Why do I get 402 Insufficient credits?

This article explains the 402 error you get when your workspace doesn’t have enough credits for a request, and how to make sure it doesn’t stop your sending again.

Symptoms

POST /v2/emails (or retry and forward) returns 402:

{
  "error": "Insufficient credits",
  "message": "Insufficient credits to send this email. Required: 3, available: 1."
}

Related signs:

• Email verification requests return 402 with Insufficient credits for email verification list. or a similar message.
• Inbound mail is refused with 452 Insufficient credits to receive inbound email.
• The Credits meter at the bottom of the dashboard sidebar shows 0 left or close to it.

Cause

Every billable action uses creditsCreditThe unit Emailit bills in. Each action costs a fixed number of credits, for example 1 for an API or SMTP email and 2 for a campaign email.:

The API checks the full cost of a request before it accepts it. A message with 3 recipients across to, cc and bcc needs 3 credits. If you have fewer, the whole request is rejected and nothing is charged.

Your balance has two parts: the credits included with your plan each month, used first, and purchased credits, which never expire. When both are empty, sending stops.

Fix

1. Check your balance. Open Workspace›Billing and select Billable usage. Credits remaining shows what’s left, and the chart shows which products used it.

2. Buy credits. On Billable usage, choose an amount between $20 and $500 and select Purchase. You can also use Top up in the sidebar. Only workspace admins can buy credits. Purchased credits are available right away.

3. Retry the failed requests. A 402 request wasn’t sent or charged, so you can resend it as is. Use an Idempotency-Key if your job might resend twice.

4. Turn on auto-refill. On Workspace›Billing, enable Auto-refill, set the Refill amount and the Minimum credit threshold. Emailit buys credits automatically when your balance drops below the threshold. See Auto-refill.

5. Consider a plan. Pro and Business include more monthly credits and a lower price for extra credits. See Plans and pricing.

SMTP and campaign emails don’t get a 402. They’re charged when Emailit processes them, and if credits run out at that point they’re held with the reason Workspace has not enough email credits to send this email. Held emails aren’t released automatically when you add credits. See Why is my email held? to resend them, and How are credits charged per recipient? for the details of charging.

Still stuck?

If your balance looks wrong, contact support or ask in Discord with your workspace name and the time of the failed request.