Buying Credits
Credits are what every send and every captured response draws on (see Credits & Billing for the rates). This page walks through buying them: picking a pack, paying on Stripe, and what you'll see on the Billing page afterwards.
Where to buy
Buy Credits at the bottom of the left sidebar, or
Settings → Billing, which also shows your balance, alerts and history.
Both open the same purchase dialog.
Step 1 — Pick an amount
| Pack | Credits |
|---|---|
| $10 | 5,000 |
| $50 | 25,000 |
| $100 | 50,000 |
| $500 | 250,000 |
| Custom | Any whole-dollar amount from $1 up to $100,000, at $1 = 500 credits |
Click Buy Now on a pack, or enter an amount under Custom and confirm. Top-ups are valid for one year from the purchase date (the expiry is shown next to each grant on the Billing page) and are used after any free-trial, plan or promotional credits (complimentary credits VocaLoop may add to your account — those expire on the date shown next to them). Contact support if you need more time on a purchase — the expiry can be extended.
Step 2 — Pay on Stripe
VocaLoop records the purchase and opens Stripe Checkout in the same tab. Pay with a card there; Stripe promotion codes can be entered on the checkout page. VocaLoop never sees or stores your card details.
Paid — Stripe sends you back to a Payment awaiting confirmation page. Stripe notifies VocaLoop directly once the payment has settled — usually within a few seconds — and the page then switches to "Payment received" with the credits added. The page keeps checking for up to three minutes; if the confirmation is slower than that, the purchase stays listed on Settings → Billing as awaiting payment and the credits are added automatically the moment it arrives. Stripe can email a receipt to the address you gave at checkout.
Left without paying — closing the checkout or clicking back brings you to a Payment not completed page and marks the purchase cancelled. Nothing is charged; just start again.
Declined — the purchase shows as failed. Retry with another card.
Never paid — a purchase still awaiting payment after 24 hours is marked expired. Nothing is charged; buy again whenever you're ready.
If you close the browser mid-way, don't worry: the credits come from Stripe's own confirmation to VocaLoop, not from your browser — a paid purchase is credited even if you never see the confirmation page.
Step 3 — Check the Billing page
Settings → Billing is read live from the metering service, so what you see is the current position:
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Credit balance | Your available credits, split into free trial, subscription, promotional and top-up credits, plus what has been used and any overdraw |
| Purchases | Every purchase — when it was requested, the amount, the credits, its status (awaiting payment, paid, cancelled, failed, expired after 24 hours unpaid), whether it was manual or an auto top-up, and when it was paid |
| Credits added | Every grant to the account, newest first, with what remains of each |
| Credits used | The metered events that consumed credits: when, what happened (a fill request or WhatsApp question sent to someone, a response or reply received from them), the project, the channel and how many credits — with a View response / View message link that opens the request on the project's Responses page or the message in the Playground |
Your first purchase ends the free trial
New accounts start on a free trial with a starter balance and an end date shown on the Billing page. The first paid top-up moves the account to the standard plan: the trial credits stay usable until they run out, and sends are no longer blocked when the trial date passes. On an expired trial with no purchase, sends answer out of credits (402 on the Secure Link Loop API) until you buy — responses that arrive for already-sent forms are still captured.
Never run dry: alerts and auto top-up
Under Settings → Billing → Alerts & auto top-up:
Set a balance threshold. When your balance drops below it VocaLoop emails you, so an empty balance never surprises you mid-campaign.
Optionally enable auto top-up and choose an amount. When the balance falls below the threshold, VocaLoop queues a top-up of that size. It appears under Purchases as awaiting payment, and the credits land once it is paid. Switch it off any time.
Save a card. Paying for credits saves the card you pay with (Stripe asks for your consent to future charges during checkout), or use Save a card under the checkboxes to add one without buying. The Card on file line shows what Stripe holds, checked with Stripe each time the page loads: the saved card (brand and last four digits) and whether an active mandate exists. Remove card takes it off again.
With a card on file an auto top-up is charged to it the moment the balance drops below the threshold — you get an email, and the credits land once Stripe confirms the payment. It is checked on every send and capture, but the card is charged at most once every 15 minutes, and never while an earlier auto top-up is still awaiting payment. If the charge is refused, the purchase shows as failed, you are emailed, and you can top up by hand or save another card. Without a card the auto top-up is recorded as awaiting payment for you to pay.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| The dialog says Request recorded but no checkout opens | Online payment isn't configured on this deployment; the purchase waits as awaiting payment and an administrator confirms it manually |
| Paid on Stripe but the balance hasn't moved | Stripe's confirmation hasn't reached VocaLoop yet. Check Settings → Billing — the purchase shows as awaiting payment until it does, then the credits land automatically. If it still says awaiting payment after a few minutes, contact support with the purchase time |
Out of credits / 402 on a send | Balance is empty or the free trial has ended without a purchase — buy a pack |
| A purchase shows failed | The card was declined; retry, the failed row is kept for your records |
Credit purchases are one-time and non-refundable; the credits stay usable for one year from the purchase date.