Logo
☰
Skip to content
Go to App
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Understanding Contact Workflow Billing

Learn how credits, segments, and automatic refunds work for your automated sequences.

Billing for Workflows is slightly different than standard SMS campaigns. To ensure uninterrupted automation, the system operates on an upfront model.

Here is the breakdown of how (and when) you get charged.

💳 The Golden Rule: Upfront Billing

When you add a contact to a workflow, you pay for the entire sequence immediately, not as each message sends.

  • Example: If you add a contact to a 5-message workflow today, you are charged for all 5 messages right now—even if the last message isn't scheduled to send for another month.

📉 How We Calculate the Cost

We always use your "free" stuff first. The system follows this automatic order:

  1. Free SMS Credits: We deduct from your monthly plan's free credits first.

  2. Wallet Balance: If you are out of free credits, we charge your paid balance for the remaining segments.

➗ The Formula:

(Total Segments - Available Free Credits) × Your Overage Rate = Total Cost

Why does the price vary per contact?

Billing is based on segments, not just "messages."

  • If you use a custom field like <First Name>, it might be short for "Al" (1 segment) but long for "Christopher" (2 segments).

  • Don't worry: The preview screen calculates the exact cost for that specific contact before you click Add.

💸 The Refund Guarantee (Automatic)

We don't keep money for messages we didn't send.

If a contact is removed from a workflow early, we automatically refund you for any unsent messages.

Refunds happen instantly if:

  • The contact replies (stopping the workflow).

  • You manually remove the contact.

  • You delete or pause the workflow.

Note: Refunds go back to the original source. If you paid with credits, you get credits back. If you paid with cash, the funds return to your wallet.

🧾 How It Looks on Your Invoice

To keep your billing history clean, we don't spam you with a receipt every time you add a single contact.

We use Daily Aggregation.

All workflow activity (charges and refunds) for the day is combined into one single line item in your billing history.

  • Positive Amount ($3.50): You added more contacts than you removed.

  • Negative Amount (-$1.20): You had more refunds (removals/replies) than new adds.

⚠️ Insufficient Funds?

You cannot add a contact if you don't have enough credits or balance to cover the full sequence.

  • Main Accounts: A pop-up will appear allowing you to "Recharge" instantly.

  • Sub-Accounts: You will need to contact your Main Account holder to add funds for you.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

Q: Why does my billing history show $0 but I added contacts?

A: You likely had enough Free SMS Credits to cover the cost. You were "charged" in credits, not cash, so the dollar amount is $0.

Q: Why is my invoice negative?

A: That’s good news! It means you received more refunds (from replies or removals) than you spent on new contacts that day.

Q: I removed a contact immediately. Why was I charged?

A: You are charged the second you click "Add." However, because you removed them immediately, a refund was also processed immediately. These will net out in your daily summary.

Need a refresher on segments? [Read our guide on SMS Segments here.]