1. What is BIK billing?
BIK runs on a credit-based wallet. To start using BIK, a merchant adds credits to their BIK Wallet first; BIK then draws from this balance whenever the store sends a message, runs an AI action, or receives a billable conversation on a messaging channel.
There is no "per-channel" wallet. One wallet holds everything, and the deduction logic depends on what you're doing (sending WhatsApp, sending email, using an AI feature) and where the customer is based (for WhatsApp, country rates vary).
The problem it solves: merchants send across WhatsApp, Email, SMS, RCS, and run AI on top. Instead of juggling separate contracts and credit pools per channel, BIK keeps one balance that funds all of them, and shows one clear usage view.
2. The BIK Wallet
One wallet, all usage. A single pool of BIK credits funds both campaigns and journeys, across every channel.
Top up first, then use. The merchant needs to add credits to the BIK Wallet before they can send or run anything billable.
Visible in the dashboard at Settings → Account Settings, labelled "Usage credits" (direct link).
AI has its own sub-wallet (BIK AI credits) that is drawn first for AI features. When AI credits run out, the main BIK Wallet takes over (see Section 8).
3. What gets charged — a quick map
What you do | What it draws |
Send a WhatsApp campaign / journey message | BIK Wallet (based on Meta's conversation rate × country) |
Send an Email campaign / journey message | Free Email Credist if available → BIK Wallet (fixed unit price per email) |
Use a usage-based AI feature (AI Spam Filtering, AI Labels, VoS, Rephrase, AI Reply, Classify, Recommend) | Free AI credits Voice Credits first → then BIK Wallet |
Campaign AI Sales Agent reply on WhatsApp | Free Text Credits first → then BIK Wallet |
Receive a billable WhatsApp call (BIC) | BIK Wallet |
If a feature is not used, nothing is deducted for it.
4. Billing cycle
BIK runs a single daily billing cycle at 2:00 AM IST.
Every day at 2 AM IST, BIK computes the previous IST day's usage (00:00–23:59) across all channels and deducts the total from the merchant's BIK Wallet.
This covers WhatsApp messaging, email, WhatsApp Calling conversations fetched from Meta, and the fallbacks from the AI sub-wallet to the main wallet.
Usage-based AI deductions (per AI action - Auto Reply, Help Me Write, Classify, Recommend, Rephrase, AI Spam Filtering, AI Labels, VoS) are drawn from AI credits at the time of use. The daily cycle at 2 AM IST only applies when there are no AI credits left and the deduction has to fall back to the main BIK Wallet.
Because of this, a campaign sent today will show in the wallet ledger only the next morning. Merchants comparing a campaign's send volume to the wallet in real time should expect the lag.
5. Free credits
BIK contracts commonly include a block of free credits that sit on top of the paid wallet. The specifics are defined in the merchant's contract with BIK, so the exact allocation varies store to store.
Typical free-credit buckets include:
Free email credits — a monthly allocation of emails that doesn't deduct from the paid wallet.
Free AI text credits — a block of AI text operations (AI replies, rephrase, classify, recommend, help-me-write, AI labels, AI spam filtering, VoS).
Free AI voice credits — a block of AI voice-agent minutes or sessions for the Voice Agent (abandoned-cart recovery calls, etc.).
How free credits are consumed
The free bucket for a given category is drawn first for that category.
Once the free allocation for the month (or contract period) is exhausted, the usual deduction order kicks in — paid AI credits for AI features, then the main BIK Wallet.
Free email credits do not cover WhatsApp; free AI text credits do not cover Voice; they are category-specific.
Where to check free-credit allocation
The exact free quota, how it refreshes, and when it resets are set per contract period.
For a specific store, confirm the allocation with the GSM, or via Finance.
6. Campaign Credits — WhatsApp
How WhatsApp credits are calculated
Deductions follow Meta's rate card.
The rate varies by message category (Utility, Marketing, Authentication, Service) and the recipient's country.
Example: 100 marketing messages to the US are charged at Meta's US marketing rate × 100.
The credits required to start a campaign are estimated based on the store's home country; the actual deduction may differ depending on where messages are actually sent.
When WhatsApp credits are deducted
Through the daily billing cycle at 2 AM IST (see Section 4).
What qualifies for a charge
Conversation charges are tied to template category (see Section 9 for how Meta's categories work). Sending multiple templates of the same category inside an already-open conversation does not incur extra charges.
7. Campaign Credits — Email
Email is charged at a fixed unit price per email.
The price does not vary by sender country, recipient country, or email type.
Example: 100 emails = unit cost × 100.
Deducted via the daily billing cycle at 2 AM IST.
If the merchant has free email credits in their contract, those are consumed first
8. AI Credits & AI Usage-Based Pricing
BIK's AI features sit on a separate credit pool so merchants only pay for the AI they actually use.
How AI charging works
Charges are applied in this order:
Free AI credits from the contract (text or voice, as applicable)
Paid AI Credits (if available)
BIK Wallet (if AI credits are exhausted or unavailable)
Features on usage-based AI pricing
Since August 1, AI usage billing applies to Helpdesk features such as:
AI Spam Filtering
AI Labels
Voice of Shoppers (VoS)
Rephrase
Additional BIK AI features that consume 1 credit per action:
Auto Reply to Tickets — 1 credit per AI reply
Help Me Write — 1 credit per generated response
Recommend (product recommendations in journeys) — 1 credit per recommendation
Classify (AI classification of incoming messages) — 1 credit per classification
Reply (AI replies in journeys) — 1 credit per reply
Price Please AI — free, does not consume credits
Starter AI credits
After syncing your Shopify store with BIK AI, 100 free AI credits are added to the BIK AI wallet.
