Texting balance and auto-recharge

Texts are paid from a prepaid balance. When it runs out, texting stops until you add money — so most companies switch on auto-recharge.

Find it in Settings › Payments & billing › Balance & usage — Manage prepaid balances for Texting and the AI Receptionist. Services pause when the available balance reaches $0.

The balance

Balances shows what's left. Choose whether Texting and the AI receptionist share one balance or keep separate ones.

At $0 or below a tile turns red: Services paused — Texting is unavailable until funds are added. No text goes out — not from an order, not from a workflow — until the balance is above $0. A text tried in the meantime is held with the texting balance is used up.

Add a card

Card on file — Add Payment Method (or Replace card). The card is used for top-ups and auto-recharge. Remove asks Remove the card? first.

Top up now

1. In Top up, pick the Balance to top up.
2. Pick $25, $50 or $100, or type an amount from $5 to $5,000.
3. Confirm Charge $…?

Auto-recharge

For each balance, switch on Auto-recharge, then set:

• Charge — the amount billed and added each time.
• When the balance is below — the minimum that triggers it.

Press Save in the footer. Auto-recharge keeps a balance from running out: when it drops below the minimum, the card on file is charged once.

When the card is declined

Each declined automatic charge is counted on the card. After 3 declines auto-recharge pauses — Declined 3 times — update the card or top up — and the card stays on file. A successful charge (a manual top-up, or a new card) starts it again. Texts keep going until the balance reaches $0.

Who hears about a low balance: people with the Text balance notification on (managers, finance and admins by default).

What you're spending

This month lists what was used and what it cost; History lists every top-up, charge and credit. A2P 10DLC registration fees (the US texting registration — a one-time brand and campaign fee, then the campaign's monthly fee) are charged at what the registration costs plus a small card-processing margin — not at the price of texts; see Texting registration. Settings › Communication › Text messages shows the month's texts, number rental and forwarding, and its Buy SMS button opens the same auto-charge settings.

If something goes wrong

• Card payments are currently unavailable. — top-ups and auto-recharge can't be set at the moment; try later.
• Amounts outside $5 to $5,000 aren't accepted.