Top-up Credits

Top-up credits are additional categorization credits you can purchase separately from your subscription plan. They provide flexibility when you need more categorization capacity than your monthly plan allocation, without requiring a permanent plan upgrade.

What Are Top-up Credits?

Top-up credits work exactly like your monthly plan credits—each credit allows you to categorize one product. The key differences:

Monthly credits:

Included with your subscription plan
Refresh at the start of each billing cycle
Unused credits are lost when the cycle renews

Top-up credits:

Purchased separately as one-time packages
Never expire—remain in your account until used
Persist across billing cycles
Available even after plan cancellation (but temporarily unusable)

Top-up credits are consumed after your monthly credits are exhausted, ensuring you always use your renewable allocation first before tapping into your persistent reserve.

When to Use Top-up Credits

Top-up credits are ideal for specific situations where you need extra capacity without changing your subscription:

Large one-time imports When migrating from another platform or importing a seasonal catalog, buy enough top-up credits to cover the import plus a small buffer.

Unexpected catalog expansion If you acquire new inventory unexpectedly and need to categorize more products than your plan allows this month.

Testing before upgrading Try a higher categorization volume temporarily before committing to a more expensive monthly plan.

End-of-cycle overages When you’ve used your monthly credits but the billing cycle hasn’t renewed yet and you need to categorize additional products.

Seasonal spikes For stores with seasonal inventory changes that don’t justify a permanent plan upgrade.

Peace of mind buffer Purchase credits in advance to ensure you never run out during critical operations.

Available Top-up Packages

Top-up credits are available in six package sizes with volume discounts. Larger packages offer better per-credit pricing:

Small Top-ups

1,000 credits - $7

$0.0070 per categorization
Best for: Occasional overages or testing new settings

3,000 credits - $19 (Save 10%)

$0.0063 per categorization
Best for: Moderate monthly overages

Initial Setup & Bulk Imports

10,000 credits - $58 (Save 17%)

$0.0058 per categorization
Best for: Large catalog imports

25,000 credits - $135 (Save 23%) - Most popular

$0.0054 per categorization
Best for: Comprehensive catalog setup

50,000 credits - $260 (Save 26%)

$0.0052 per categorization
Best for: Enterprise-scale operations

100,000 credits - $500 (Save 29%)

$0.0050 per categorization
Best for: Massive bulk imports or migrations

Savings are calculated compared to the 1,000-credit pack. The more credits you purchase at once, the lower your per-categorization cost.

Choosing the Right Package

**For one-time large imports:**Buy enough to cover the import plus a 10-20% buffer. Larger packages offer better value if you’re importing thousands of products.

**For regular monthly overages:**If you consistently need top-ups every month, upgrading your plan is usually more cost-effective than repeatedly purchasing small packages.

**For occasional spikes:**Smaller packages (1,000-3,000 credits) work well for unpredictable needs without over-purchasing.

**For future-proofing:**Credits never expire, so purchasing a larger package provides a buffer for multiple future operations at a better rate.

How to Purchase Top-up Credits

Purchase top-up credits through the Categorify Settings page:

Open Apps → Categorify in your Shopify admin
Click Settings in the top navigation
Scroll to the Top-up Credits section
Use the dropdown to select a package size
Click Buy credits
Complete payment through Shopify’s billing system

Credits are added to your balance immediately after purchase and become available for use right away.

Purchase Requirements

Top-up credits are only available to users with active paid subscriptions. You cannot purchase top-ups:

During your trial period
After your subscription has been cancelled
Before subscribing to a plan

To purchase top-ups, you must have an active Starter, Growth, Scale, or Pro plan subscription.

Viewing Your Top-up Credit Balance

Monitor your top-up credits in two locations within Categorify:

Dashboard - Usage Pane

The Usage pane on the main dashboard shows:

Total available credits - Combined monthly and top-up credits
Monthly credits - Remaining from your plan allocation
Top-up credits - Remaining balance with usage this cycle

Example display:

Usage: 15,250 available

Monthly: 8,000 remaining · 15,000 / 23,000 used
65%

Top-up: 7,250 remaining (150 used this cycle)

This shows:

15,250 total credits available (8,000 monthly + 7,250 top-up)
65% of monthly credits consumed
7,250 top-up credits remaining
150 top-up credits used during the current billing cycle

Quick access: Click Buy top-up credits in the Usage pane to jump directly to the Settings page purchase flow.

Settings Page - Top-up Credits Section

The Settings page provides:

Current top-up credit balance
Package selection dropdown
Purchase button
Direct access to buy additional credits

Both locations show the same information—use whichever is more convenient when monitoring or purchasing credits.

How Top-up Credits Are Consumed

Understanding consumption order helps you manage your credit balance effectively:

Consumption Priority

When you categorize a product, Categorify consumes credits in this order:

Trial credits first (during trial period only)
Monthly credits next (your plan’s allocation)
Top-up credits last (only after monthly credits are exhausted)

This ensures you always use renewable monthly credits before tapping into your persistent top-up reserve.

