How Credits Work at Mailsfinder
Every Mailsfinder subscription includes a monthly allocation of credits. Each credit represents one action: finding an email address, verifying an email, or performing an enrichment lookup. Credits are the currency of your Mailsfinder account, and understanding how they work helps you maximize the value of your subscription.
Your credit balance is visible at all times in the top-right corner of your Mailsfinder dashboard. You can also view a detailed breakdown of credit usage by action type under Settings > Usage & Billing.
Credit Rollover Policy
Mailsfinder does not roll over unused credits from one billing cycle to the next on monthly subscription plans. When your billing period resets, any credits you did not use are forfeited, and your balance is replenished with your plan's full monthly allocation.
This policy applies to all monthly plans, including Free, Growth, and Pro tiers. The reasoning is straightforward: monthly credits are designed to reflect the capacity you need during a given period. If you consistently find yourself with a large surplus, it may indicate that a lower-tier plan would be a better fit for your current usage.
Exception: Annual Plans
If you subscribe to an annual plan, your credits work differently. Annual subscribers receive their full yearly credit allocation upfront, and those credits remain available for the entire 12-month billing period. This means you can use more credits in busy months and fewer in quieter months, giving you significantly more flexibility than a monthly subscription.
What Happens When You Upgrade
When you upgrade your plan mid-cycle, the following occurs:
- Immediate credit top-up. You receive the difference in credits between your old and new plan, prorated for the remaining days in your billing cycle. For example, if you upgrade from Growth (5,000 credits) to Pro (25,000 credits) halfway through the month, you receive approximately 10,000 additional credits for the remaining period.
- Rate limits update instantly. Your API rate limits and feature access are upgraded immediately upon confirmation of the plan change.
- Billing adjustment. You are charged a prorated amount for the difference between your old and new plan for the remainder of the current billing cycle. Your next full billing cycle reflects the new plan price.
What Happens When You Downgrade
Downgrading your plan takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle, not immediately. Until your current cycle ends, you retain full access to your existing plan's credits and features. Here is what to expect:
- Current cycle unchanged. You keep all remaining credits and features until your billing period ends.
- New allocation on renewal. When the new billing cycle begins, your credit balance resets to the lower plan's allocation.
- No refunds for unused credits. Credits from the higher plan that you did not use before the downgrade are not carried over or refunded.
Lifetime Plan Credits
Mailsfinder occasionally offers lifetime deal plans through partner platforms. If you hold a lifetime plan, your credits work on a monthly refresh cycle: you receive a fixed number of credits each month, and unused credits do not roll over. However, lifetime plan holders never lose access to the platform and are not subject to price increases.
Some lifetime plans include a "credit bank" feature that allows a limited rollover of up to 20% of your monthly allocation. Check your specific lifetime plan terms in your dashboard under Settings > Plan Details to see if this applies to your account.
Tips for Maximizing Your Credits
- Plan your campaigns around billing cycles. Schedule bulk verification and finder jobs at the start of the month when your credits are fresh, rather than letting them expire unused at the end of the period.
- Use bulk operations. Bulk email finding and verification are more credit-efficient than single lookups because Mailsfinder deduplicates requests within the same batch automatically.
- Monitor usage weekly. Set up usage alerts in your dashboard to receive a notification when you reach 50%, 75%, and 90% of your monthly credit limit. This helps you pace your usage or upgrade proactively.
- Consider annual billing. If your usage varies month to month, an annual plan gives you the flexibility to distribute credits across the year as needed.
Summary
Unused monthly credits expire at the end of each billing cycle and do not carry over. Annual plans provide more flexibility with a full yearly allocation. Upgrades add prorated credits immediately, while downgrades take effect on the next cycle. Plan your usage accordingly and consider annual billing if your needs fluctuate significantly from month to month.