How it works
In postpaid plans, overage is metered past the included quota and added to the next invoice at a per-unit rate, often higher than the plan's effective rate. In prepaid credit systems the equivalent is buying more credits, either when the customer chooses or automatically when the balance runs low.
Overage policy is mostly about surprise. Customers accept paying for extra use when they can see it coming: usage meters, low-balance emails, and spending caps all reduce disputes. Uncapped overage on expensive features, such as long AI agent runs, is the common source of unexpectedly large bills.
Example
A plan includes 10,000 API calls for $29 with overage at $0.004 per call. A customer who makes 13,500 calls pays $29 + 3,500 × $0.004 = $43. With prepaid credits instead, they would hit zero at 10,000 calls and buy a top-up pack, so the extra $14 is collected before the extra calls run.
Overage in Cred
Deducts in cred.diy do not overdraw a balance; a deduct larger than the balance returns an insufficient-credits error. Overage is handled by selling more credits: a one-off checkout, an on-demand charge to a saved card, or an auto top-up rule that buys a pack when the balance drops below a threshold.
Saved Cards & Auto Top-Up docsQuestions
- Should overage cost more than the plan rate?
- Often slightly more, so the plan remains the better deal for regular usage and customers have a reason to upgrade. A large premium can feel like a penalty and push customers to competitors.
- How do I prevent surprise overage bills?
- Show usage in the product, notify customers at thresholds such as 80% and 100%, and let them set a monthly cap. Prepaid credits are the strongest cap, since nothing can be spent that was not bought.