Consumption Example

You have:

5,000 monthly credits remaining (out of 23,000 allocation)
10,000 top-up credits

Categorizations 1-5,000: Monthly credits → Monthly: 0 remaining, Top-up: 10,000 remaining

Categorizations 5,001-15,000: Top-up credits → Monthly: 0 remaining, Top-up: 0 remaining

When your next billing cycle begins:

Monthly credits refresh to 23,000
Top-up balance remains 0 (already consumed)

Tracking Top-up Usage

The Usage pane shows “Top-up credits used this cycle” to help you understand:

How many top-up credits you consumed during the current billing cycle
Whether you’re consistently tapping into top-ups (suggesting a plan upgrade might be appropriate)
If purchased top-ups are sufficient for your needs

This metric resets with each billing cycle, while your overall top-up balance only decreases when credits are consumed.

Top-up Credits vs Plan Upgrades

When should you buy top-up credits versus upgrading your plan?

Buy Top-up Credits When:

One-time needs:

Large catalog import that won’t recur
Seasonal inventory expansion
Testing higher categorization volume before committing
End-of-cycle overage that won’t repeat

Unpredictable usage:

Irregular categorization patterns
Occasional bulk operations
Inconsistent inventory additions

Short-term capacity:

Temporary need that doesn’t justify permanent plan increase
Project-based work with defined end date

Upgrade Your Plan When:

Regular overages:

You purchase top-ups every month or nearly every month
Consistently using 90%+ of your monthly allocation
Predictable categorization volume exceeds your plan

Cost efficiency:

Monthly plan upgrade costs less than regular top-up purchases
You need the higher capacity permanently

Growth trajectory:

Your store is expanding and categorization needs are increasing
You anticipate sustained higher volume

Example comparison:

If you’re on the Growth plan ($49/month, 11,000 credits) and regularly purchase 10,000 top-up credits ($58) each month:

Total monthly cost: $49 + $58 = $107
Scale plan cost: $99/month (23,000 credits)

Upgrading to Scale plan saves $8/month and provides 23,000 renewable credits instead of needing top-ups.

Top-up Credits After Cancellation

Top-up credits are preserved when you cancel your subscription, but temporarily become unavailable:

What Happens to Top-up Credits

When you cancel:

Top-up credits become temporarily unusable
The balance is stored and preserved
You cannot access or use these credits while cancelled

If you resubscribe:

Top-up credits become available immediately
The balance is exactly as you left it
No credits are lost during the cancellation period

Example

You have 5,000 top-up credits when you cancel
Six months pass with your subscription cancelled
You resubscribe to any plan
Your 5,000 top-up credits are immediately available again

This ensures you never lose credits you’ve purchased, even if you take a break from using Categorify.

During Cancellation

While your subscription is cancelled:

You can view your top-up balance in the Settings and Dashboard
You cannot purchase additional top-up credits
Existing top-up credits cannot be used for categorization
Credits remain associated with your account

Credits Never Expire

Unlike monthly plan credits that reset each billing cycle, top-up credits have no expiration:

What this means:

Purchase credits months in advance if you get a better price
Build a credit reserve for future large operations
No pressure to use credits before a deadline
Credits persist indefinitely until you use them

Strategic use:

Buy larger packages for better pricing when you have budget available
Create a buffer for unexpected categorization needs
Take advantage of volume discounts even if you don’t need all credits immediately

The only way to lose top-up credits is to request a refund (subject to Shopify’s refund policies) or if your Shopify store is permanently deleted.

Common Questions

Can I get a refund for unused top-up credits?

Categorify follows Shopify’s standard refund policies for app purchases. Contact Shopify support for refund inquiries related to top-up credit purchases.

Do top-up credits carry over to the next billing cycle?

Yes, unlike monthly credits, top-up credits persist across billing cycles. They remain in your account until you use them, regardless of how many billing cycles pass.

Can I purchase top-up credits during my trial?

No, top-up credits are only available to users with active paid subscriptions. You must subscribe to a plan before purchasing top-ups.

What happens if I downgrade my plan?

Your top-up credits are unaffected by plan changes. Whether you upgrade or downgrade, your top-up balance remains the same and continues to be available.

Can I transfer top-up credits to another store?

No, top-up credits are tied to the specific Shopify store where they were purchased. They cannot be transferred to other stores or accounts.

Is there a maximum number of top-up credits I can purchase?

There’s no enforced maximum, but if you’re regularly purchasing very large quantities, upgrading to a higher plan tier is usually more cost-effective.

How do I know if I’m using too many top-up credits?

Check the “Top-up credits used this cycle” metric in the Usage pane. If you’re consistently using significant top-up credits every billing cycle, a plan upgrade likely makes financial sense.

What’s the smallest package I can buy?

The smallest package is 1,000 credits for $7. This is useful for testing or handling small overages without over-purchasing.

Can I purchase multiple packages at once?

Yes, you can purchase multiple packages. Each purchase adds to your existing top-up balance. However, buying one larger package is typically more cost-effective than multiple smaller packages due to volume discounts.

Next Steps

Now that you understand top-up credits:

Understanding Credits - Learn how all credit types work together
Subscription Plans & Billing - Compare plan options and monthly credit allocations
Dashboard Overview - Monitor your credit usage and balance
Configuring Settings - Access the Settings page to purchase top-up credits

Ready to purchase top-up credits? Navigate to Settings in Categorify and select your package size from the Top-up Credits section.

Subscription Plans and Billing Monitoring Usage