Can Pinterest Ads overcharge my VCC beyond the set ad budget?

No, Pinterest Ads should not overcharge your Virtual Credit Card (VCC) beyond your set ad budget. However, there are a few nuances in the billing process that could lead to confusion or temporary overcharges. Here are the key points you should know:

1. Pinterest's Billing System
Pinterest Ads uses a spend threshold model to charge advertisers. This means they don't immediately charge your card every time your ad spend hits the exact budget limit, but rather in increments. Once your ad spend reaches a threshold (usually $50–$100), Pinterest will attempt to charge your VCC.

If you have set a daily or lifetime budget for your campaign, Pinterest will aim to keep your spend within that limit, but there could be fluctuations in how the billing is handled, such as rounding or incremental charges.

2. Potential for Temporary Charges (Authorization Holds)
Authorization Holds: Sometimes, Pinterest may place a temporary authorization hold on your VCC to verify the funds or to ensure the card is valid. These holds can appear as a charge on your account but are not actual charges. They are usually released once the actual billing takes place.

These holds might make it look like you're being overcharged, but they will not result in final charges unless the spending limit exceeds your set budget or an error occurs.

3. Exceeding the Set Budget
Over-budgeting due to multiple charges: While Pinterest should not directly charge beyond your set budget, it's possible that if your account has multiple active campaigns or ads with separate budgets, there could be confusion. For instance, one campaign may be under its daily budget, while another might have exceeded it, leading to an overall higher total spend.

Spending Cap Issues: If your campaign's spending cap isn't set up correctly or if Pinterest doesn't properly adhere to the limits due to a technical error, you might experience charges that exceed the budget. However, this would likely be a rare issue.

4. Budget Pacing and Spend Fluctuations
Spend pacing: Pinterest Ads may pace your spend throughout the day based on your daily budget, but this doesn't always happen evenly. Sometimes, Pinterest might spend more early in the day and less later on, leading to slight fluctuations in how much of your budget is used at a given time.

If your lifetime budget is exceeded, Pinterest will stop charging once the total spend reaches the budget you set, but these discrepancies might appear temporarily.

5. Overcharges due to Technical or Billing Errors
System errors: If you notice that your ad spend is consistently exceeding your budget limits, this could be a result of a technical error in Pinterest's billing system. This could happen due to bugs, glitches, or discrepancies in how your campaign settings are applied.

If this happens, you should immediately reach out to Pinterest Ads support for clarification and resolution.

What You Can Do:
Monitor your campaigns closely: Keep an eye on your spending report and transaction history to ensure that Pinterest Ads is not exceeding your set budget.

Set clear budget caps: Double-check that you have clearly set daily and lifetime budgets for your campaigns.

Contact Pinterest Support: If you believe you've been overcharged or billed beyond your set budget, you should contact Pinterest Ads support to inquire about any discrepancies and request clarification or a refund if applicable.

Conclusion:
While Pinterest Ads should not overcharge beyond your ad budget, issues like temporary authorization holds, spend pacing, and technical errors can cause discrepancies. If you do encounter an issue where your VCC is charged beyond your set budget, it's important to contact Pinterest Ads support immediately to address the situation and get a resolution.