# How AI credits work

> What uses AI credits, when they refill, and what happens when you run out.

Source: https://brandwise.ai/help/account-billing/ai-credits
Last updated: 2026-09-30

AI credits are what Brandwise uses each time its AI does work for you. Your plan includes a set number of credits every month, and nothing uses credits unless you turn on the AI features that need them.

## What uses credits

These are the categories you'll see on the **Credit Usage** tab.

| Category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Comment Moderation | 1 credit per comment Brandwise checks, whether or not it gets hidden |
| AI Replies | 1 credit per reply generated, on any channel, including drafts |
| Comment Smart Labels | 1 credit per comment labeled |
| DM Smart Labels | 1 credit per DM labeled |
| Email Smart Labels | 1 credit per email labeled |
| Live Chat Smart Labels | 1 credit per live chat message labeled |
| Campaign Sends | 1 credit per DM campaign message sent |
| Obie | Varies with the length of the conversation and what Obie does, such as creating images |
| Agent Access | Varies by tool. See [MCP credits and limits](https://brandwise.ai/help/mcp/mcp-credits-and-limits) |

## When credits refill

Your balance resets to your plan's monthly amount at the start of each billing month. This includes annual plans, which refill every month. Unused credits don't carry over, and neither do top-up credits.

## Usage alerts

Brandwise emails you as you use 50%, 75%, 90%, and 100% of your monthly credits, so you have time to act before you run out.

## When you run out

When your balance hits zero, AI work pauses until you have credits again:

- Moderation stops hiding comments.
- Smart Labels stop being applied.
- Automatic replies, AI drafts, and DM campaigns stop.

New comments, DMs, emails, and chats still arrive in your inbox, and you can still reply to them yourself.

To avoid running out, [buy more credits, turn on auto top-up, or turn on auto-upgrade](https://brandwise.ai/help/account-billing/add-more-credits).

## See where your credits go

Go to **Settings > Billing** and open the **Credit Usage** tab. Pick a date range to see how many credits you used, your top categories, and a daily chart broken down by category.