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Naeem's avatar
Naeem K Community Member

Connects

I submitted two proposals, but just as I clicked 'submit proposal,' I found myself outside of the top four bidding positions. However, I still haven't received my boosted connects back.

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Andrea's avatar
Andrea G Community Manager

Hi all,

 

As a freelancer or agency, you'll use Connects to Submit Proposals and let clients know you're interested in their project. You receive ten free Connects every month at the beginning of your billing cycle and bonuses for some interviews you win. We will send you a notification in Upwork (notification bell) and an email when you earn free Connects. For more information on how this works, check out our guide here.

 

To purchase Connects, go to Settings > Membership & Connects and click on the green 'Add More Connects' button. From there, select the amount to buy and click on the 'Buy Connects' button. Please note, that if you have sufficient funds on your Upwork balance, the charge will be applied to your Upwork balance. You can check out this help article to learn about the available Billing Methods.
 
~Andrea

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Pradeep's avatar
Pradeep H Retired Team Member

Hi Hanna,

 

Connects are returned only when clients cancel a job without hiring a freelancer or Upwork removes it for violating the TOS. This is not applicable to expired jobs. You can refer to this help page for more information. 

 

- Pradeep

Mauz's avatar
Mauz I Community Member

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

Spoiler
 

 

Ivygail's avatar
Ivygail J Retired Team Member

Hello Mauz,

 

Thank you for reaching out. I am sorry to learn that you are having issues buying Connects. It appears that you have not been able to add a billing method yet. Once you have added a billing method, you can then purchase Connects. Please note, that if you have sufficient funds on your Upwork balance, the charge will be applied to your Upwork balance. If not, the full amount will be charged to your primary billing method. You can check out this helpful article for more information.

 

Edited for clarification:

 

Mauz, I checked and did not see any linked billing method. Could you please clarify if you are experiencing the issue with another account? If so, could you please click on my name and send me a PM of the email address linked to the account in question?  I will be sure to look into your report and escalate it accordingly.

 

~Ivy
Mariana's avatar
Mariana R Community Member

Are connects refunded when client messages you?

I've been refunded a couple of times but not sure if it's when a client asks for an interview or when they message you.

Ivygail's avatar
Ivygail J Retired Team Member

Hello Mariana,

 

Thank you for your message. Your Connects are not refunded if you withdraw your proposal from a project, the client hires another freelancer or lets the job expire without hiring. You can learn more about Connects here.

 

~Ivy
Mariana's avatar
Mariana R Community Member

Hey!
I did not ask if Connects were refunded when you withdraw your proposal.
I asked if they are refunded when the client messages you regarding your proposal

Ronna's avatar
Ronna P Retired Team Member

Hi Mariana,

I'm sorry for the confusion. I'd like to clarify that Connects used won't be returned if a client responds to your proposal. However, Connects are returned to you in two cases: (1) if a project is canceled by the client before a contract is created, and (2) if a job post is removed because it violates our Terms of Service.

~Ronna
Murad's avatar
Murad H Community Member

no
Alshaharia's avatar
Alshaharia B Community Member

Hi! I created an Upwork account on upwork, already 72 hours left but  I haven't received any connects since then. I have checked my Connects History and there's still nothing. Plase help

Pradeep's avatar
Pradeep H Retired Team Member

Hi Alshaharia,

 

Upwork currently requires new freelancers to do one of two things before being able to submit a proposal for a job: subscribe to our Freelancer Plus membership plan for $20 USD a month, or purchase 100 Connects for $15 USD. After you fulfill this requirement you will also receive 50 free Connects to further help you get started on Upwork.
 
- Pradeep
Damya's avatar
Damya I Community Member

Hi,

I created my account a few days ago but still have 0 connects. I received a job offers and can't accept because of this. I need help. 

Thank you

Pradeep's avatar
Pradeep H Retired Team Member

Hi Damya,

 

As a new freelancer on Upwork, you need to do one of two things before being able to submit a proposal for a job: subscribe to our Freelancer Plus membership plan for $20 USD a month, or purchase 100 Connects for $15 USD. After you fulfill this requirement you will also receive 50 free Connects to further help you get started on Upwork.

 

- Pradeep

Conde's avatar
Conde M Community Member

Hi everyone please I was meant to get my monthly free connects today but I have not gotten it.🙏

Ivygail's avatar
Ivygail J Retired Team Member

Hello Conde,

 

Thank you for reaching out. Your current billing cycle is Jul 16, 2024 — Aug 15, 2024. You will receive your 10 free Connects once your billing cycle renews, which should be within 24 hours after the last day of your current one. In other words, by August 16, 2024, you will see your free Connects credited to your account. 

