{"site":{"name":"Koji","description":"AI-native customer research platform that helps teams conduct, analyze, and synthesize customer interviews at scale.","url":"https://www.koji.so","contentTypes":["blog","documentation"],"lastUpdated":"2026-05-18T13:46:25.857Z"},"content":[{"type":"documentation","id":"dfe7eec9-a652-4219-a204-bd00834ca979","slug":"overage-billing-explained","title":"Overage Billing Explained","url":"https://www.koji.so/docs/overage-billing-explained","summary":"Koji bills overage at a flat €1/credit on paid plans when included monthly credits are exhausted. Text overage costs €1, voice costs €3, and report refreshes cost €5. Structured questions are included at no extra cost. The quality gate (1-5 scale, threshold of 3) still applies during overage — low-quality conversations are always free. Users can set configurable overage caps to control spending.","content":"## How Overage Billing Works\n\nWhen you exceed your plan's included monthly credits, Koji's overage billing lets you continue your research without interruption. Overages are billed at a simple, flat rate with full transparency.\n\n---\n\n## Overage Pricing\n\n| Detail | Value |\n|--------|-------|\n| **Overage rate** | €1 per credit (flat, all plans) |\n| **[Text interview](/docs/text-interview-experience) overage** | €1 (1 credit) |\n| **[Voice interview](/docs/voice-interview-experience) overage** | €3 (3 credits) |\n| **Report refresh overage** | €5 (5 credits) |\n| **[Quality gate](/docs/how-the-quality-gate-works)** | Still applies — low-quality conversations are free |\n\nOverage is only available on **paid plans** (Insights, Interviews, Enterprise). Free plan users cannot go over their credit balance.\n\n[Structured questions](/docs/structured-questions-guide) (scale, choice, ranking, yes/no) are included in every interview at no extra credit cost — even during overage. Whether your interview uses open-ended questions, structured questions, or both, the credit cost stays the same.\n\n---\n\n## How Overage Is Tracked\n\nKoji uses **Stripe metered billing** to track overage in real time:\n\n1. When you complete a conversation that passes the [quality gate](/docs/how-the-quality-gate-works) (score >= 3 on the 1-5 scale), Koji checks if you have included credits remaining\n2. If your included credits are exhausted, a **meter event** is sent to Stripe\n3. The meter event records the credit cost of the action (1 for text, 3 for voice, 5 for report refresh)\n4. At the end of your billing period, Stripe tallies all overage meter events and adds them to your invoice\n\n### Credit Consumption Priority\n\nCredits are consumed in this order:\n1. **Bonus credits first** — any admin-granted or promotional credits are used before your plan's included allocation\n2. **Included plan credits** — your monthly allocation (29 for Insights, 79 for Interviews)\n3. **Overage credits** — billed at €1/credit via Stripe metering\n\n---\n\n## Configuring Your Overage Cap\n\nYou can control your maximum overage spending by setting an **overage cap**:\n\n| Setting | Behavior |\n|---------|----------|\n| **Cap = 0** | Hard stop — no overage allowed. Interviews pause when credits are exhausted. |\n| **Cap = 50** | Allow up to 50 additional credits (€50 max overage per period) |\n| **Cap = unlimited** | No limit — research continues uninterrupted, billed at €1/credit |\n\nTo configure your overage cap, contact the Koji team or adjust it through your account settings.\n\n---\n\n## The Quality Gate and Overages\n\nThe [quality gate](/docs/how-the-quality-gate-works) applies to **all conversations**, including overages. This means:\n\n- If a conversation during overage scores below 3 on the 1-5 scale, it is **completely free**\n- You are never charged for low-quality interactions, even in overage\n- This protection applies equally to text and voice interviews\n\nFor example, if you run 10 overage voice interviews and 3 of them score below the quality threshold, you're only charged for 7 (7 x 3 credits x €1 = €21), not all 10.\n\n---\n\n## When Overage Makes Sense vs. Upgrading\n\n### Stay on your current plan + overage when:\n- You occasionally exceed your credits by a small amount\n- Your usage varies significantly month to month\n- You need flexibility without commitment to a higher tier\n\n### Upgrade to the next plan when:\n- You consistently exceed your credits by more than 20-30%\n- The overage cost regularly exceeds the price difference between plans\n- You want free report refreshes (available on Interviews plan and above)\n\n### Example calculation:\nIf you're on **Insights** (€29/mo, 29 credits) and regularly use 45 credits:\n- Overage cost: 16 extra credits x €1 = €16/mo — Total: €45/mo\n- **Interviews plan**: €79/mo for 79 credits + free report refreshes\n- If you're running 45+ interviews regularly, the Interviews plan offers better value with more headroom\n\nFor a full plan comparison, see the [Plan Comparison Guide](/docs/plan-comparison-guide).\n\n---\n\n## Monitoring Overage\n\nKeep track of your overage spending:\n\n1. **Dashboard** — view your current credit usage and remaining balance\n2. **Stripe billing portal** — see detailed invoices including overage charges (access from **Dashboard** → **Profile** → **Billing**)\n3. **Usage alerts** — receive notifications as you approach your credit limit\n\nFor more on how credits work, see [Understanding Usage and Credits](/docs/understanding-usage-limits).\n\n---\n\n## Overage on Your Invoice\n\nOverage charges appear as a separate line item on your Stripe invoice:\n\n- **Base subscription**: Your plan's monthly or annual fee\n- **Metered usage**: Overage credits consumed x €1/credit\n\nInvoices are generated at the end of each billing period and processed automatically via your saved payment method. For details on managing your payment method, see [Managing Payment Methods](/docs/managing-payment-methods).","category":"Billing & Plans","lastModified":"2026-04-25T19:14:08.521275+00:00","metaTitle":"Overage Billing Explained — Koji","metaDescription":"Koji charges €1/credit for overage beyond your plan's included credits. Learn how metered billing works, how to set overage caps, and when to upgrade instead.","keywords":["koji overage","overage billing","credit overage","koji metered billing","usage-based pricing"],"aiSummary":"Koji bills overage at a flat €1/credit on paid plans when included monthly credits are exhausted. Text overage costs €1, voice costs €3, and report refreshes cost €5. Structured questions are included at no extra cost. The quality gate (1-5 scale, threshold of 3) still applies during overage — low-quality conversations are always free. Users can set configurable overage caps to control spending.","aiPrerequisites":["understanding-usage-limits","how-the-quality-gate-works"],"aiLearningOutcomes":["Understand how per-interview overage billing works","Know that the quality gate protects you even in overage","Plan around overage caps for budget predictability","Decide when overages make sense vs. upgrading your plan"],"aiDifficulty":"beginner","aiEstimatedTime":"6 min read"}],"pagination":{"total":1,"returned":1,"offset":0}}