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Overflow Handling

Configure what happens when you exceed your monthly message quota.

Overflow Options

STOP Mode

Message processing stops at limit. Service resumes after quota reset or upgrade.

Best for: Budget control, predictable costs

AUTO_PAY Mode

Extra messages charged at $0.05 each from account balance. Service continues uninterrupted.

Best for: Business-critical apps, customer-facing deployments

Configuring Overflow

  1. Go to Billing Preferences in sidebar
  2. Select STOP or AUTO_PAY
  3. Click Save (takes effect immediately)

AUTO_PAY Details

Unified Rate: $0.05/message (all tiers)

How AUTO_PAY charges work

Process:

  1. You exceed monthly quota
  2. System checks account balance (needs ≥$0.05)
  3. If sufficient: Message processes, $0.05 deducted
  4. If insufficient: Message blocked (same as STOP mode)
  5. Balance depletes with each overflow message

Important: Uses account balance, NOT payment method. Add top-ups to maintain balance.

Monitoring: Dashboard shows overflow usage and charges in real-time

Simple, fair pricing

20 overflow messages = $1.00 on any tier. No rate confusion when changing tiers.

Choosing the Right Mode

Choose STOP if... Choose AUTO_PAY if...
Strict budget required Customer-facing deployment
Service interruption acceptable Downtime impacts business
Want to avoid unexpected charges Need uninterrupted service

When to Upgrade vs. Use Overflow

Calculate your overflow cost: (Average Usage - Tier Limit) x $0.05

Example scenarios:

Usage Current Tier Overflow Cost Better Option
200 msg/mo Basic (free) $5.00/mo Stay on Basic + overflow
500 msg/mo Basic (free) $20.00/mo Stay on Basic + overflow
1,500 msg/mo Medium (~$25) $37.50/mo Consider upgrading

Upgrade when overflow costs exceed ~80% of tier price difference

Review usage monthly. If trending up, upgrade proactively.

Account Balance

Balance = (Top-ups + Promotional Credits) - Overflow Used

Adding balance:

  1. Go to Account > "Add Balance"
  2. Select amount ($2, $5, $10, $20)
  3. Complete payment
  4. Balance added immediately
  1. Go to Account > "Top Up"
  2. Select amount ($2, $5, $10, $20)
  3. Approve usage charge in Shopify
  4. Balance added after approval

Balance characteristics: Never expires, carries over monthly, refundable (minus used overflow)

When balance reaches $0

Overflow stops (same as STOP mode). Add balance to resume or wait for quota reset.

Troubleshooting

Messages stopped unexpectedly

Check:

  1. Hit limit with STOP mode? → Switch to AUTO_PAY or wait for reset
  2. AUTO_PAY but $0 balance? → Add top-up
  3. Subscription expired? → Resubscribe or add balance

Quick fix: Add $5-10 balance + enable AUTO_PAY

Balance depleting faster than expected

Causes:

  • Multiple assistants (each counts separately)
  • High traffic (holidays, campaigns)
  • Inefficient prompts (see usage optimization)

Can't enable AUTO_PAY

  1. Add balance first (needs ≥$2-5)
  2. Verify email is confirmed
  3. Try different browser/clear cache
  4. Contact support

Next Steps