> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.fanaura.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Usage & Overages

> Understand how Fanaura tracks your monthly email and SMS usage, what happens when you exceed your plan limits, and how to monitor your consumption.

Your Fanaura plan includes a monthly allowance for emails and SMS. This page explains how usage is tracked, what happens when you go over your limit, how much overages cost, and how to stay on top of your consumption.

***

## Monthly Allowances by Plan

| Resource   | Basic       | Pro          | Complete      |
| ---------- | ----------- | ------------ | ------------- |
| **Emails** | 1,000/month | 10,000/month | 100,000/month |
| **SMS**    | 100/month   | 1,000/month  | 10,000/month  |

<Info>These are your included allowances. Every email sent (blasts, flows, transactional) and every SMS sent (blasts, flows, 2-way conversations) counts toward your monthly usage.</Info>

***

## What Counts Toward Usage

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Email Usage">
    Every outbound email sent from Fanaura counts:

    * **Email blasts**: Each recipient counts as one email. A blast to 2,000 fans = 2,000 emails.
    * **Flow emails**: Each email action executed in a flow counts. If 500 fans receive a welcome email through your flow, that is 500 emails.
    * **Transactional emails**: Presave confirmations, RSVP acknowledgments, and other system-generated emails count.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="SMS Usage">
    Every outbound text message sent from Fanaura counts:

    * **SMS blasts**: Each recipient counts as one SMS. A campaign to 500 fans = 500 SMS.
    * **Flow SMS**: Each text sent via a flow action counts.
    * **2-way conversations**: When you reply to a fan in the Conversations tab, each outbound message counts.
    * **Multi-segment messages**: If your text exceeds 160 characters, it is split into multiple segments. Each segment counts as one SMS.

    <Warning>Keep text messages concise. A 320-character message counts as 2 SMS. A 480-character message counts as 3 SMS.</Warning>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="What Does NOT Count">
    * **Inbound SMS**: Messages from fans texting your number do not count against your allowance.
    * **Email opens and clicks**: Tracking engagement does not use your email allowance.
    * **Failed deliveries**: Bounced emails and undelivered SMS do not count (you are only charged for successfully sent messages).
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Usage Tracking

You can monitor your usage at any time:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings">
    Go to **Settings** (gear icon) in the left sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Billing">
    Click the **Billing** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="View Usage">
    Your current month's usage is displayed at the top with visual progress bars.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### What You See

**Email Usage Bar**

```
Emails: 3,247 / 10,000 used (32%)
[=========>                              ]
```

**SMS Usage Bar**

```
SMS: 89 / 1,000 used (9%)
[===>                                     ]
```

### Color Indicators

<Info>The usage bars change color as you approach your limit:</Info>

| Color      | Range  | Meaning                                                                |
| ---------- | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Green**  | 0-49%  | Well within your limits. No action needed.                             |
| **Yellow** | 50-79% | Moderate usage. Keep an eye on it as the month progresses.             |
| **Orange** | 80-99% | Getting close. Consider whether upcoming campaigns will push you over. |
| **Red**    | 100%+  | Over your limit. Overage charges are now applying.                     |

***

## Overage Pricing

<Note>Fanaura does not cut you off when you exceed your plan limits. Your messages continue to send, and overage charges are added to your next invoice.</Note>

| Resource         | Overage Rate         | Per-Unit Cost     |
| ---------------- | -------------------- | ----------------- |
| **Extra Emails** | \$1 per 1,000 emails | \$0.001 per email |
| **Extra SMS**    | \$10 per 1,000 texts | \$0.01 per text   |

### Overage Examples

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Example 1: Moderate Email Overage">
    * **Plan:** Pro (10,000 emails/month)
    * **Sent this month:** 14,000 emails
    * **Overage:** 4,000 extra emails
    * **Overage charge:** 4 x $1 = **$4.00\*\*
    * **Total bill:** $497 (plan) + $4 (overage) = **\$501.00**
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Example 2: Significant SMS Overage">
    * **Plan:** Basic (100 SMS/month)
    * **Sent this month:** 600 SMS
    * **Overage:** 500 extra SMS
    * **Overage charge:** 0.5 x $10 = **$5.00\*\*
    * **Total bill:** $29 (plan) + $5 (overage) = **\$34.00**
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Example 3: Large Campaign Push">
    * **Plan:** Pro (10,000 emails + 1,000 SMS)
    * **Sent this month:** 25,000 emails + 3,000 SMS
    * **Email overage:** 15,000 extra emails = 15 x $1 = $15
    * **SMS overage:** 2,000 extra texts = 2 x $10 = $20
    * **Overage charge:** **\$35.00**
    * **Total bill:** $497 + $35 = **\$532.00**
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Billing Cycle

### When Usage Resets

Your usage resets at the start of each billing cycle. Your billing cycle begins on the day you subscribed:

* Subscribed on March 15 = billing cycle runs March 15 to April 14.
* On April 15, your usage resets to zero and a new cycle begins.

