> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.maker.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.maker.co/maker-greatstore/insights-and-usage/credits.md).

# Credits

What a credit is, what spends them, and what happens when they run out.

Credits are what your assistant runs on. Every answer it gives, in text or in voice, draws on the same allowance, and this page is the single reference for how that works. Plans and payment are covered separately in [Plans & billing](/maker-greatstore/get-started/plans-and-billing.md).

## Where they come from

Credits belong to your organization's Maker plan, not to your store. Everything you do in Maker and everything your GreatStore assistant does draw on one shared monthly allowance, and it resets on your Maker billing date rather than on the first of the month.

Your admin **Home** shows both sides of that at the top of the page: how many credits are left, how much the whole organization has used this period, and how much of that was your store. **Manage billing** on the same line opens Maker, which is where plans, top-ups, payment methods and invoices live.

## What spends them

Anything that invokes the AI:

* Shopper conversations, in text and in voice
* Images a shopper uploads
* The **test chat on the Knowledge screen**, which uses the same AI as your live store
* Weekly insights
* Suggested names for knowledge sources

## How each mode is metered

| Mode  | Metered as                                                                                                                                                  |
| ----- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Text  | Per message a shopper sends.                                                                                                                                |
| Voice | **Per minute** while voice mode is active. Voice is a constant connection rather than request/response, so cost accrues for as long as the session is open. |
| Image | Per image a shopper uploads; each upload is processed once.                                                                                                 |

Each mode has its own pricing, and **Usage** can split your spend by mode so you can see which one you are actually paying for. See [Usage](/maker-greatstore/insights-and-usage/usage.md).

## Running low

When you have used most of the allowance, a warning banner appears on every screen of the admin, so you don't have to be on Home to see it. It is a warning only: nothing has stopped.

## Running out

Your GreatStore storefront stays online. Shoppers can still browse it and still see a welcome message, but the assistant stops answering, and anyone who sends a message gets a short note saying your assistant is temporarily unavailable, with no mention of billing. On your own website, the chat widget is hidden until credits are back, so shoppers never see an assistant that can't answer.

While your balance is empty the welcome message is a general one rather than one written for your store, and the other things that cost credits, such as weekly insights and suggested names for knowledge sources, pause too.

Top up your balance in Maker and the assistant starts answering again within a few minutes.

{% hint style="info" %}
The admin reads your balance when the page loads. If you have just topped up and the figures still say you're out, reload the page.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
A banner saying your store is paused and to contact us is not about credits. It's a separate hold on the store, and adding credits won't lift it. Get in touch and we'll tell you why.
{% endhint %}


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