Unable to access old Azure tenant due to AADSTS16000 and remove linked payment card

Question

Unable to access old Azure tenant due to AADSTS16000 and remove linked payment card

Андрей VESO Костюнин 20

I need assistance with an old Azure billing relationship associated with my personal Microsoft account.

My Microsoft account uses a live.com address. In the Microsoft Account payment settings, I have an expired MasterCard ending in **** that I want to remove.

Microsoft Account does not allow me to remove the card and states that the payment method is associated with Azure.

However, I cannot access the Azure subscription/account associated with this payment method.

When I try to access Azure Portal or Azure Support Portal using the same Microsoft account, I receive:

AADSTS16000: User account from identity provider 'live.com' does not exist in tenant 'Microsoft Services' and cannot access the application in that tenant. The account needs to be added as an external user in the tenant first.

Because of this authentication error, I also cannot create an Azure Billing support request through the normal Azure Support Portal.

I have already contacted Microsoft consumer support twice:

Case #7*** Case #7*

Microsoft Support confirmed that the payment method appears to be associated with an Azure account/subscription and advised me to contact Azure Support. However, Azure Support Portal itself is inaccessible because of AADSTS16000.

I need Microsoft/Azure support to identify the old Azure billing account or subscription associated with my Microsoft account and:

Remove/detach the expired MasterCard ending in ******** from Azure billing.
Close or remove any obsolete Azure billing relationship/subscription if one still exists.
Allow me to remove the expired card from my Microsoft Account.

I am not requesting technical support for an Azure resource. This is an account/billing access issue where the normal Azure Billing support channel cannot be accessed because of the tenant authentication error.

Please advise how this case can be escalated to the appropriate Azure Billing / Account team.

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Answer 1

Zoha Fatima 430

Hi Андрей,

AADSTS16000 means your personal account is being routed to a tenant where it no longer exists; it does not confirm that the Azure billing relationship was deleted.

Because you cannot access the portal, Microsoft’s official guidance is to call the Azure customer-service number for your region and request an Azure Billing and Subscription Management case. Ask the agent to trace the billing account using your Microsoft account address, previous consumer-support cases, transaction history, and the card’s last four digits. Any active subscription, pending charge, or unpaid balance must be resolved before the card can be detached.

Please remove the case numbers and card details from this public post and provide them only through Microsoft’s private support channel.

Thank you, and feel free to respond back for more assistance.

Андрей VESO Костюнин 20 Reputation points

2026-08-28T15:17:47.86+00:00

Thank you for your response.

Unfortunately, I cannot use the telephone support option because I do not speak English or Dutch well enough to resolve a complex Azure billing and tenant issue by phone.

I need a written support channel (email, chat, or private message) where I can communicate with Azure Billing and Subscription Management.

The main problem is that I cannot create a support request through the Azure Portal because authentication itself fails with AADSTS16000.

Is there a way for you to escalate this case to Azure Billing Support, or provide a written support channel that does not require access to the Azure Portal?

I can provide my Microsoft account address, previous support case numbers, transaction information, and the last four digits of the payment card privately.

Thank you.