 

~Ivy
Robert's avatar
Robert L Community Member

I just joined UpWork days ago.

Your "connects" system is broken.

 

People join the site to gain work, NOT spend money or pay for tokens up front just to be able to reply to a job request.

 

If you want to charge a fee of some sort to be able to get jobs, that should be done AFTER the job is completed, not up-front before you even get the job!!  You're already taking a cut from final work, so why the **Edited for Community Guidelines** are you charging an up-front fee of any kind just to REPLY to a job request.

And if the client doesn't choose you or, the job expires you don't get the connects returned. RIDICULOUS!!!

 

I'm a seasoned pro in my industry of commercial production for the ad industry. NOWHERE in the world do you have to pay to look for work except Craigslist, which charges a one-time fee of $5 dollars to post a service. And people like myself don't look for jobs there.

 

There are a plethora of options other than UpWork that don't use this backwards "connects' tokens to get work.

I will not continue my membership here.

 

 

Sahil's avatar
Sahil G Community Member

Hello,

I recently purchased a membership plan, which lists 100 Connects as part of the benefits. However, I only received 95 Connects this month. Could you please clarify why there is a discrepancy and help resolve this issue?

Additionally, I have attached some screenshots for your reference.


Thank you for your assistance.

Best regards,
Sahil Gabani

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Retired Team Member

Hi Sahil,

 

If you choose to upgrade your account from Basic to Plus, your free Connects will be prorated. This means that we'll allocate them based on time, or specifically, on how many days have already passed during your billing cycle. By prorating free Connects, we can be sure that you always get a fair amount, no matter when you make changes to your plan. You can check this help article for more information. 

~ Joanne
Upwork
Angel Chibogwu's avatar
Angel Chibogwu T Community Member

Hi everyone,

 

I need some help, please. I purchased Connects through the Basic plan, and the amount was debited from my bank account. However, my Upwork account still shows 0 Connects, even though it's been a day since I made the purchase. Does anyone know what might be causing this, or what I should do to resolve it?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!UPWORK.jpg

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Retired Team Member

Hi Angel,

 

We saw your post in the community and converted it into a support ticket to give it the attention it deserves. Rest assured that one of our agents will be reaching out to you.

~ Joanne
Upwork
Ifeanyi's avatar
Ifeanyi H Community Member

Contact Upwork support immediately, the support will assist you in
resolving the problem.
Dev's avatar
Dev P Community Member

Hello Upwork Community,

I hope this message finds you well. I am a new freelancer on this platform and have recently encountered an issue regarding the use of "Connects" for submitting proposals. Unfortunately, I was unaware of this concept when I started, and as a result, I exhausted my initial Connects without fully understanding their importance. As someone who is eager to get started and contribute meaningfully to the community, I humbly request a reset of my account or the restoration of my default Connects. I truly appreciate any assistance or guidance you can provide as I navigate this new journey.

Thank you so much for your understanding and support.

Best regards,
[Your Name]

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Retired Team Member

Hi Dev,

 

If you run out of Connects and would need to submit proposals, you can purchase them. In the following cases, these Connects will be returned:

  • If a client cancels a project before a contract is made, the Connects you used on that proposal will be returned. This does not apply to expired job posts
  • If we remove a project’s post because we believe it violates our Terms of Service, Connects you used on that proposal will be returned

If you submitted a proposal and the job is no longer available because of a violation or you used Connects on a job proposal that turns out to be fraud, we'll return them. In these cases, Connects are credited back to your account for reuse — not for a refund of their cash value.You can check this help article for more information. 

~ Joanne
Upwork
Abdulrauf's avatar
Abdulrauf A Community Member

I can't purchase nothing less than 100 connects, please I need help with it.

48326237_0-1724056968417.png

 

Sophie's avatar
Sophie A Community Member

Your first purchase cannot be less than 100 Connects or subscription to Freelancer Plus for $19.99 per month.

Paul's avatar
Paul A Community Member

I´ve just been on a chat with the Upwork chatbot to ask about connects. My question was: Will connects be returned to me if a prospective client doesn´t open my proposal? The reply, in short, was "no."  Seems unfair to me after the effort we put into writing proposals.