How Manual Billing and Credits Work
Contracted seats, prepaid credits, invoicing, and what happens at contract end for workspaces on manual (non-Stripe) billing.
Summary
If your workspace is on manual invoicing, PraisePal's accounts team invoices you against a contracted seat block rather than charging a card automatically. Most manual workspaces also maintain a prepaid credit balance by bank transfer, which offsets future gift card invoices. This article covers what you see in the app, how invoicing and credits work, and what happens when your contract ends.
Why manual billing exists
Some organisations need purchase-order-backed invoices, bank transfers, or contract-based billing rather than card-on-file automation. Manual billing accommodates those procurement processes. It is available on any plan — PraisePal may require a minimum seat commitment before approving manual invoicing for a workspace.
Which billing path are you on?
Open Admin → Billing & subscription. If Payment method shows Invoice and you see a Usage card (active seats versus contracted seats), you're on manual billing. If it shows Stripe and you see Manage subscription, you're on self-serve Stripe billing — see What to Expect on Your Stripe Invoices instead.
What you see in the app
Admins on manual billing see two cards on the Billing & subscription page:
Subscription — your plan, payment method (Invoice), billing cycle, contract renewal date, and current user count.
Usage — a progress bar showing active seats against your contracted seat block, with a percentage utilisation figure.
Credit balance, credit-exempt status, and invoice history are not currently visible in the app. To get an account statement or copies of past invoices, contact support@praisepal.com.
How invoicing works
Invoices are issued by PraisePal's accounts team according to your contract — there is no automatic card charge. Two types of charge appear on your invoices:
Seat subscription — covers your contracted seat block for the billing period. Frequency (monthly or yearly) is set in your contract.
Gift card redemptions — covers gift card face value plus provider fees for employee redemptions. Gift card charges are invoiced monthly. When the gift card billing cycle coincides with your seat subscription invoice, both are combined into a single invoice. For the full fee schedule and billing-run timing, see How Gift Card Fees and Invoicing Work.
Manual workspaces do not pay Stripe processing fees on gift card redemptions — only provider fees apply.
Seat overage
If your active user count exceeds the contracted seat block, the Usage card turns red. PraisePal is generally flexible within a reasonable band. If usage exceeds contracted seats significantly, your account manager will reach out and a prorated invoice for the additional seats may be issued.
Prepaid credits
You can prepay a USD credit balance by bank transfer, and future gift card invoices are offset against it. Because credit-funded redemptions bypass Stripe processing fees, topping up can reduce your overall gift card costs.
There is no minimum top-up amount.
No processing fee on the top-up itself.
Provider fees still apply to individual gift card redemptions drawn down from credits.
To check your remaining credit balance, request an account statement from support@praisepal.com.
Most manual workspaces are required to maintain a credit balance before employees can redeem gift cards. Some workspaces with smaller redemption volumes are marked as credit-exempt, meaning employees can redeem gift cards without a prepaid credit balance on file — gift card charges are invoiced directly instead. As redemption volumes grow, PraisePal may require your workspace to begin topping up credits to support ongoing cashflow. Contact support@praisepal.com if you're unsure whether your workspace is credit-exempt.
For more detail on how prepaid credits compare to other payment options, see How Gift Card Fees and Invoicing Work.
What happens when your contract ends
Gift card claims can continue until the end of the current billing period.
Final invoice — PraisePal issues a closing invoice for any outstanding gift card charges.
Remaining credits are refunded to your organisation.
Access is downgraded to the free plan automatically. Your team can still log in, but paid features are no longer available.
Data remains accessible. You can export workspace data even after the downgrade.