Billing & Credits

Billing & Credits #

Support Unicorn uses a credit-based billing system where AI messages consume credits from your organization's balance. This guide explains how credits work, how to purchase them, and how to manage your billing.

Understanding Credits #

What Are Credits? #

Credits are the currency used to pay for AI-generated messages. Each time your AI Agent sends a message to a customer, it consumes credits from your organization's balance.

Default Rate:
- 1 credit = 1 AI message

(This rate is configurable - contact us for custom pricing)

What Counts as an AI Message:
- AI Agent responds to customer question
- AI sends automated workflow message
- AI provides suggested response (Hybrid mode)

What Doesn't Consume Credits:
- Human agent messages
- Customer messages (inbound)
- System notifications
- Slack messages between team members
- Testing in the Test interface

Why Credits? #

Predictable Costs:
- Pay only for what you use
- No surprise bills
- Easy to budget and forecast

Flexible:
- Scale up or down as needed
- No long-term commitments
- Pause anytime (just stop using AI)

Transparent:
- See exactly what you're paying for
- Track usage in real-time
- Detailed transaction history

Credit Balance #

Viewing Your Balance #

Check your current credit balance:

  1. Navigate to Billing in the sidebar
  2. See balance prominently displayed at top
  3. Color-coded indicator:
    • Green: Healthy balance (>100 credits)
    • Yellow: Running low (10-100 credits)
    • Red: Critical (<10 credits)

Balance Display:
```
Credits Remaining: 487

Est. AI Messages: ~487 messages
Est. Days Remaining: ~15 days (based on usage)
```

Free Credits #

Monthly Allowance:
- 50 free credits per month
- Automatically added on the 1st of each month
- Resets each month (don't roll over)
- Available to all organizations

New Organization Bonus:
- 50 credits when you sign up
- Start using AI immediately
- Test before committing

Low Balance Warnings #

When your balance runs low:

Email Notifications:
- At 100 credits: "Credits running low"
- At 50 credits: "Urgent: Low credits"
- At 10 credits: "Critical: Purchase credits now"
- At 0 credits: "AI disabled - zero balance"

Dashboard Alerts:
- Banner notification
- Visible on all pages
- Quick link to purchase credits

Slack Notifications:
- Posted to your Slack channel
- @mentions configured admin
- Includes purchase link

Purchasing Credits #

One-Time Purchase #

Buy credits as needed without a subscription:

How to Purchase:

  1. Go to Billing → "Purchase Credits"
  2. Select credit package:
    • 100 credits - $10 ($0.10/credit)
    • 500 credits - $45 ($0.09/credit) Most Popular
    • 1,000 credits - $80 ($0.08/credit)
    • 5,000 credits - $350 ($0.07/credit) Best Value
  3. Click "Purchase with Card"
  4. Enter payment details (via Stripe)
  5. Credits added immediately

Payment Methods:
- Credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover)
- Debit card
- Apple Pay / Google Pay

Security:
- All payments processed by Stripe
- PCI-compliant
- No credit card data stored on our servers

Invoice:
- Emailed immediately after purchase
- Available in dashboard: Billing → Transactions
- PDF download

Subscriptions #

Subscribe for automatic monthly credit delivery:

Subscription Plans:

Starter Plan:
- 500 credits/month
- $39/month
- Best for: Small teams, low-moderate AI usage
- ~$0.078/credit

Growth Plan:
- 2,000 credits/month
- $139/month
- Best for: Growing teams, moderate-high AI usage
- ~$0.070/credit

Pro Plan:
- 5,000 credits/month
- $299/month
- Best for: High-volume teams, heavy AI usage
- ~$0.060/credit

Enterprise Plan:
- Custom credits
- Custom pricing
- Best for: Large organizations, white-label
- Contact sales

Subscription Benefits:
- Discounted per-credit pricing
- Credits auto-renew monthly
- Never run out unexpectedly
- Cancel anytime
- Unused credits roll over (up to 2x monthly allocation)

Managing Your Subscription #

Upgrading:
- Switch to higher plan anytime
- Immediate effect
- Prorated credit issuance
- No downtime

