Unable to remove my credit card due to Azure account locked (inactivity)

The tenant is blocked due to inactivity (AADSTS5000225), so the Azure portal sign-in fails and the card can’t be removed from there in the usual way. A similar case was resolved by reactivating the Azure account via the Azure sign-up flow instead of going through the portal directly.

Use this sequence:

1. Open a private/incognito browser session and clear cached data/cookies.
2. Go to the Azure sign-up page: https://signup.azure.com.
3. Sign in with the same Microsoft account that has the blocked tenant and the card attached.
4. The sign-up flow should detect the existing free account and offer to continue using the existing free services by upgrading to a pay-as-you-go account.
5. Complete the upgrade with the same account. This reactivates the tenant and restores portal access.
6. After the upgrade completes, sign in to the Azure portal and remove or replace the payment method from Cost Management + Billing → Payment methods as described in the payment-method documentation.

If the billing section is still inaccessible or the card can’t be removed after reactivation, a support request must be created so that Microsoft can adjust the billing profile or remove the payment method on the backend.

References:

• Error message: AADSTS5000225: This tenant has been blocked due to inactivity. - Microsoft Q&A
• Add, update, or delete a payment method
• Manage payment methods for Microsoft business accounts