# Understanding AI credits

> How Quickchat AI credits work: what a credit is, how much each AI model costs per reply, your monthly allowance by plan, and what happens when you reach your limit.

AI credits are how Quickchat AI measures usage. Every plan includes a monthly allowance of credits, and your AI Agent spends them as it works. This guide explains what a credit is, how much each model costs, and what happens when you run out.

## What a credit pays for

A credit is spent per **AI reply**, not per user question and not per conversation.

An AI reply is a single message your AI Agent sends back to a user. One conversation usually contains many replies, so it also spends many credits. Your allowance therefore measures how much your AI Agent talks, not how many people talk to it.

This counts every AI reply, whatever the channel and whoever is on the other end — the widget, a chat page, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, the AI Preview while you are testing, and [Testing](/conversations/testing/) runs all spend credits.

These do **not** spend credits:

- Messages sent by visitors
- Replies typed by a human operator in the Inbox
- Importing, re-importing, or refreshing Knowledge Base content
- Running an [AI Action](/ai-agent/actions/), however many external calls it makes
- Insights analysis: sentiment, topics, outcomes, and conversation summaries

## How much each model costs

The number of credits per reply depends on the AI model your Agent uses. More capable models cost more per reply.

| Model | Tier | Credits per reply |
|-------|------|-------------------|
| GPT-5.1 | Standard | 1 |
| GPT-5.4 | Advanced | 2 |
| GPT-5.5 | Premium | 4 |
| GPT-5.6 Sol | Premium | 4 |
| GPT-5.6 Terra | Advanced | 2 |
| GPT-5.6 Luna | Fast | 1 |

You choose the model in your AI Agent's settings. The **Standard** model is the default and the most cost-efficient option.

## Your monthly allowance

Each plan includes a fixed number of credits per month:

| Plan | Monthly price | Monthly credits |
|------|---------------|-----------------|
| Free | $0 | 50 |
| Starter | $9 | 150 |
| Basic | $29 | 500 |
| Essential | $99 | 3,000 |
| Professional | $299 | 9,000 |
| Business | $999 | 30,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom | From $0.50 per resolution |

Need more than the Business plan offers? The **Enterprise** plan is billed per resolution (from $0.50 per resolution) and is tailored to your volume. [Talk to us](https://quickchat.ai/book-a-demo) about a custom plan.

## "150 credits" does not mean "150 questions"

A common misunderstanding is to read a credit allowance as a cap on questions. It is not.

Because credits are spent per reply, and one conversation contains many replies, your allowance stretches across conversations rather than questions. On the **Standard** model, where each reply costs 1 credit:

- 150 credits is about 150 AI replies.
- A single conversation might use 5 replies, so 150 credits covers roughly 30 such conversations.
- Switch to the **Advanced** model (2 credits per reply) and the same 150 credits cover about 75 replies.

So a plan with 150 credits does not limit you to 150 questions. It gives you 150 AI replies on the Standard model, spread across as many conversations as your users have.

## What happens when you reach your limit

When you use 100% of your monthly credits, your AI Agent stops replying until either:

- your allowance resets at the start of your next monthly billing cycle, or
- you upgrade to a plan with a higher allowance, which takes effect immediately.

Your Agent, Knowledge Base, and settings are never affected. Only new AI replies pause until credits are available again. Conversations still arrive and are still visible in the Inbox, so nothing is lost and human operators can carry on answering.

If you run out before your allowance resets, you can either upgrade to a plan with a larger allowance or, on eligible Agents, buy extra credits as a one-off (see [Extra credits](#extra-credits) below).

## Credits do not roll over

Credits are granted fresh each month and do not carry over. Unused credits at the end of a billing cycle do not add to next month's allowance, and your balance returns to your plan's full monthly amount.

## Which models can I use?

The **Standard** model is available on every plan, including Free. The **Advanced** and **Premium** models are selectable on paid plans, so you can choose more capable replies where they matter and keep the efficient Standard model everywhere else.

## Extra credits

Some Agents can buy extra credits without changing plan. When the option is available, the **Subscription** page leads with a Discord credits panel. Each pack adds 500 credits for $5, and the credits land on the Agent as soon as the Stripe payment clears.

Extra credits behave differently from your monthly allowance in three useful ways:

- **They never expire.** Unlike the monthly allowance, extra credits are not reset at the start of a billing cycle, so anything you do not use stays on the Agent.
- **They are spent last.** Your Agent always uses its monthly allowance first and only draws on extra credits once that is exhausted, so buying early never wastes them.
- **They can refill themselves.** On your first purchase, choose **Add 500 credits once for $5** for a one-time pack or **Add 500 credits + auto reload for $5**. Auto reload adds another 500 credits for $5 when the balance reaches 50 credits. If you already have extra credits, click **Turn on auto reload** to save a card without an immediate charge. You can turn auto reload off, use **Change card** later, and Stripe emails you a receipt for every charge.

:::note
Extra credits are currently offered on Agents connected to a Discord server, where a busy server can work through a monthly allowance in a single evening. They are not yet available on other channels.
:::