What Happens When You Run Out of Credits Mid-Action¶

Every credit-based action - generating categories, classifying responses, funding a Panel Recruitment wave - shows its estimated cost before you confirm it (see What Actually Consumes Your Credits (and What Doesn't)). That protects you from the obvious surprise. This covers the less obvious case: what happens if your balance is right on the edge, or something interrupts the action after it's already started.

Before You Commit: You'll See the Cost Up Front¶

If an action's estimated cost exceeds your available balance, you're shown that before you can confirm it - you won't accidentally start something you can't afford to finish. You'll have the option to buy more credits (see How to Buy Credits) right from that point.

If an Action Is Interrupted Partway Through¶

Occasionally an action can be interrupted after it's started - a connection drop, a browser closing, a technical hiccup. Credits set aside for that specific attempt aren't permanently lost to a failed run; they become available again rather than being spent on something that never actually completed. You won't need to contact support to recover credits from a run that didn't finish.

Panel Recruitment Is a Bit Different¶

For a Panel Recruitment wave specifically, credits are captured only as real outcomes occur - an approved submission or a screened-out one - rather than all at once when the wave launches. This means a wave's credit cost is spent gradually as responses come in, not deducted entirely up front. See Introduction to Panel Recruitment for the fuller picture.

What to Do If You're Frequently Running Low¶

If you're regularly finding yourself right at the edge of your credit balance, it's worth looking at your plan's included allotment against your actual usage pattern (see Understanding Plan Tiers: What Changes Between Them) - a plan with a larger built-in allotment can be more cost-effective than repeatedly buying top-ups if your usage is consistently high.

FAQ¶

Will I be charged automatically if I go below zero credits?
No - you can't commit to an action whose estimated cost exceeds your available balance in the first place; there's no automatic overdraft.

If an action fails due to a technical issue, do I need to contact support to get my credits back?
No - credits tied to an action that didn't actually complete become available again without requiring a support request.

Can I see exactly how many credits an interrupted action actually consumed versus returned?
Check your credit activity history on your Billing & Subscription page for a record of what was spent and what wasn't.

Does this apply to AI Follow-up Questions generated live during a respondent's session?
The same principle applies - credits are tied to an action actually completing, not just being attempted.

For the fuller picture of what consumes credits and how to manage your balance, see What Actually Consumes Your Credits (and What Doesn't) and How to Buy Credits.