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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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Ivygail's avatar
Ivygail J Retired Team Member

Hello Samiha,

 

Thank you for your message. You'll need to add a billing method, and you can choose to use your available balance from your Upwork earnings or pay with your billing method. If you'd like to learn more about the billing methods available, feel free to check out this article.

 

I understand that you are unable to purchase Connects right now, so don't worry! You can still showcase your skills and increase your chances of landing a contract without using Connects by creating a "Project Catalog." The Project Catalog allows clients to discover your services. By creating a project, clients can view your listing and learn more about what you offer. Clients find you by searching for the skills and services you provide. You can find more information on how to get started with Project Catalog here.

 

Additionally, I encourage you to check the available learning paths in the Academy section to help you get started freelancing on Upwork.

 

~Ivy
Duong's avatar
Duong L Community Member

Hi all,

The Clients search Profiles and invite and finally propose Hourly contracts.


Question:
Do we pay any cost or spend Connects for this? 


I've concerned about the Hourly Contract in this situation. Do we pay anything first time for we have Hourly contract like this? 

Kindly help to make clear it.

Thanks a lot.

 

Ivygail's avatar
Ivygail J Retired Team Member

Hi Duong,

 

I want to clarify that there is no cost to accept an offer from a Direct Message, and Connects are not needed when a client invites you to submit a proposal or sends you an offer. Feel free to visit this helpful article to learn more. 

 

~Ivy
Duong's avatar
Duong L Community Member

Thank you so much Ivygail J. 
It's so clear and enough information. 

Thanks

Thuy Duong

Ivygail's avatar
Ivygail J Retired Team Member

You are most welcome, Duong!

~Ivy
Sagar's avatar
Sagar C Community Member

Hello,

I attempted to purchase a Connect but encountered an error after completing the payment. I received the following message: "Sorry, something went wrong on our end. Please refresh the page and try again."

I have refreshed the page multiple times, but the issue persists. Could you please assist me in resolving this matter?

Thank you for your help!

Best regards,
Sagar Chavada

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Retired Team Member

Hi Sagar,

 

I checked and can confirm that someone from the team has already updated your ticket to assist you further. Please check the information they shared with you here

 

 

~ Joanne
Upwork
Rashid's avatar
Rashid A Community Member

Hey I last friday I have applied for a job thats required 19 connects so that proposal was viewed but not returned the connects  can you guide me why not returned the connects??

Ronna's avatar
Ronna P Retired Team Member

Hi Rashid, 

 

Thank you for sharing your concern. I'd like to share that used Connects may be returned under the following circumstances:

 

  • If a project is canceled by the client without making a hire, the Connects used on that proposal will be returned to you for reuse. This does not apply to expired job posts.
  • If a job post has been removed by Upwork for a Terms of Service violation, the Connects used on that proposal will be returned for you to reuse

You can learn more by visiting this helpful page.

 

~Ronna
Rashid's avatar
Rashid A Community Member

Hi Ronna 
Thank you for your help
I have one question if a proposal only viewed connects doesn't return ?? before when my proposal was viewed by client the connects returned to me by upwork that why i m asking to you?

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Retired Team Member

Hi Rashid,

 

Please confirm which proposal you are referring to so we can check further.

~ Joanne
Upwork
Rashid's avatar
Rashid A Community Member

Screenshot from 2024-10-16 11-14-47.png

 This one please check and let me know if more information you need from me?

 

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Retired Team Member

Hi Rashid,

 

Thanks for following up and for sharing a screenshot. I checked, and these projects are still active and the client might still be deciding on the next steps for his project. When you use your Connects, you’re using them to promote your services to prospective clients. This means that if clients are still reviewing the job, then you still have the chance to win it. As Ronna has shared, Connects may be returned under the following circumstances:

 

  • If a project is canceled by the client without making a hire, the Connects used on that proposal will be returned to you for reuse. This does not apply to expired job posts.
  • If a job post has been removed by Upwork for a Terms of Service violation, the Connects used on that proposal will be returned for you to reuse
~ Joanne
Upwork
Khalil's avatar
Khalil C Community Member

Hello,
I have a question, please. Could you tell me why my connects decrease every day even though I’m not making any proposals?

Ivygail's avatar
Ivygail J Retired Team Member

Hello Khalil,

 

I noticed that your "Availability Badge" is turned on. Here is a screenshot for your reference. Please know that the Connects are charged when you keep the Availability Badge on. This will be deducted from your Connects on a daily basis. For all the details on the Availability Badge, please see here.

 

~Ivy
Jacqueline Joo Yee's avatar
Jacqueline Joo Yee A Community Member

I'm new to upwork, noticed  1 connect being auto deducted twice everyday from my account. Anyone know why, how do I stop this, else soon I run out of connects.

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Retired Team Member

Hi Jacqueline,

 

I checked your account and saw that you've enabled your Availability Badge. You can check your Connects transaction here. It seems like you've already switched it off, so it won't continue to charge you Connects anymore.  

~ Joanne
Upwork
Osola's avatar
Osola M Community Member

Is still possible to get a shopify contract if I have 100 comnect as a freelancer would clients consider my proposal?

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Retired Team Member

Hi Osola,

 

I checked your account, and it doesn't look like you have Connects available yet. You use Connects to submit proposals to jobs you are interested in. 

 
I encourage you to check out the following Upwork Academy courses to help you get started:
You can also sign up for upcoming events and webinars to learn more about how you can boost your success on Upwork. Additionally, please check out this helpful article about how you can use Connects. 
~ Joanne
Upwork
Manar's avatar
Manar S Community Member

Hello, 

 

I an on freelance basic plan, it was expected that I would receive 10 monthly free connects without any charges, unfortunately I did not receive any sunce my registration.

 

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Retired Team Member

Hi Manar,

 

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 contact you.

~ Joanne
Upwork
Bethel's avatar
Bethel E Community Member

I was told Upwork gives free 10 connect monthly,has it stopped?

Ivygail's avatar
Ivygail J Retired Team Member

Hello Bethel,

 

I checked your account, and it shows that the 10 Connects credits were applied on October 9, 2024. You may click this link to view your Connects history. It looks like you have turned on your Availability badge. Here is a screenshot for your reference. You can learn more about the Availability badge here

 

~Ivy
Duong's avatar
Duong L Community Member

How can we get Jobs and don't need to spend Connects or any cost? 
Clients don't feel horrible and stressful cause of volume of Proposals and don't match requirements. 
And Upwork increase their revenue.... become better platform....

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Retired Team Member

Hi Duong,

 

Thanks for reaching out. In the following cases, you are not required to use Connects:

 

  • When a client invites you to submit a proposal
  • When a client sends you an offer

You can find more information in this help article

~ Joanne
Upwork