Downgrading:
- Switches at next billing cycle
- Keep current credits until then
- No penalty

Canceling:
1. Go to Billing → "Manage Subscription"
2. Click "Cancel Subscription"
3. Confirm cancellation
4. Subscription ends at end of current period
5. Keep remaining credits (don't expire)
6. Can resubscribe anytime

Pausing:
- Not directly supported
- Recommendation: Cancel and resubscribe when ready
- Credits don't expire, so you won't lose them

What Happens When Credits Run Out? #

AI Behavior at Zero Balance #

When your credit balance reaches 0:

Immediate Effects:
- AI stops responding to new customer messages
- Existing conversations continue (human agents unaffected)
- Customer messages still appear in Slack
- No AI suggestions in Hybrid mode

Customer Experience:
- Human agents must respond manually
- No degradation in human support
- Customers don't see error messages
- Seamless fallback to human-only

Notifications:
- Dashboard banner: "AI disabled - purchase credits"
- Email to admins
- Slack notification

How to Resume:
- Purchase credits (instant re-enable)
- Subscribe to a plan
- AI automatically reactivates when balance > 0

Credit Reserve #

Soft Limit (Optional):
Set a minimum balance reserve:
- AI stops at X credits (e.g., 50)
- Prevents complete depletion
- Buffer for emergencies
- Gives you time to purchase

Configure:
Billing → Settings → Credit Reserve

Credit Usage Tracking #

Real-Time Usage #

Monitor credit consumption:

Dashboard Metrics:
- Credits used today
- Credits used this month
- Average daily usage
- Projected end date of current balance

Usage Graph:
- 30-day credit consumption chart
- Identify usage patterns
- Spot unusual spikes
- Plan purchases

Transaction History #

Detailed log of all credit movements:

Transaction Types:
- Usage: AI message sent (-1 credit)
- Purchase: Credits bought (+X credits)
- Refund: Purchase refunded (+X credits)
- Renewal: Subscription renewed (+X credits)
- Bonus: Free credits issued (+50 credits)

Transaction Details:
Each entry shows:
- Date and time
- Type (usage, purchase, etc.)
- Amount (+/- credits)
- Balance after transaction
- Description (e.g., "AI message in conversation #123")
- Related conversation link (for usage)

Export Transactions:
- CSV download
- Custom date range
- For accounting/reconciliation

Payment Methods #

Adding a Payment Method #

  1. Go to Billing → "Payment Methods"
  2. Click "Add Card"
  3. Enter card details (Stripe secure form)
  4. Optionally set as default
  5. Card saved for future purchases

Security:
- Tokenized by Stripe
- PCI-DSS compliant
- No full card numbers stored
- 3D Secure support

Managing Payment Methods #

Multiple Cards:
- Store multiple payment methods
- Label them (e.g., "Corporate Card", "Backup Card")
- Set one as default
- Use different cards for different purchases

Updating a Card:
- Can't edit existing card
- Add new card and delete old one
- Or update in Stripe customer portal

Removing a Card:
- Can delete any non-default card
- Must have at least one card if subscribed
- Can't delete if pending charges

Failed Payments #

If a subscription payment fails:

Retry Schedule:
- Immediate retry
- Retry after 3 days
- Retry after 5 days
- Retry after 7 days

Notifications:
- Email after each failed attempt
- Update payment method link
- Subscription status: "Past Due"

If All Retries Fail:
- Subscription cancelled
- Credits stop renewing
- Current balance depletes
- AI stops when balance reaches 0

How to Fix:
1. Update payment method
2. Manually retry payment
3. Or resubscribe with new card

Invoices and Receipts #

Accessing Invoices #

Email:
- Automatically sent after each purchase
- Sent to organization admin email
- Contains PDF attachment

Dashboard:
- Billing → Transactions → Click any purchase
- View/Download PDF invoice
- All historical invoices available

Invoice Details:
- Invoice number
- Date of purchase
- Itemized charges
- Tax (if applicable)
- Total amount
- Payment method (last 4 digits)
- Billing address

