# Automation Credits > How Avox automation credits are granted, what each automated send costs, when credits reset and roll over, buying more credits, and what happens when they run out. Source: https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation/credits Every message an automation sends spends **automation credits**, also called **Avox AI credits** on plan offers and in your payment history. Each Switchboard gets a credit grant from its plan, and the grant renews on a set schedule. Credits are separate from your plan's automation **count** limit, and separate from what Meta charges for messages (see [Pricing](https://docs.theavoxai.com/whatsapp-platform)). ## What each action costs | Action | Credits per send | | --- | --- | | Text reply | 1 | | Send an image | 1 | | Send a template | 1 | | Quick reply buttons | 2 | | Dropdown list | 2 | | Use Flows | 3 | | Mark as read | Free | | Tag contact | Free | | Condition | Free | - Credits are spent only when Meta accepts the message. A send Meta refuses costs nothing. - Checking triggers and conditions is always free. - Testing on the canvas and the **Preview** tab never send anything, so they cost nothing. ## How many credits you get Your grant depends on your plan **and** how you pay for it. The live numbers for every plan and billing cycle are on [Plans](https://docs.theavoxai.com/plans) and on each plan's pricing card. | Billing option | Credit grant | Renews | | --- | --- | --- | | **Monthly** | Your plan's monthly credits. | Every month, on the day of the month you subscribed. | | **Yearly** (a 12-month commitment, paid monthly) | Your plan's larger committed monthly credits. | Every month, on the day of the month you subscribed. | | **One-time** (the whole year paid upfront) | One grant for the whole year. | The one grant covers the whole paid year. | - A credit period starts on your subscription's purchase date, not the 1st of the month. A subscription bought on the 15th renews its credits on the 15th. When the month has no such day (for example the 31st in a 30-day month), it renews on the month's last day. - Unused plan credits roll over into the next period when your plan renews - see [Credits that roll over](#credits-that-roll-over). Credits you buy are different - see [Buying more credits](#buying-more-credits). - A new period's credits are granted while the subscription is active. While a payment is overdue, automations keep using what's left in the current period. ## Credits that roll over When your plan **renews**, the plan credits you didn't use move into the new period, on top of its full grant. For example, on Business with Monthly billing (4,000 credits a month), finishing a month with 1,500 unused gives you those 1,500 rolled-over credits on top of the new 4,000. - **Your plan's rule.** On the standard plans, all unused plan credits roll over. Some plans may set a limit. **Settings > Usage** and **Billing > Buy credits** show your plan's rule in plain words, for example "All unused plan credits roll over when your plan renews, lasting 1 month." - **Only when the plan renews.** If your plan is cancelled, expires, or its renewal payment fails, the unused plan credits are lost when the period ends. Credits you bought keep their own 12 months either way. - **They're used first.** Automations spend rolled-over credits before the new period's plan credits, then any credits you bought. - **They don't last forever.** Rolled-over credits last for a set time from the end of the period they came from (usually one month), then expire. They never roll over a second time. - **Your own limit still applies.** A monthly credit limit on **Settings > Switchboard** caps everything spent in a period, rolled-over credits included. - When credits roll over you get a dashboard notice saying how many, and an email if you get tips and reminders. ### Keep your credits: renewal reminders If your plan might not renew - it's set to cancel, a payment didn't go through, or a plan paid upfront is ending - and you have unused credits that would roll over, we remind you 3 days before the period ends and again on its last day. The reminder says how many credits you'd keep and has a **Renew my plan** button. Sometimes it includes a code for money off your renewal (for example **GET10** for 10% off); enter it at checkout. ### Credits history **Settings > Usage** and **Billing > Buy credits** have a **Credits history** table with a small chart. For each period it shows your plan credits, what rolled in, what you used (and how much of it came from rolled-over or bought credits), what rolled over to the next period, what expired unused, and the credits you bought. A period whose unused credits were lost because the plan didn't renew says **Lost: plan didn't renew**. ### Extra credits from the Avox team - The Avox team can raise your monthly credits for a while. When they have, the credits tile adds a line showing your new monthly amount followed by "includes extra credits from Avox", with "until" and the end date when the extra credits are time-limited. - The Avox team can also add or remove credits in your current period. Each change appears in your payment history on [Billing](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing) as **Avox AI credits adjusted**. ## Checking your balance At the top of the **Automation** page, the **Automation credits** card shows a bar of credits used, then **Used** (out of this period's credits), **Remaining**, and **Resets on** with the date. Members who can manage billing also see **Top up** ([buy a credit pack](#buying-more-credits)) and **Upgrade** ([Change plan](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing/change-plan)); anyone else sees "Need more? Ask an Admin to top up credits or upgrade the plan." when credits run low. Below it, the **Credits used** tile in **Overview** shows: - a meter of credits used out of your grant; - credits used and granted, followed by the reset date, for example "· resets Nov 15"; - **Recent usage** - click it to list your 10 latest spends, such as "Send text -1 · 5m ago". **Hide recent usage** closes the list. When the balance runs out, the meter turns amber and reads "This period's automation credits are used up - automated replies are paused until they reset." If the balance can't load you see [AVX-3075](https://docs.theavoxai.com/error-codes/avx-3075). Each