How Credits Work for API Orders

If you use Handwrite through the API or through MCP, orders are paid with prepaid credits rather than a card charge on every send.

That keeps the sending workflow fast and predictable, especially when you are working in batches.

The simple version

Credits are added to your company balance in advance.

Then, when you create a real API order, Handwrite deducts the order total from that shared balance.

When credits are deducted

Credits are deducted only when an order is actually created.

That includes:

• sending a finished draft
• creating a direct order through the API

When credits are not deducted

These actions do not spend credits:

• creating a draft
• editing a draft
• generating a preview
• requesting a quote
• checking your balance
• listing past orders

This matters because it lets you test, review, and approve before you commit any spend.

What a quote does

A quote tells you what the current order would cost if you sent it now.

It helps you:

• confirm pricing
• see warnings before sending
• verify that your balance is currently high enough

A quote does not reserve credits.

That means your available balance can still change between quote and send if your team places another order first.

Why Handwrite recommends quote before send

The safest workflow is:

1. create the draft
2. preview one recipient
3. request a quote
4. review and approve
5. send the order

This reduces mistakes and gives you a clean checkpoint before credits are used.

What happens if there are not enough credits

If the available balance is too low when you try to send, the order will not be created.

Instead, you will need to top up your company balance and then retry the send.

How to top up

Credits are currently topped up through the Handwrite-managed billing flow.

If your team already has API access enabled, use your configured credits area to add balance. If you are setting up API access for the first time, contact Handwrite support so we can activate the correct setup for your account.

One important detail for teams

Credits are shared at the company level, not tied to one individual API key.

So if multiple people or tools send orders under the same company, they draw from the same balance.

If you are setting up automation, it is a good idea to use the draft, preview, quote, and send workflow instead of jumping straight to live sends.