These free credits sit on top of any credits you recharge, and on top of any contract-level free AI allocation.
Disabling AI features
Most AI-powered features can be enabled or disabled anytime from Helpdesk Settings.
Once disabled, the feature stops consuming AI credits.
A small number of AI capabilities are platform-managed and cannot be turned off individually.
Campaign AI Sales Agent (WhatsApp)
Each AI-generated reply uses 1 Text Operation.
If no Text Credits are available, the cost of 1 Text Operation is deducted from the BIK Wallet instead.
9. WhatsApp Conversation Pricing (Meta)
BIK passes through Meta's conversation-based pricing model. This directly shapes what gets deducted from your wallet.
The four conversation categories
Category | Who initiates | Example |
Marketing | Business | Promotions, offers, informational updates, invitations to act |
Utility | Business | Transactional updates — order shipped, recurring billing statement |
Authentication (Not supported on BIK) | Business | OTPs, verification codes |
Service | Customer (user-initiated) | Any customer-initiated conversation (support, enquiries) |
Free tier (per WABA, per month)
1,000 free user-initiated (Service) conversations per month per WhatsApp Business Account.
The free tier refreshes monthly based on the WABA's timezone.
Business-initiated conversations are not in the free tier (since June 1, 2023).
Free entry-point conversations (Click-to-WhatsApp ads)
When a user starts a conversation via a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page CTA, the first conversation is free for 72 hours (extended from 24h on March 1, 2023).
During this 72-hour window, no other category of conversation can be opened on top of it.
The ad itself is not free — only the conversation it initiates is.
10. WhatsApp Calling billing
Meta charges only for BIC (Business-Initiated Calls).
UIC (User-Initiated Calls) are free on Meta's side.
BIK's dashboard fetches the call cost from Meta each day and deducts the equivalent from the store's credits, converted to the store's local currency, through the same 2 AM IST billing cycle.
A call permission request sent as a template message (outside the service window) opens a billable conversation. Free-form interactive messages inside an active service window are not billed.
11. Where to view your balance & usage
Current balance: Dashboard → Settings → Account Settings → Usage credits.
Full usage view: The dashboard provides credit balance and usage insights (campaigns, journeys, AI).
Call Logs (for WhatsApp Calling): Helpdesk submenu → Call Logs.
Free-credit allocation: confirm with the GSM / CSM — this lives in the contract, not the dashboard.
Note: A line-item transaction ledger, downloadable invoices, and per-campaign usage breakdowns are internal views today. Route merchants to [email protected] or their GSM.
12. Recharging your wallet
Merchants can purchase additional credits when the balance runs low.
Merchant minimum recharge amount is 10,000 INR or its equivalent store currency
The same wallet is used across every channel and both campaigns + journeys — one recharge covers all of them.
13. FAQs
Q1. Are there separate wallets for WhatsApp, Email, and SMS?
No. There is a single BIK credit wallet used for deductions across all campaigns and journeys. AI features have their own AI credit sub-wallet that is drawn first for AI usage.
Q2. Can I use the same credits for different types of campaigns?
Yes. The single wallet funds every campaign type.
Q3. How are the required credits calculated before a campaign starts?
Based on the merchant's shop home country. Actual deduction may differ if the campaign sends to other countries at different Meta rates.
Q4. When do credits actually get deducted?
Through a single daily billing cycle at 2:00 AM IST. The previous IST day's usage (00:00–23:59) is totalled and deducted. See Section 4
Q5. What happens if I run out of AI credits?
The charge falls back to the main BIK Wallet. If both are empty, AI features that require credits stop working until you recharge.
Q6. Am I charged if I don't use AI features?
No. AI usage-based pricing only applies when an AI-powered feature is actually used.
Q7. Can I turn off AI features to stop AI deductions?
Yes, most of them - from Helpdesk Settings. A few platform-managed AI capabilities cannot be turned off individually. However you can contact your GSM/ CSM and they can help you with it.
Q8. Do I get free WhatsApp conversations each month?
Yes - 1,000 free user-initiated (Service) conversations per WABA per month, refreshed monthly. Business-initiated conversations are not in the free tier.
Q9. Do I get free email, AI text, or AI voice credits?
It depends on your contract. BIK contracts commonly include allocations of free email, free AI text, and free AI voice credits - the exact numbers are set per contract. Confirm with your GSM / CSM.
Q10. Are inbound WhatsApp calls charged?
No. Only business-initiated calls (BIC) are billed by Meta, and BIK passes that through. User-initiated calls (UIC) are free.
14. Troubleshooting
"I recharged but my credits haven't updated"
First, confirm the billing information was correctly updated in the relevant systems.
Credit balance is served from a cache backed by the database. Updates can take time to propagate.
If the cache is stale, it may need to be reset; after reset, give it a short while before re-checking.
If it still doesn't reflect, escalate to Tech via [email protected].
"I'm not sure what a specific charge was for"
The merchant dashboard shows balance and usage insights but a line-item explanation of a specific deduction isn't currently self-serve in the help docs — ask support to pull it from the internal billing/usage tools.
"A campaign deducted more credits than expected"
Check the country mix of the audience — Meta rates vary by recipient country.
Check the template category — a template delivered inside an open conversation of a different category opens a new conversation and a new charge.
Check drip / fallback / retry campaigns — each run deducts separately.
Check whether the merchant's free email / AI text / AI voice allocation for the period is already exhausted — once it is, usage flows to the paid wallet.
"The wallet deduction doesn't match today's send volume"
Expected. The billing cycle runs at 2 AM IST on the next day. Today's sends settle tomorrow morning.