Operator Credits are how Trades Operator bills for usage-based features. They are separate from your customers' payments and from customer refunds.
What uses Operator Credits
- Operator: each finished answer at
/operator-aishows the credits it used. - Voice AI: each completed AI response on a call uses 0.2 Operator Credit (
/settings/communications/voice-ai). - Call analysis: eligible recorded calls are transcribed and counted as Operator Credit usage.
- Phone and texting: the first local number is included; call, text, recording, and additional-number usage follows the Operator Credits rate shown in billing.
- Draft options with AI on estimates, which needs Operator Credits set up.
Voice AI stays off until Operator Credits enrollment is finished.
How usage is billed
Open Subscription & Operator Credits at /settings/billing. Usage is billed on a monthly Operator Credits invoice. Once the billing period closes, the invoice is charged automatically to the payment method the owner approved. Your plan is shown under Trades Operator plan.
Set the payment method
Only the company owner can approve, change, or stop the payment method, with two-step verification. Setup never creates a charge.
- Add a card or bank account and approve it for future Operator Credits invoices. A bank account turns on after verification finishes.
- Operator Credits are paid only by a card or bank account. They are never taken from the balance where your customers' payments land. If the page says Add a card or bank account, add one to keep automatic billing on.
- Stop automatic billing pauses automatic charges until a method is chosen again.
Buy prepaid credits
Under Prepaid credits, the owner can buy packs of 1,000, 5,000, or 20,000 credits (the button shows the current price). Prepaid credits are used before anything is added to your monthly invoice. Prepaid balance shows what is left. Select See usage by feature to see where credits were used.
Auto top-up
Under Auto top-up, the company owner or an admin can turn on Turn on auto top-up. When your balance falls to the set threshold, Trades Operator buys the pack you chose under Pack to buy each time with the payment method on file, so the Operator assistant, calls and texts keep working. It needs a card or bank account on file and runs at most a limited number of times a day; Daily limit reached means you can wait or buy credits above. Select Turn off auto top-up to stop it.
If it is not working
- Payment failed — update payment method: change the payment method, then select Retry payment now.
- Bank verification in progress: no action needed; it turns on when verification finishes.
- Bank account could not be verified or Bank verification expired: add the payment method again or choose a card.
- Checkout could not open: nothing was charged; try again.
- Owner approval required: ask the company owner.
- Billing status unavailable: reload the page later.
Last updated 2026-10-09. Questions? Email support@tradesoperator.com.