Updating Billing Information #

Company Details:
Billing → "Billing Information"
- Company name
- Billing address
- Tax ID / VAT number
- Email for invoices

Tax Exemption:
If your organization is tax-exempt:
- Upload tax-exempt certificate
- Future purchases won't include tax
- Processed within 1 business day

Refunds and Disputes #

Refund Policy #

Unused Credits:
- Generally non-refundable
- Exception: Technical issues preventing use
- Contact support with details

Subscription:
- No refunds on completed billing periods
- Cancel anytime to stop future charges
- Keep remaining credits

Failed Service:
- If AI didn't work as described
- Full refund if reported within 30 days
- Partial refund for extended outages

Requesting a Refund #

  1. Contact support@supportunicorn.com
  2. Include transaction ID
  3. Explain reason for refund request
  4. Typical response within 1 business day
  5. Refunds processed within 5-10 business days

Disputing a Charge #

If you see an unauthorized charge:

  1. Check transaction history first (might be legitimate)
  2. Contact support before disputing with bank
  3. If unauthorized, we'll refund immediately
  4. For bank disputes: We'll provide transaction proof

Pricing Calculator #

Estimate your monthly credit needs:

Questions to Answer:
1. How many customer conversations per day? ___
2. Average messages per conversation? ___
3. What % do you want AI to handle? ___%

Calculation:

Daily AI messages = Conversations × Avg Messages × AI %
Monthly AI messages = Daily × 30
Credits needed = Monthly AI messages × 1 (credit per message)

Example:
- 50 conversations/day
- 3 messages/conversation
- 70% handled by AI

Daily AI messages = 50 × 3 × 0.70 = 105
Monthly = 105 × 30 = 3,150 credits
Recommended plan: Pro Plan (5,000 credits/month)

Built-in Calculator:
Billing → "Calculate Needs" for interactive calculator

Enterprise Pricing #

For large organizations or custom requirements:

Volume Discounts:
- 10,000+ credits/month: 20% off
- 50,000+ credits/month: 30% off
- 100,000+ credits/month: 40% off

Custom Features:
- White-label branding
- Dedicated support
- SLA guarantees
- Custom data retention
- On-premise deployment

Annual Contracts:
- Additional 10-15% discount
- Predictable yearly budget
- Priority feature requests

Contact Sales:
- sales@supportunicorn.com
- Schedule demo: supportunicorn.com/demo
- Phone: +1 (555) 123-4567

FAQ #

Do free credits expire? #

Monthly free credits expire at the end of each month. Purchased credits and subscription credits do not expire (subscription credits roll over up to 2x your monthly allocation).

Can I get more free credits? #

The 50 free monthly credits are standard. For higher free tier, consider our partnership program or refer other customers (50 bonus credits per referral).

What if I use fewer credits than my subscription? #

Unused subscription credits roll over to the next month, up to 2x your monthly allocation. After that cap, additional credits don't accumulate. Consider downgrading if consistently under-using.

Can I purchase credits for someone else? #

Credits are tied to an organization. You can purchase credits while logged into that organization's account. For gifting, contact support for special arrangement.

Do you offer non-profit discounts? #

Yes! Registered 501(c)(3) organizations get 50% off all credit purchases and subscriptions. Contact support with proof of non-profit status.

How do refunds affect my credit balance? #

Refunded credits are deducted from your current balance. If you've used those credits already, your balance may go negative (you'll need to purchase credits to resume AI).

Can I set spending limits? #

Yes, configure in Billing → Settings:
- Monthly spending cap
- Per-conversation credit limit
- Overage alerts
- Auto-disable at limit

What payment methods do you accept? #

Credit/debit cards via Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay. For enterprise contracts, we also accept wire transfer and ACH.

Are there setup fees or hidden costs? #

No setup fees, no hidden costs. You only pay for credits consumed. Subscription plans have no additional fees.

Can I use the same payment method for multiple organizations? #

Yes, if you're an admin of multiple organizations, you can use the same card for all of them. Each organization's billing is separate.