I made a payment but my balance didn’t change
If your balance looks the same after a payment, your payment may have changed something else. Depending on how you paid, it can move your next charge date back, or make your future payments smaller. And if Defera Credit is applied to your trip, it sits beside your balance and covers your upcoming payments, so your balance can stay the same even as those payments drop to $0.
We know it's unsettling when a number doesn't move the way you expected. Below, we walk through how each kind of payment shows up, and how Defera Credit fits in. If it still doesn't add up, our team can check it for you.
Am I looking at the right trip?
- Open Trips and tap the trip you paid on. Each trip has its own payment schedule, so make sure you're looking at the right one.
- Look at the Payment Schedule section. If you paid a moment ago, refresh the page.
- For a full history of your plan, including paid, upcoming and any past-due installments, download your Trip Statement from the download icon in your trip's header row.
How does each kind of payment show up?
Each option in Make a Payment changes your schedule in a different way:
| How you paid | What you'll see afterward |
|---|---|
| Pay ahead | Your next one or more installments are covered, and your next automatic charge moves back |
| Principal | Your future installments get smaller, and the dates stay the same. Your next payment is still due on the same day, for less |
| Past due | Your payment goes to your oldest missed payment first. If you paid part of it, the rest stays past due until it's paid |
So after a Principal payment, look at the amounts of your upcoming payments, not their dates. After Pay ahead, look at the date of your next charge.
How do Defera Credit and my balance fit together?
This is the part that confuses people most, so let's take it one step at a time. Defera Credit is credit on your Defera account that you can put toward trips with us. Here's what happens when it's applied to a trip:
- The credit is set aside for your trip. At checkout, it applies automatically, to your deposit first and then to your upcoming payments. Credit you receive after booking is added with Apply Credits on your trip's payment schedule, and it's spread across your upcoming payments, starting with the next one.
- It leaves your Available credit. On your Profile, the Defera Credits card shows your "Available credit". Credit applied to a trip leaves that figure, so it can show $0. The credit isn't missing: it's working on that trip.
- It covers your payments in order, earliest first. The payments it covers drop to $0, so your card isn't charged for them. Your card is charged again from the first payment the credit doesn't cover.
- It sits beside your balance. Your remaining balance can still include the payments your credit is covering. That's why Pay off charges only what's left after the credit, and the credit covers the rest.
Here's an example, with simple illustrative numbers:
- Your trip has $600 left to pay, in weekly payments of $100.
- You apply $200 of Defera Credit with Apply Credits.
- The credit covers your next two payments, so your card is charged $0 for those two weeks, and it's charged again from the third payment.
- Your Available credit goes down by $200.
- If you tap Pay off today, you're charged $400, and the credit covers the other $200.
What if my credit arrived after I booked?
New Defera Credit doesn't reach a trip you've already booked on its own. That's why your next payment can still show its full amount, even though you have credit. To use it, open the trip and tap Apply Credits on its payment schedule. It's spread across your upcoming payments, starting with the next one.
What if I'm waiting on a refund?
If you're expecting money back, rather than looking for a payment, that's a refund, and it works differently. Card refunds typically take 5–10 business days to appear, because your bank controls when a refund shows up.
Still doesn't add up?
If your balance still looks wrong, our team can check your payments for you. Chat with the Defera Concierge, our AI concierge, and it can send a request to our team. Have the date and amount of your payment handy.
Your request shows as a card on your trip page, and the answer posts there and comes by email, usually within 24 hours. You can also email support@defera.app; our email response time is 2–5 hours.