Billing guide
How credits and auto-reload work
You pay for texts with prepaid credits. Auto-reload buys more before you run out, so a campaign does not stop halfway. Here is exactly what it does, and what it will never do.
Credits
Every message you send uses credits. A text uses 1 credit for each 160-character segment, and a picture message uses 2.
To buy credits, open Billing in your dashboard, pick a package and pay by card. The credits land in your balance as soon as the payment clears. Credits stay on your account for as long as it is active*. There is no subscription and nothing expires on a billing date.
Bigger packages cost less per text. The full list is on the pricing page.
Auto-reload
Auto-reload is an automatic top-up. It uses the card on your account, and it follows these rules.
- When it tops up
- You pick a threshold on the Billing page. When your balance falls below it, auto-reload buys the package you chose. If you did not choose one, it buys the smallest package, 250 credits for $13.
- Big sends
- Sometimes a campaign needs more credits than you have, even after a normal top-up. Auto-reload then buys the package that covers what is missing for the lowest total charge, so the send can finish.
- The $500 limit
- A single auto-reload never charges more than $500. If covering a send would cost more, auto-reload does not charge you. The campaign pauses, and you can buy the credits yourself on the Billing page.
- Which card it uses
- Auto-reload charges the card saved to your account. A card is saved when you add one on the Billing page, or when you buy credits at checkout.
- If your card is declined
- Auto-reload stops trying for 24 hours, so a declined card is not charged over and over. Saving a new card on the Billing page lets it try again straight away.
- Changing or turning it off
- Auto-reload is on by default. Organization owners and admins can change the threshold or package, or switch it off, in the auto-reload card on the Billing page. Remember to save.
What that looks like
Three situations, priced with today's packages.
| Situation | What happens | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Your balance drops below your threshold, with the smallest package selected | Auto-reload buys 250 credits | $13 |
| A campaign needs 800 more credits than you have | Auto-reload buys 1,000 credits, the lowest-cost package that covers it, and the campaign keeps sending | $43 |
| A campaign needs 20,000 more credits than you have | Covering it would cost more than $500, so nothing is charged. The campaign pauses until you buy credits yourself | $0 |
Refunds
If a credit purchase is refunded, the credits it added come back off your balance. A partial refund removes the matching share of those credits.
Questions
Something here does not match what you see in your account? Email support@ponyexpresshq.com and a person will look at it. The FAQ covers running out of credits mid-send too.