How credits work
One credit is one email delivered. Finding and keeping addresses is free, a bounce gives the credit back, and credits never expire.
Updated 2026-10-31
Otto finds businesses for your cold campaigns, writes to them and sends the emails. You pay with credits, and only for emails that actually go out.
One credit is one email delivered. Finding and keeping addresses is free, a bounce gives the credit back, and credits never expire.
When a credit is spent
A credit is spent each time Otto hands one email for one person to your mailbox or to Otto's sending service. Every email counts, follow-ups too: a sequence of 3 emails that runs to the end costs 3 credits for that business.
These cost nothing:
- Finding businesses, for a campaign or a niche test, and online businesses (web search).
- Keeping what Otto found, and seeing the full address.
- Look up a business and Look up a list of websites (under Leads and credits), the Chrome extension, and the cold email API's lookups.
- Your own list (Import a CSV).
- Keep this campaign full: the lead agent adds businesses for free, up to the number a day you approved.
- An email that does not go. A send that fails costs nothing.
- Inbox placement tests, and your answers to people who replied.
If an email bounces within 30 days, its credit comes back by itself, and a notice says so.
Before you start a campaign
The campaign's checks show an estimate: about one credit for each business and each email, such as "About 300 credits (100 businesses × 3 emails)". If you have fewer, the check says so. You can still start: sending pauses when the credits run out.
When credits run out
The campaign pauses before the next email and says: "Out of credits. Buy credits in Settings → Usage, then resume." A notice tells you once. Add credits, then press Resume.
On the email plan, Otto writing your emails and drafting answers to replies costs no credits, but needs at least one credit in your balance.
Credits by person
Each email is counted for the person who started its campaign. An owner or admin can set a monthly cap for anyone under Settings → Usage. When someone reaches their cap, their campaigns pause until the cap is raised or the month starts again.
Your credits
Leads and credits shows how many you have and every change: credits added, emails delivered, and bounces given back.
Credits are bought in Settings → Usage, the one place to buy them. Buying opens when billing is switched on; until then, Otto's team adds them for you.