Updating content on outstanding balances (#24446)

Co-authored-by: Simon <[email protected]>

Author: 2 people

src/content/docs/billing/pay-invoices-overdue-balances.mdx

@@ -1,42 +1,63 @@
 ---
-title: Pay invoices and overdue balances
+title: Pay an outstanding balance
 pcx_content_type: overview
 sidebar:
   order: 4
 ---
 
-If an automatic subscription renewal payment fails, Cloudflare automatically retries the payment using your default payment method five times over five days. During this period, you can log into the dashboard and attempt to manually pay the invoices.
+If the automatic retry attempts to take payment fails, and you have not manually paid the invoice, your account will have an overdue balance. An overdue balance will block you from purchasing new products or subscriptions, upgrading existing ones, and you won’t be able to update your billing profile until you have successfully paid the balance. Attempts to purchase or upgrade subscriptions will return an error mentioning this:
 
-If all five automatic retries fail and you have not manually paid the invoice, your account will have an overdue balance.
+**You cannot add or modify subscriptions or services until the outstanding balance is paid.**
 
-## Manually pay invoices
+The full range of error messages you may see are:
 
-1. Log in to the [Cloudflare dashboard](https://dash.cloudflare.com) and select your account. If you have multiple accounts, select the account you want to manage from the list.
-2. Go to **Manage Account** > **Billing**.
-3. Select **Invoices and documents**.
-4. Select **Pay now** next to the invoice you want to pay.
+* could not run legacy post zone sub request against new zone products: failed to update user subscription: failed to load account from db: You cannot add or modify subscriptions or services until the outstanding balance is paid. You should be able to do so in your Billing page.
+* could not run legacy post zone sub request against new zone products: failed to update user subscription: failed to apply object products: You cannot add or modify subscriptions or services until the outstanding balance is paid. You should be able to do so in your Billing page.
+* failed in ActionAppendSubscription: failed to update user subscription: failed to load account from db: You cannot add or modify subscriptions or services until the outstanding balance is paid. You should be able to do so in your Billing page.
+* could not run a legacy post user sub request: failed to update user subscription: failed to load account from db: You cannot add or modify subscriptions or services until the outstanding balance is paid. You should be able to do so in your Billing page.
+* failed to load account: You cannot add or modify subscriptions or services until the outstanding balance is paid. You should be able to do so in your Billing page.
 
-You will be redirected to our system to proceed with payment.
+The simplest way to pay your balance is to click **Pay Now** from your Billing homepage in the Cloudflare dashboard. To see these steps in more detail, refer to [Pay an outstanding balance](#pay-an-outstanding-balance).
 
-## Overdue balance
+You can pay your entire balance in one transaction, or if you have multiple invoices with unpaid amounts, you can choose to pay them individually by following [pay unpaid invoices](#manually-pay-invoices).
 
-If the automatic retry attempts to take payment fail and you have not manually paid the invoice, your account will have an overdue balance. The overdue balance will prevent you from purchasing new products or subscriptions and upgrading existing subscriptions. Attempts to purchase or upgrade subscriptions may result in error message such as:
+## Understand why you have an outstanding balance
 
-“You cannot add or modify subscriptions or services until the outstanding balance is paid. You should be able to do so in your Billing page.”
+:::note
+It’s important to note that while the earlier invoice may appear as paid, the balance due has not been waived. It has simply been carried forward into a newer invoice for administrative and compliance purposes.
+:::
+
+When an outstanding balance is due, a new invoice will be created in your account for that amount. When you view that new invoice, it will show the original invoice number that the outstanding balance relates to. You can look up this original invoice to understand which product(s) were not fully paid for.
+
+1. Log in to the [Cloudflare dashboard](https://dash.cloudflare.com) and select your account. If you have multiple accounts, select the account you want to manage from the list.
+2. Go to **Manage Account** > **Billing**.
+3. Select **Invoices and documents**.
+4. Select the most recent invoice - the amount shown should match your outstanding balance
+5. On the invoice PDF, look for the section below the “Pay Online” link: “Invoice that pays the following outstanding balance:” and note the invoice number
+6. Go back to the **Invoices and documents** section and click to view the invoice number
 
-## Pay an overdue balance
+## Pay an outstanding balance
 
 :::note
 Allow up to 24 hours for your payment to be recognized and for your account to be in good standing. After that time has passed, you will be able to manage your subscriptions and order more services.
 :::
 
-You can pay your entire balance in one transaction, or if you have multiple invoices with unpaid amounts, you can choose to pay them individually by following the manually pay unpaid invoices instructions above.
-
 To pay the total outstanding balance:
 
 1. Log in to the [Cloudflare dashboard](https://dash.cloudflare.com) and select your account. If you have multiple accounts, select the account you want to manage from the list.
 2. Go to **Manage Account** > **Billing**.
 3. Go to the **Pay overdue balances** section.
 4. Select **Pay now** next to the balance you want to pay.
 
-You will be redirected to our system to proceed with payment.
+You will be redirected to our payment system to proceed.
+
+## Manually pay invoices
+
+If an automatic subscription renewal payment fails, Cloudflare automatically retries the payment using your default payment method five times over five days. During this period, you can log into the dashboard and attempt to manually pay the invoices.
+
+1. Log in to the [Cloudflare dashboard](https://dash.cloudflare.com) and select your account. If you have multiple accounts, select the account you want to manage from the list.
+2. Go to **Manage Account** > **Billing**.
+3. Select **Invoices and documents**.
+4. Select **Pay now** next to the invoice you want to pay.
+
+You will be redirected to our payment system to proceed.