer identity. Payments from a name that does not match the contracted advertiser, or without a reference, are the most common cause of delays at this step.
- The balance is credited. The agency tops up the ad account on the platform side. Once credited, the balance is available for delivery and visible in the account or in whatever reporting the agency provides.
Most friction in this process is mundane: bank cut-off times, weekends and public holidays in one country or another, a mistyped wallet address, or a payment reference left blank. None of it is difficult, but all of it argues for funding accounts ahead of need rather than at the moment a campaign runs dry.
Payment methods compared
Agencies serving overseas advertisers typically accept some combination of international bank wire and USDT. The two routes behave quite differently, and many advertisers end up using both — wire for large, planned funding, USDT for speed.
International bank wire (SWIFT)
Settlement: The slowest of the common options. International wires pass through correspondent banks, and funds commonly arrive after one or more banking days, longer across weekends and holidays. Cost: Sending and intermediary bank fees apply, and the received amount can be slightly less than the amount sent if fees are taken in transit. Reconciliation: The strongest point. A wire produces clean bank records on both sides, which finance teams like, and payer identity is inherently documented. Watch-outs: Use the exact reference given, and send from an account in the contracting company’s name — third-party payments are a frequent source of holds and questions.
USDT (stablecoin transfer)
Settlement: Transfers settle on-chain, typically within minutes, and are not limited by banking hours — a genuine advantage when a campaign needs funding on a weekend. Cost: Network fees are usually modest, and the amount sent is the amount received, which simplifies matching. Reconciliation: Every transfer has a transaction hash that both sides can verify, though your accounting team will need a process for recording stablecoin payments. Watch-outs: Transfers are irreversible. The network (for example TRC20 versus ERC20) and the address must be exactly right, and a sensible habit is to send a small test payment before the first large transfer to a new address.
At ADFFY we accept both routes — bank wire and USDT — because advertisers’ finance setups differ. What matters more than the rail is the discipline around it: confirmed amounts, correct references, and funding before the balance becomes urgent.
Managing balances across accounts
Advertisers running several accounts — multiple platforms, or several accounts per platform — should treat balances as a small treasury operation rather than a series of emergencies:
- Keep a buffer. Fund for the spending period plus a margin, so a bank holiday or a delayed confirmation does not pause delivery.
- Watch burn rate, not just balance. A balance that covers three weeks at current spend may cover three days after a budget increase. Low-balance alerts, where the agency or platform offers them, are worth switching on.
- Consolidate payments. Fewer, larger transfers are easier to reconcile than many small ones, and reduce per-transfer fees on the wire route.
- Track per-account, not in aggregate. Balances generally cannot be moved freely between accounts or platforms once credited, so funding decisions should be made account by account.
- Mind the currency. If the account spends in RMB and you fund in USD, exchange movements change your effective media cost. Funding closer to the spending period reduces that exposure.
Our overview of agency ad accounts explains how account structures differ by platform, which affects how balances can be organised.
Credit lines: the exception, not the default
New advertisers sometimes ask whether they can spend first and settle later. In the agency account world, genuine credit is uncommon for new relationships, for a simple reason: the agency is liable to the platform for the spend whether or not the advertiser pays. Where credit arrangements do exist, they are usually extended gradually to established clients with a payment history, capped at an agreed amount, and settled on a fixed cycle. Advertisers should also be aware that some platforms operate their own credit or monthly invoicing lines for large direct advertisers, but those are separate from agency-issued accounts and typically require a local entity and direct platform contracts. If a credit line matters to you, expect the conversation to start with prepaid funding and a track record, not with the credit line itself.
Refunds and leftover balance
The general principles across the industry are consistent, even though details vary by platform and contract:
- Unspent balance remains yours. Money you funded and did not spend is not a fee; it is either left in the account for future campaigns or refunded under the terms of your agreement.
- Platform rules can constrain timing. Where funds have already been credited into a platform account, getting them back out can depend on the platform’s own withdrawal or account-closure process, which the agency cannot shortcut.
- Refunds go back the way they came. For compliance reasons, refunds are normally returned to the original paying account or wallet, not to a third party.
- Account status matters. If an account has been suspended for policy violations, balance handling can become slower and more document-heavy while the platform reviews the case.
Because of these variables, it is worth confirming the refund mechanics in writing before your first large top-up — a point we include in our standard onboarding, alongside the other items covered by our account services.
Frequently asked questions
Why do agency ad accounts require prepayment?
Because the agency, not the advertiser, holds the billing relationship with the platform and is liable for the spend. Prepayment is how the agency covers that liability. It is the standard model for agency accounts on both Chinese and global platforms.
How long does a top-up take to reach my account?
It depends on the payment route and on verification. A USDT transfer settles on-chain quickly once sent, while an international wire commonly takes one or more banking days to arrive. After receipt, the agency still has to match the payment to your account and credit it, which is why using the exact payment reference matters.
Can I move balance between two of my ad accounts?
Generally not freely. Once funds are credited into a specific platform account, they are usually tied to that account. In some cases an agency can rebalance funds that have not yet been credited, which is another reason to plan funding amounts per account before sending.
What happens to my balance if I stop advertising?
Unspent balance remains yours and is refunded under the terms of your agreement, normally to the original payment source. Timing can depend on whether the funds are still held by the agency or already credited into a platform account, and on the account being in good standing.
To get a useful first reply, include your target platforms, markets, industry and rough monthly budget in your first message.
Ready to open your ad accounts?
Tell us which platforms you want to run and what you sell — we reply with account options and a quote.
