Can no longer access business subscription and need to update payment.

Question

Can no longer access business subscription and need to update payment.

Jessica Thomas 0

We have an active Microsoft 365 Business subscription being charged to our organization's credit card. The subscription was originally set up by an employee using our organizational email address. We no longer have access to the administrative account and need help accessing the account. I have the email regarding the charge with the tenant but can't access any support because it constantly requires sign in and the website keeps sending me in circles. We need to update the payment method and possibly cancel the account. Can someone help?

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Answer 1

Demi Nguyen 2,005 Independent Advisor

Hello Jessica Thomas,

Thank you for providing the details.

Could you please confirm whether the former employee who created the subscription can still be contacted and whether you know the exact email address of the former administrator account? If the issue is related to MFA and the former employee still has access to the registered verification method, the former employee may be able to help complete the sign-in.

Please also check whether your organization has another Global Administrator or Billing Administrator. Another administrator may be able to reset the affected account’s password or MFA methods and help restore access.
For your reference: Manage authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication - Microsoft Entra ID |…

If there is no other administrator and the former employee cannot assist, you will need to contact Microsoft Support and request assistance from the Data Protection Team: Contact Microsoft customer support

The Data Protection Team will need to verify your identity and the organization’s ownership before assisting with administrator account recovery. This verification cannot be completed through the public community forum. Only an authorized support agent has the appropriate tools and permissions to review the tenant and help restore access.

Here are some tips and an example of a prompt to help you navigate the IVR more effectively:

When you call the support number, you may hear an introduction of about 30 seconds such as "you can visit the link...". You can ignore this introduction and wait until you are presented with the options. Then press "1" as a business email user, and again "1" for technical help

I also recommend calling during business hours. In my experience, it can be difficult to get through to the correct support queue, and automated systems don't always work as expected. If you can't get through on your first try, I suggest trying again later or at a different time.

After access is restored, you can update the payment method or manage the subscription from the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Kind regards,

Jessica Thomas 0 Reputation points

2026-09-15T19:08:28.5266667+00:00

Hi Demi, Thank you for advising. I am the employee who created the email so would that make me the billing administrator? When I attempt to login it states that there isn't record of my account which I find strange considering that Microsoft was still able to charge our organization card and also send me an email confirming the charge to the work related email. I have clicked on all the areas that reference "can't sign in" or "sign in options" and none of the options provide progress. I will definitely attempt to call the line you referenced. Outside of calling, is there anything else I should try?
Demi Nguyen 2,005 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-16T14:42:14.5933333+00:00
Hi Jessica Thomas,

Outside of calling, if you are unable to reach the correct support team, there is another workaround you may consider. You can create a temporary Microsoft 365 Business trial tenant from the following page: Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365

Once the new tenant is created, you can access the admin center and submit a support ticket from there, requesting to speak with the Data Protection Team on behalf of your original tenant.

When opening a support ticket, please make sure the Support Assistant (AI) in the Help panel is turned Off. Several customers have reported that the Contact Support option may not appear while the Support Assistant is enabled. Once the AI assistant is turned off, you should be able to enter a description of the issue and the Contact Support option will appear, allowing you to submit a ticket directly to Microsoft Support.

Important notes:

This new trial tenant will not give you access to any of the data or settings in your original locked tenant. It is solely a temporary means to contact Microsoft support.

The resolution time might be longer as you are contacting support from a different tenant.

Remember to cancel the trial subscription for the new tenant once your issue with the original account is resolved to avoid any unintended charges: Cancel your Microsoft business subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center | Microsoft Learn

I hope the information provided helps guide you in the right direction.