Alert credits

SMS, WhatsApp and voice call alerts are paid for with alert credits. Paid plans that include these channels come with a monthly allowance of credits. If you need more, you can buy one-time credit packs. Email, push and chat alerts (Slack, Teams, Discord, Telegram and others) don't use credits.

How credits are counted#

• One credit per message or call. Each SMS, each WhatsApp message and each voice call uses one credit of that channel.
• Each recipient counts separately. An alert sent by SMS to three people uses three SMS credits.
• Each channel has its own credits. SMS, WhatsApp and voice credits are counted separately and can't be swapped.
• Allowance first, then packs. Each send uses your plan's monthly allowance for that channel first. Once that runs out, it uses credits from packs you bought.
• Rejected messages are refunded. If the provider definitively rejects a message (for example, an invalid number), the credit is returned.

Credits belong to the account of the workspace owner. They are shared by every workspace that owner owns.

Monthly allowance#

How many credits you get each month depends on your plan. See the live table on Plans & limits. Plans that don't include a channel have no allowance for it, and you can't add that channel as an alert destination.

To see your balance, go to Plans & billing → Billing and open SMS, WhatsApp and voice credits. For each channel included in your plan, it shows how much of the allowance you've used, how many pack credits you have left, and when the allowance resets.

When the allowance resets#

Unused allowance does not carry over to the next period.

Credit packs#

Credit packs are one-time purchases on top of your allowance. There's no subscription.

• Pack credits don't expire. They carry over from month to month.
• They are used only after your monthly allowance for that channel is used up.
• They can only be spent while your plan includes that channel. If you move to a plan without the channel, your leftover pack credits are kept for when you have it again.

Buying a pack#

1. Go to Plans & billing → Billing and open SMS, WhatsApp and voice credits.
2. Under Extra credit packs, pick a pack and select Buy.
3. Pay on the secure payment page. USD accounts pay through Dodo Payments. INR accounts pay through Razorpay.
4. Credits are added as soon as the payment provider confirms the payment. Recent credit purchases shows each purchase as Waiting for payment, Paid, Refunded or Not completed.

Pack prices are shown in your billing currency on the Billing page. Only the workspace owner can buy credits. Packs are only offered for channels your current plan includes. Pack prices include all applicable taxes, and every purchase has an invoice you can download from Billing (see Invoices).

Low-credit and used-up emails#

SutramX emails the account owner, at most once per channel per allowance period:

• Running low: when you've used 80% of a channel's monthly allowance and you have no pack credits for it. This email isn't sent for very small allowances (under 5 credits).
• Used up: when both the allowance and the pack credits for a channel are gone.

Both emails link to Billing, where you can buy more credits.

What happens when credits run out#

When a channel has no allowance or pack credits left:

1. SMS, WhatsApp or voice alerts on that channel are skipped until the allowance resets or you buy a pack.
2. Email and all your other channels keep working. Alerts still reach Slack, Teams, Telegram, email and anything else you've set up.
3. SutramX emails each skipped alert to the account owner, so a down alert isn't lost. If the owner already got that alert by email, it isn't sent twice.
4. The owner gets the one-time "used up" email for that channel.

Refunds on packs#

If a pack purchase is refunded, SutramX takes back the share of its credits that matches the refunded amount (excluding tax), as far as you still have them. Credits you've already used are not charged back. See Refunds.

Common questions#

Does a longer SMS use more credits? No. Each alert message uses one credit.

Can I move credits between channels? No. Each pack is for one channel.

Do credits expire when I cancel? Your monthly allowance ends with your plan. Pack credits stay on your account and can be used again once you're on a plan that includes the channel.