### When Overages Are Charged

<Info>Overage charges are calculated at the end of each billing cycle and added to your next invoice. You will see them as a line item separate from your base subscription.</Info>

***

## When to Consider Upgrading

<Warning>Overages are fine for occasional spikes. But if you consistently exceed your plan limits, upgrading is usually cheaper.</Warning>

### Email Break-Even Points

| Scenario             | Basic + Overages | Pro Cost | Verdict                                       |
| -------------------- | ---------------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| 3,000 emails/month   | $29 + $2 = \$31  | \$497    | Stay on Basic                                 |
| 5,000 emails/month   | $29 + $4 = \$33  | \$497    | Stay on Basic                                 |
| 10,000 emails/month  | $29 + $9 = \$38  | \$497    | Stay on Basic (if emails are all you need)    |
| 10,000+ emails/month | Depends          | \$497    | Consider Pro for unlimited assets + AI + team |

<Tip>The math on email overages alone rarely justifies upgrading to Pro, because the email overage rate (\$1/1,000) is very affordable. The real reasons to upgrade to Pro are: **unlimited assets and launches**, **unlimited AI**, **3 team seats**, **10x more SMS**, and **premium support**.</Tip>

### SMS Break-Even Points

| Scenario        | Basic + Overages | Pro Cost | Verdict                                           |
| --------------- | ---------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| 200 SMS/month   | $29 + $1 = \$30  | \$497    | Stay on Basic                                     |
| 500 SMS/month   | $29 + $4 = \$33  | \$497    | Stay on Basic                                     |
| 1,000 SMS/month | $29 + $9 = \$38  | \$497    | Consider Pro (if you need other Pro features too) |
| 2,000 SMS/month | $29 + $19 = \$48 | \$497    | Consider Pro                                      |

<Info>SMS overages at \$10/1,000 are more expensive per unit than email. If you are consistently sending 1,000+ texts on a Basic plan, the combination of SMS overages plus the value of Pro's other features often makes upgrading worthwhile.</Info>

***

## Monitoring Best Practices

<Tip>**Check usage weekly.** A quick glance at your usage bars each week helps you avoid surprises. It takes 10 seconds and tells you whether you are on track.</Tip>

### Plan Around Big Campaigns

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check Remaining Allowance">
    Before a major launch, check your remaining email and SMS allowance in Settings > Billing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Estimate Campaign Volume">
    Calculate how many messages your campaign will send based on your recipient count.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Decide Your Approach">
    If the campaign will push you significantly over your limit, either:

    * **Upgrade** to a higher plan (especially if you are close to the break-even point).
    * **Accept the overage** charge (if it is a one-time spike).
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Set Internal Alerts

<Tip>While Fanaura shows usage visually, create a habit:</Tip>

* **Beginning of month**: Check starting usage (should be zero).
* **Mid-month**: Check to see if you are pacing well.
* **Before campaigns**: Check remaining allowance.
* **End of month**: Review total usage to plan for next month.

### Track Trends Over Time

Keep a simple record of your monthly usage:

| Month    | Emails Sent | SMS Sent | Overage Cost |
| -------- | ----------- | -------- | ------------ |
| January  | 8,200       | 450      | \$0          |
| February | 12,500      | 780      | \$2.50       |
| March    | 15,000      | 1,200    | \$7.00       |

<Warning>If you see a steady upward trend, it might be time to upgrade proactively rather than reactively.</Warning>

***

## Common Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I pre-pay for overages?">
    Not currently. Overages are calculated and charged at the end of each billing cycle.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a maximum overage amount?">
    No hard cap. If you send significantly more messages than your plan includes, the overage charges reflect the actual volume. For extremely high-volume senders, upgrading to Complete or Enterprise is almost always more economical.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do unused messages roll over?">
    No. Your allowance resets to zero at the start of each billing cycle. Unused emails and SMS do not carry over.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I downgrade mid-cycle?">
    Your current plan limits remain active until the end of the billing period. The downgrade takes effect on your next billing date.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are there volume discounts for overages?">
    Overage rates are flat ($1/1,000 emails, $10/1,000 SMS) regardless of volume. For volume discounts, upgrade to a higher plan or contact sales about Enterprise pricing.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## What Happens Next

<Tip>Head to **Settings > Billing** to check your current usage right now. Understanding your consumption patterns is the first step to making smart decisions about your plan.</Tip>

If you are consistently hitting your limits, explore the [Plan Features](/pricing/features) page to see what the next tier offers beyond just more messages.