Callbell's AI agent uses credits to generate responses. Every message sent by the AI agent has a small cost, which is deducted from your AI credit wallet. This article explains how credits work, how to manage them, and what to expect when they run low.
Every Callbell account starts with $5 USD in free AI credits — enough to test and explore the AI agent before committing to a paid top-up. These credits never expire, so you can take your time getting started.
How credits are consumed
Each message generated by the AI agent deducts a small amount from your wallet. The exact cost per message depends on your agent's configuration:
- Simple agents with minimal context cost less per message and can send up to ~4,000 messages with $5 USD.
- Complex agents with a large amount of context cost more and may send around ~300 messages with $5 USD.
The more context your agent has, the higher the cost per message — but also the more accurate and personalized the responses.
| The values above are estimates only. Actual costs may vary depending on your AI agent's configuration and the conversation history of each chat. |
How to top up your wallet
You can manage your AI credits from the AI Credit tab in the Billing section. From there you can:
- See your current balance and credit history.
- Top up manually by clicking Add credit, selecting an amount (minimum $1 USD), and choosing a payment method.
Auto-reload
To make sure your AI agent never stops working due to low credit, you can enable auto-reload. When active, Callbell will automatically top up your wallet whenever it drops below a threshold you define.
To set it up, configure the following three options:
- Minimum balance to trigger reload — when your wallet reaches this amount, a top-up is triggered automatically.
- Reload back to amount — the target balance your wallet will be filled up to after the charge.
- Payment method — the card that will be charged.
Example: if you set a minimum balance of $5 USD and a reload back to $50 USD, once your wallet drops to $5 USD, Callbell will automatically charge $45 USD to bring it back to $50 USD.
| Tip: We strongly recommend enabling auto-reload to ensure your AI agent keeps running without interruption across all your chats. |
Credit notifications
Callbell will automatically send an email to the account owner when your remaining credit reaches the following thresholds: 25%, 10%, and 0%.
The percentage is calculated based on the wallet balance at the time of the last reload. For example, if your wallet was last topped up to $20 USD, you will receive email alerts at $5 USD, $2 USD, and $0 USD.
Additionally, if your wallet runs out completely, a banner will be displayed to all users with billing access as a reminder to add credit.
What happens when credits run out
If your AI credit wallet reaches $0, the AI agent will stop generating responses immediately. In your bot flow, conversations will be routed through the Error node.
You can prepare for this scenario by configuring an exit reason in the AI agent bot action — this allows you to define exactly what happens to your chats when credits are unavailable, so no conversation is left without a path forward.
How to estimate your costs
The best way to estimate costs is to use the AI agent simulator. It shows the cost of each individual message generated during a test conversation. At the end of a chat, you can also see the total cost for the entire conversation.
With this data, you can multiply the average conversation cost by the expected number of conversations your AI agent will handle to get a reliable monthly estimate.
FAQ
Does the AI agent simulator consume wallet credits?
Yes, all messages generated by the AI agent — including in the simulator — deduct from your wallet. Callbell grants $5 USD for free, so you can test and fine-tune your agent before going live.
Is the AI credit wallet shared across all channels?
Yes. The wallet is shared across all agents, channels, and phone numbers in your account.
Who can top up the wallet or configure auto-reload?
Any user with access to the Billing section can manage AI credits and configure auto-reload settings.