AI top-ups
Each plan includes a number of AI requests a month: an AI summary of a visitor, an AI answer, or an Ask AI quick action. The count resets on the 1st of each month. On a paid plan, when the month’s requests run out, Whence can add more automatically so your AI keeps working.
How it works
When this month’s AI requests run out, Whence adds 80 more AI requests for $7, bills them right away, and your request goes through. It repeats each time the requests run out, up to the monthly limit you set.
- On by default for every paid plan.
- Monthly limit: 10 blocks by default, up to $70 a month. You can choose from 1 to 50 blocks.
- Billed at once: to your card through Stripe, or by Shopify if Shopify bills your plan. If the charge does not go through, no requests are added and no AI request is sent.
- This month only: blocks count for the calendar month in which they are added. They are not a recurring charge.
- Not on the Free plan: the Free plan has no AI at all.
Top-ups are different from the 80 more AI requests a month add-on, which raises your allowance every month for $7 per block. Top-ups only charge you in the months you actually run out.
Set your limit
Step 1: Open AI top-ups
In the Whence web app, open the account menu at the top left, then Plan. Scroll to AI top-ups. The section appears on paid plans only. In the Shopify app, open Plan, then AI top-ups: the checkbox and the limit are the same.
Step 2: Choose your settings and save
Tick or untick Automatically add AI requests when I run out (1). Under Monthly limit for automatic top-ups (2), pick a limit, for example “10 blocks, up to $70 a month”. Past it, AI stops until the 1st. Click Save (3). You see “AI top-up settings saved.”
Step 3: Add requests by hand when you need them
The same section tells you what happened this month (1), for example “This month: 1 automatic top-up, $7.00.” or “No AI top-ups this month.”
Click Add 80 AI requests now ($7) (2). The block is billed at once and you see “80 AI requests added.” A block added by hand does not count toward your monthly limit, so you can use it when the limit is reached or top-ups are off. When AI stops, the message also offers an Add 80 AI requests ($7) button to people who have the Billing right.
Who is told
The account owner and every member with the Billing right get a notification in the bell when 80 percent of the month’s AI requests are used, each time a block is added (with its amount), when the monthly limit is reached, and when a charge fails.
When AI stops: the messages
- “Monthly AI limit reached. Your automatic top-ups reached this month’s limit, so AI stops until the 1st. You can add 80 more requests by hand, or raise the limit in Plan.”
- “Monthly AI limit reached. Automatic top-ups are turned off, so AI stops until the 1st. You can add 80 more requests by hand, or turn them on in Plan.”
- “Monthly AI limit reached. Your card was declined, so no requests were added and nothing was charged. Update your card in Plan, then add 80 more requests.” After a declined card, Whence does not try again by itself: update your card in Manage payment, then save your settings or add a block by hand.
- “The Free plan does not include AI. See includes 100 AI summaries or answers a month, and Connect and Decide include more. Pick a plan in Plan.”
If Shopify bills your plan
- Shopify must approve a spending limit for Whence usage with your subscription. If your subscription was created before top-ups existed, the app says: “Your current Shopify subscription has no usage charge yet. Approve it in Shopify to turn on automatic top-ups. Your plan price stays the same.” Click Approve the charge in Shopify.
- A higher monthly limit may also need your approval in Shopify.
- When that Shopify spending limit is reached, you see: “Your Shopify spending limit for Whence usage is reached. Raise it in the Whence app in your Shopify admin (Plan). Nothing was charged.”
- Shopify bills top-ups on monthly plans only. On a yearly plan billed by Shopify, use the AI block add-on instead.