---
id: KB-CD-011
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/credits-and-billing/licence-and-credits-how-they-differ
idioma: en
categoria: creditos
audiencia: administrador
nivel: basico
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-CD-005, KB-CD-004]
citadoPor: [KB-CD-021]
---

# Licence and credits: how they differ

_Two different things that get confused, and one of them can block the other._

**Responde a:** difference between licence and credits · i have credits but it will not let me · licence expired what happens to my credits · what is the annual fee and what is pay per use

There are two concepts and they are paid for separately. Confusing them causes most of the surprises: someone checks the balance, sees it full, and cannot understand why the platform will not let them do something.

## What each one is

| Concept | The licence | Credits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it enables | Being able to use the platform | Executing specific actions |
| How it is paid | Per period | By consumption, bought and spent |
| When it runs out | When the period ends | When they are used up |
| If missing | No actions can be executed | No actions can be executed |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The last row is the key one and the one that surprises: **credits do not expire with time, but they cannot be spent if the licence is not current.** Having a balance is not enough; you need both.

## What happens when the licence lapses

**En corto**

- Credits are still there, nothing is lost.
- What was already done stays accessible and verifiable.
- But new actions stop until you renew.

In other words, you lose nothing: it pauses. On renewal, whatever balance you had is still available and you carry on where you were.

> [!WARNING]
> This matters a lot when planning. Buying credits for two years only makes sense if the licence will cover those two years; otherwise you are prepaying for something you cannot use until you renew.

## How to tell which of the two is blocking you

1. **Check the balance first** — If it is zero, that is it, and topping up solves it.
2. **If there is balance and it still refuses, check the licence status** — This is the confusing case, because the balance seems to say all is well.
3. **And check permissions** — Sometimes it is neither: that user simply cannot perform that action.

> [!NOTE]
> All three are checked in a minute, in that order. Starting with the third is what turns a trivial incident into an afternoon.

**Do credits expire?**

Not with time. What expires is the licence, and without it they cannot be spent.

**Are they refunded if unused?**

They are not lost: they stay in your name for when the licence is current.

**Can I consult old material without a licence?**

What was already generated and is verifiable stays verifiable; what stops is doing new things.

## Ejemplos

**A company sees plenty of balance and cannot understand why sending for signature fails.**

- Checks the licence status and finds it lapsed the week before
- Renews

→ Work resumes with the same balance, with no credits lost.

**Balance is bought and the problem was the licence.**

- Checks what is actually blocking

→ The real problem gets solved.

**It is assumed more users consume more balance.**

- Checks what depends on each concept

→ The team grows without surprises.

**The licence expires with balance available.**

- Records its expiry with a warning

→ Work does not stop with balance to spare.

**The year is planned counting only balance.**

- Includes both concepts in the forecast

→ The estimate is complete.

**Nobody knows what the licence covers.**

- Checks what each one includes

→ Decisions are taken knowingly.