What are tokens and why do they expire?
When you connect an external platform to Campaignly — like Google Ads, Facebook, or your email service provider — we don't store your password. Instead, we use authentication tokens. These are like temporary access passes that let Campaignly act on your behalf.
Tokens expire for security reasons. If a token leaks, it only works for a limited time. After expiry, someone can't use it to access your account indefinitely. It's the same reason you re-authenticate apps on your phone or sign back into websites.
How Campaignly refreshes tokens automatically
Here's the good news: Campaignly automatically refreshes your tokens in the background. You don't need to do anything.
When a token gets close to expiry, our system requests a fresh one from the connected platform. If the refresh succeeds, your connection stays active without interruption. This happens whether you're actively using Campaignly or not.
What happens if a refresh fails
Occasionally, a refresh might fail. This could happen if:
- The connected account was deleted or suspended
- Permissions were revoked on the platform side
- The account password was changed
- Two-factor authentication settings changed
- The platform revoked access for security reasons
When this happens, Campaignly marks the connection as expired. You'll see a warning on the dashboard and in your integrations settings. The connection stops working — campaigns won't run, data won't sync, and scheduled actions pause.
How to fix an expired connection
- Go to Settings > Integrations
- Find the expired connection (it'll show a red warning icon)
- Click Reconnect or Re-authenticate
- Follow the platform's login flow (you may need to re-grant permissions)
- Once complete, token refresh restarts automatically
The entire process usually takes less than a minute.
Important notes
- You're never locked out permanently. Even if a token expires, reconnecting always gets you back online.
- Check your integrations monthly. If a connection shows as expired and you're not using it, you can safely ignore it. But if you're actively running campaigns, reconnect right away.
- Permissions matter. When you reconnect, make sure you grant all the same permissions as before. If you skip a permission, features may not work.
- Campaignly never stores your passwords. We only store tokens, which are far more secure and limited in scope.
If a connection keeps failing to refresh even after reconnecting, contact support — something unusual may be happening on the platform's side.