Saved payment methods
The Payment methods tab is where you manage the cards on your account. Some sales ask for a card on file before you can bid, and this is where you add one.
Why we sometimes ask for a card
A card on file keeps bidding fair for everyone. Auctions only work when a winning bid is a real commitment — so on sales that require it, having a verified card on your account is how we know a bid is genuine. It is a deterrent against no-shows, not a charge: we don't bill your card automatically when you win, and in normal use we never charge it at all. You still choose how to pay each invoice yourself. It simply means the people you're bidding against are as accountable as you are.
You never type a card number into Auction Mule
This is the important part: we never see or store your card number. When you add a card, the details go straight into our payment provider's own secure fields — the number, expiry and security code are entered into the provider, not into Auction Mule. The provider gives us back only a token, which is all we keep. That means your card details never touch our systems.
Adding a card
- Open Payment methods and choose to add a card.
- Enter your card details in the secure fields provided by our payment provider.
- To confirm the card is live, we place a $1.00 authorisation and release it immediately — a temporary hold, not a charge. Nothing is ever taken. It's capped at exactly one dollar so there's no room for error, and it's released the instant it succeeds; you may briefly see a $1 "pending" line on your statement that drops off within a day or two.
- Once it's verified, the card shows as Verified and on file, with a short receipt noting the $1 check was authorised and released. You're clear to bid where a card is required.
If a card is declined or expired, we'll tell you plainly and you can try another.
Managing your cards
- Make default — if you have more than one verified card, you can choose which is your default.
- Remove — take a card off your account whenever you like. The one time you can't remove your last card is while you still owe on an invoice or are the high bidder on a lot that's still open — settle up or wait for the sale to close first. Swapping cards is never blocked: add the new one, then remove the old.
- Each card shows its expiry and whether it's Verified. An expired or unverified card can't be your default or used to meet a card-on-file requirement.
Where your card is (and isn't) used
A card on file is about letting you bid; it isn't charged automatically when you win. You choose how to pay each invoice yourself — by PayPal, card, or cash at pickup — as described in Ways to pay. Keeping a valid card on file just keeps you clear to bid in sales that require one.