“Retell uses post-usage billing, not a prepaid credit balance. You are charged at the end of each billing period based on actual usage on the payment method you have on file — there is no manual top-up or auto-recharge to configure.”
So the documentation describes post-usage billing, yet our account is still being blocked by a $0 credit balance and the manual chat testing returns “Credit balance exhausted” error.
Additionally, all of our other Retell workspaces are already running under the pay-as-you-go (post-usage) billing model, including the workspaces we created today. This is the billing model we need because it matches how we bill our own customers.
Questions:
Is this a recent migration on your side?
Is the 402 “Credit balance exhausted” response expected, or is this a bug? Under the documented post-usage billing model, there should be no credit balance to exhaust.
Your documentation states that the only requirement is a valid payment method. Is there anything missing on this account, such as payment verification, KYC, or re-adding the credit card?
To unblock chat and voice immediately, do we actually need to buy credits or enable Auto Recharge (which contradicts the documentation), or can you migrate/enable this workspace to use the same post-usage billing model as our other workspaces?
We would like this workspace to use the documented pay-as-you-go billing model, just like our other Retell workspaces. Please let us know the fastest way to remove the 402 restriction and enable post-usage billing on this account.
Hey @steevemartin Team looked into it quick answers on org_eOAu6d3ttL5tETtf:
The 402 is expected on this workspace, not a bug and not a recent migration. This one was created on our current prepaid-credits billing model, so calls and chats are gated until there’s a positive credit balance. Your other workspaces are on the older post-usage model that the public billing doc still describes — that’s why the behavior differs.
To unblock this workspace right now: in the workspace, go to Billing → Buy Credits and top up. The 402 will clear once the payment settles.
One gotcha: the only payment method saved on this workspace is a Stripe Link entry. Our credit-purchase flow currently requires a card-type payment method. If Buy Credits errors out, please add a credit/debit card to this workspace (Billing → Payment Methods) and retry the top-up.
Moving this workspace to the same post-usage model as your other workspaces is not a self-serve toggle. If you’d like to request that, let me know and I’ll pass it to billing engineering — but there’s no ETA, and topping up in the meantime is the fastest unblock.
I suspected you had changed the billing flow. I’m surprised there wasn’t any announcement about this change or updated documentation explaining the new process.
Nevertheless, I would like to request that this workspace be moved to the post-usage billing model. That’s how I bill my own clients, and it helps me keep my billing and invoices organized.
Could I also request the ability to choose the billing model for any future workspaces I create? The prepaid billing model is unfortunately not going to work for my business.
If I may offer a bit of feedback, I think it’s always better to give users the choice of how they want to use your product, especially when introducing such a fundamental change to the platform. Billing is a core part of any service, and changes like this have a direct impact on our own operations.
I understand there may be business or operational reasons behind moving to prepaid billing, but forcing existing users to adapt without prior notice or clear documentation leaves us in a difficult position. It creates uncertainty and makes it harder to plan our own services, which can negatively affect the overall experience with an otherwise excellent product.
I really enjoy working with Retell and would appreciate having the flexibility to continue using the post-usage billing model that all of our other workspaces currently use.
Thank you for sharing your detailed feedback and concerns. I have noted your request regarding the billing model and your feedback about the recent changes.
I have forwarded this to the team for review
We will get back to you as soon as we have an update or answer from the team. Thank you for your patience and for taking the time to share your feedback.
This appears to be the same issue we are experiencing, except for voice/inbound calling.
Three of our newest workspaces are now on a prepaid credit model, while our older workspaces are still on post-usage billing. When the credit balance reached $0.00, inbound calls immediately stopped working with “no valid payment”, despite valid payment methods being attached and no late/missed payments on our account.
This directly conflicts with Retell’s current billing documentation stating there is no manual top-up or auto-recharge required.
Can you please confirm:
Are new workspaces now being placed on prepaid billing?
Is a $0 credit balance expected to block inbound calls?
Can our workspaces be moved back to post-usage billing?
Why were existing partners not notified that new workspaces would operate under a different billing model?
This caused production outages for multiple client phone systems today, so we need this escalated urgently.