> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dialtu.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Credits

> What they are, what they're worth, and what consumes them

Credits are Dialtu's internal currency. Everything that uses AI — calls, messages, analysis — is paid for in credits, and so are phone numbers.

<Card title="1 credit = $0.01 USD" icon="equals" horizontal>
  In other words, **100 credits = \$1 USD**. The rate is fixed and doesn't change.
</Card>

## Where your credits come from

There are two sources, and they behave differently:

| Source                | When they arrive                            | Do they expire?                               |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Plan credits**      | Every billing cycle, according to your plan | **Yes** — they expire at the end of the cycle |
| **Purchased credits** | When you buy a pack or auto-refill triggers | **No** — they never expire                    |

<Warning>
  **Plan credits don't roll over.** Anything you don't use within the cycle is lost at renewal. Credits you buy separately stay indefinitely.
</Warning>

### The order they're spent in

Dialtu always consumes in this order, so you never lose credits that were about to expire:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Credits assigned to a feature">
    Some plans include credits reserved for a specific feature (Atlas, for example). These are used first, and only for that feature.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Credits expiring soonest">
    Of the general pool, the ones closest to expiring go first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Purchased credits">
    Last, the ones that never expire — oldest first.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What consumes credits

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Voice calls" icon="phone">
    Billed **per second, pro-rated to minutes** — not rounded up to the whole minute.

    The per-minute price combines two things: the **AI model** the agent uses and the **carrier cost**. If the agent uses a premium voice, a per-minute extra is added on top.

    Every call has a **minimum billable amount**, so a three-second call doesn't cost essentially nothing.

    <Tip>
      On any call's detail view you can open the breakdown and see exactly how much came from the model, the premium voice, and the carrier.
    </Tip>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="AI-generated WhatsApp messages" icon="whatsapp">
    Charged **per message the AI writes**, at a rate that depends on the agent's model.

    **Not charged:** messages your customer sends you, or messages a person on your team writes from the inbox.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="SMS chats" icon="comment-sms">
    Charged **when the session closes**, combining three parts: a base rate per message, the AI model's cost per message, and the carrier's cost per message.

    Some plans include an allowance of free messages; the carrier component is always charged.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The Salesflow orchestrator" icon="robot">
    Only the **Pro** tier consumes credits, and **only when the customer actually moves** stage. A Pro evaluation that decides not to move is not charged.

    The **Standard tier is free**, with no cap on evaluations.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Insight agents" icon="chart-line">
    Charged per execution, based on tokens actually consumed. The cost is estimated before running and blocked if there isn't enough balance.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Atlas" icon="sparkles">
    Charged per copilot turn, based on tokens consumed. The dashboard's executive summary is billed the same way.

    Some plans include credits reserved for Atlas only.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Phone numbers" icon="phone-office">
    A fixed monthly fee, plus a one-off setup fee in some countries. See [Phone numbers](/en/getting-started/phone-numbers).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## What does NOT consume credits

Worth being clear about, because it usually surprises people:

<Check>
  **WhatsApp templates.** These are billed by **Meta directly to your account**, not by Dialtu. You connect your own WhatsApp Business account and Meta charges you for those conversations.
</Check>

<Check>
  **Inbound WhatsApp messages** and messages written by a person on your team.
</Check>

<Check>
  **The orchestrator on the Standard tier.**
</Check>

<Check>
  **The agent test panel.** Testing an agent before activating it is free; there's an hourly usage limit instead.
</Check>

<Check>
  **AI analysis of images and PDFs** received over WhatsApp.
</Check>

<Check>
  **Automatic contact memory.** You're only charged if you press *Regenerate* by hand.
</Check>

## What happens when you run out

Not everything stops at once. Operations that can be checked **before** they start are blocked; ones already under way complete and can push the balance negative.

**Blocked up front:**

* Outbound calls and campaigns.
* Inbound calls — rejected at routing.
* SMS chats.
* Atlas, Insight agents and the Pro orchestrator.

**Completed even with no balance:**

* A call already in progress: charged when it ends, even if the balance goes negative.
* The monthly phone number fee.

<Note>
  Some accounts have an **overdraft allowance** configured, letting them keep operating up to a certain debt before being blocked. When new credits arrive, the debt is settled automatically before you can spend them.
</Note>

### Notifications

Dialtu sends an **email when an operation is blocked** for lack of balance, at most once every 24 hours. You can also configure daily or monthly **spend limits**, with a warning as you approach the limit.

<Warning>
  There is no persistent low-balance banner in the interface. If you don't want to rely on email, turn on **auto-refill** or keep an eye on the balance in the dashboard.
</Warning>

## Buying credits

Under **Settings → Credits** you can buy packs or enter a custom amount (minimum \$10). Purchased credits **never expire**.

The same screen lets you turn on **auto-refill**: when the balance drops below a threshold you set, Dialtu automatically charges your payment method up to a target amount. It requires a saved card.

## Where to see your balance

| Where                    | What it shows                                                                        |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Dashboard home**       | Balance, this month's consumption, and progress against your plan's credits          |
| **Settings → Billing**   | Balance, its USD equivalent, and the full transaction history                        |
| **Settings → Credits**   | Buying packs and auto-refill                                                         |
| **Analytics**            | Consumption by channel: voice, WhatsApp, Salesflow, Atlas, Insight and phone numbers |
| **A call's detail view** | The exact breakdown for that call                                                    |

## Next step

<Card title="Phone numbers" icon="phone" href="/en/getting-started/phone-numbers">
  How to request a number, what it costs, and how it's billed.
</Card>