# Credits and billing

URL: https://email-validation.org/docs/credits-and-billing/
Updated: 2026-10-20

> Documentation index: https://email-validation.org/llms.txt

One credit pays for one result. Results with the status `unknown` are free, and so are errors, malformed addresses
and test addresses. Credits come in one-time packs, never a subscription, and they expire 24 months
after they are added to your account.

## What costs a credit

| Outcome | Credit |
|---|---|
| A completed check with status `deliverable`, `undeliverable` or `risky` | 1 |
| A result with status `unknown`, including checks that ran out of time | Free |
| A malformed address, answered without a check | Free |
| A [test address](https://email-validation.org/docs/test-addresses/) on `sandbox.email-validation.org` | Free |
| A request that ends in an error (`4xx` or `5xx`) | Free |
| Duplicate addresses inside one bulk job | Charged once |

Every result tells you what it cost in `credits_used`.

## Free credits

New accounts get 500 free credits, with no card needed. The grant is protected against automated
sign-ups and disposable addresses, so it can occasionally be held for review.

## Credit packs

| Pack | Price | Per 1,000 | With the 15% bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 credits | $35 | $3.50 | 11,500 credits |
| 25,000 credits | $49 | $1.96 | 28,750 credits |
| 50,000 credits | $79 | $1.58 | 57,500 credits |
| 1,000,000 credits | $450 | $0.45 | 1,150,000 credits |

Prices in USD, excluding tax. VAT or sales tax is added at checkout where applicable. Packs are sold to businesses. Buy them under **Billing** in the dashboard.

## First-payment bonus

Each of your first 3 completed payments adds 15% extra credits to the pack, whatever
payment method you use (card, Link, Apple Pay or Google Pay). A card can earn the bonus on at most
3 payments, across all accounts. From the next payment on, you get the pack's standard amount.

## Expiry and spending order

- Every credit expires 24 months after it was added: free, bonus and purchased credits alike.
- Credits are spent soonest-expiring first, so the credits closest to expiry are always used first.
- We can email you 30 days before credits expire (choose your notices in settings), and a
  [`credits.expiring` webhook](https://email-validation.org/docs/webhooks/) can tell your systems too.
- Your [credit balance](https://email-validation.org/docs/api/credits/) lists every lot with its expiry date.

## Refunds

Credit purchases are final and are not refunded; this does not affect any statutory rights you may have. Because unknown results and errors are never charged, you pay only
for checks that reached a definite answer. See the [refund policy](https://email-validation.org/legal/refunds/).

## Bulk jobs

When a bulk job starts, we hold one credit for every unique address that needs a check. When it ends, credits for
results that came back `unknown` and for work that never ran (for example after a cancel) are returned. The job shows
`credits_reserved` and `credits_charged` at every step.

## Low balance

Set a low-balance threshold in the dashboard to get an email and a [`credits.low` webhook](https://email-validation.org/docs/webhooks/) when
your balance drops below it. If you run out, validations answer `402 insufficient_credits` (free) until you buy a
pack.