automation's **Manage** page also has a **Credits spent** card: that automation's total credits, all time, broken down by action type. ## When credits run out - Automations stop sending messages until the next period starts ([AVX-3076](https://docs.theavoxai.com/error-codes/avx-3076)). Nothing is queued up to send later. - If a chain runs out partway, it stops at the first send it can't afford. Actions before that point have already run. - **Mark as read** and **Tag contact** cost nothing, so they still run whenever the chain reaches them before that stopping point. Put them first in a chain if they must always happen. - You can still create, edit, and switch automations on and off. - Sending resumes automatically when the next period's credits are granted, or straight away when you [buy more credits](#buying-more-credits). To get more credits sooner, buy a credit pack, or move to a larger plan or a billing cycle with a larger grant - see [Change plan](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing/change-plan). ## Buying more credits When your plan's credits aren't enough, you can buy a **credit pack**: a one-time payment that adds extra credits to the Switchboard you're in. Open it from **Top up** on the **Automation** page's credits summary, from **Top up** on **Settings > Usage**, or from **Buy credits** on the [Billing](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing) page. **Upgrade** next to it opens [Change plan](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing/change-plan) instead, for when you need more credits every month. **1. Pick a pack** **Billing > Buy credits** lists the packs on sale, with the number of credits, the price in US dollars, and the price per credit. Indian accounts also see an estimate in rupees. Pick one and click **Continue**. **2. Check the summary** The summary shows the pack, the credits, the date they're usable until, and what you pay today. Click **Change pack** to go back. **3. Pay with PayPal** Approve the payment in PayPal's window. It's a single payment - nothing renews. If you haven't allowed **Third-party integrations** in the cookie banner yet, click **Allow PayPal to load and continue** first. As soon as PayPal confirms the payment the credits are added and your automations can use them. You get a dashboard notice, a **Credits purchased** receipt email, and an invoice on [Billing](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing/invoices). The payment shows in your payment history as **Automation credits bought**. If PayPal is still clearing the payment, the page says so and the credits are added as soon as it clears - we email you when they are. ### Top-up prices depend on your plan A pack's price can depend on your plan and how you pay for it (Monthly, Yearly or One-time), so customers on bigger plans or longer commitments may pay less per credit. **Billing > Buy credits** always shows the price for your own plan, for example "Prices for your Growth plan (Yearly)", and that's exactly what you're charged. Packs are charged in US dollars; for Indian accounts the rupee figure is an estimate at the current exchange rate. ### How bought credits are used - **Your plan's credits come first.** Each period, automations spend any rolled-over credits, then your plan's credits, then the credits you bought. - **They don't reset.** Bought credits stay when your plan's credits renew. Each pack lasts **12 months** from the day you buy it; anything left after that expires. - **Oldest first.** With more than one pack, the one that expires soonest is used first. - **Your own limit still applies.** If an Admin set a monthly credit limit on **Settings > Switchboard**, it caps everything spent in a period, bought credits included. - On the Automation page and **Settings > Usage**, **Remaining** includes bought credits, with a line saying how many of them are left and when the next ones expire. **Billing > Buy credits** shows what's available now, a breakdown (rolled over from last period, this period's plan credits, bought credits, in the order they're used), the credits history, and every pack you bought. ### Who can buy credits - Buying needs the **Manage billing** permission (every Admin has it). Anyone who can only view billing sees the packs with an **Ask an Admin** note instead. - The Switchboard needs its own plan, because automations only run on a Switchboard with a plan. Without one the page says "Pick a plan first". - A **paused** Switchboard can still buy credits. Automations don't run while it's paused, so the credits wait and are used once you resume it. - Demo Switchboards can't buy credits. ### Refunds Credit packs are covered by the same [refund rules](https://docs.theavoxai.com/billing#refunds) as other payments. When a pack is refunded in full, whatever is left of its credits is removed; credits already spent stay spent. ## Setting a spending limit Switchboards on the **One-time** billing option receive one large grant for the whole year, so they can set a lower limit of their own for each credit period. An Admin sets it on **Settings > Switchboard** in the **Automation credit limit** card. Once usage reaches the limit, automations stop sending until the next period, exactly as when credits run out. See [Monthly credit limit](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation#monthly-credit-limit). ## Frequently asked questions **Do failed sends cost credits?** No. A credit is spent only after Meta accepts the message. **Do my unused credits roll over?** Yes - when your plan renews, your unused plan credits move into the next period on top of its full grant, and they're used first. If the plan doesn't renew, they're lost. See [Credits that roll over](#credits-that-roll-over). Credits you buy always carry on - they last 12 months from the day you buy them, whatever happens to your plan's period. **Can I buy more credits without changing plan?** Yes. Click **Top up** on the Automation page or **Buy credits** on Billing and pay once with PayPal. See [Buying more credits](#buying-more-credits). **Does the canvas test or the Preview tab spend credits?** No. Neither sends a real message. **Are automation credits the same as what Meta charges for messages?** No. Credits measure automated sends inside Avox. Meta's own message charges are separate - see [Pricing](https://docs.theavoxai.com/whatsapp-platform).