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Billing & Subscription

Explore the pricing options and subscription methods available on Channel Talk, and select a plan that suits the needs of your business.

Article

• Understanding Channel Talk’s Pricing

  Subscription Terms and Related FeaturesChannel Talk's subscriptions include paid plans: Early Stage, Growth, and Enterprise. Each is tailored to your business size, alongside usage-based add-ons. Each plan provides a specific number of Managed Users (MU) and seats, with options to purchase additional usage. Add-ons are billed based on usage, with no upfront subscription costs.MUMU (Managed Users) represents the total number of customer profiles stored in Contacts. (→ See more in the user guide)In Contacts, you can directly review, edit, or delete customer profiles for efficient budget management.SeatsSeats are divided into two parts: basic seats (which are necessary for all managers to access the channel) and operator seats (which allow you to organize and manage conversations). While Basic seats are mandatory for all channel managers, operator seats are added to managers who activate the function.If you have a basic seat, you can:Access Team chatReview chat histories and customer contactsJoin chats as a follower, and interact with customers and internal team members.If you have an operator seat, in addition to the basic seat, you can:Assign and manage all conversationsBe an assignee of any conversations, including chats and callsChange the status of conversations, utilizing tagging and data downloadAdd-onsAdd-ons are available when you subscribe to a paid plan. Up to 30 actions are free, and if you use more, you will be charged per usage. You can choose to pay as you go or prepay to store usage in advance.Support BotSupport bot enables you to reduce simple and repeated inquiries, and collect various customer information using a Support bot form.(→ Go to Support Bot)Automation RulesAutomation rules allow you to automatically handle conversations based on preset rules containing event triggers and profile filterings (→ Go to Automation Rules)MarketingMarketing is a feature that helps you speak to customers first. It can be sent via Channel Talk messages or SMS/LMS texts along with emails, and you can automatically or manually send them to target customers based on their behavior. (→ Go to Marketing)You need to charge the actual cost (PU) for texts separately. (→ Learn about PU)White LabelYou can set this up if you want to emphasize your brand only. You can hide ‘powered by Channel Talk’ in the Front.Billing MethodsPlan subscriptions are flat-rate prepaid every month, and additional usage for seats and add-ons is available on either a prepaid usage or a postpaid bill after use.Plan SubscriptionsMonthly: Pay monthly for a plan based on your customer profile storage size and seat usageYearly: Pay for 12 months at once, at a discounted rateUsage PaymentPostpaid BillFor additional MU or seats on plans: If you store more MU or add more seats than what the plan includes, you will be billed postpaid.Add-ons: You will be charged for the number of actions or activations of Support bots, Automation rules, and Marketing messages sent.Prepaid ChargeYou can prepay for 12 months of usage and receive a 25% discount on your purchase.You can charge in advance (prepaid) for MU, seats, and add-ons (discount applied)SMS/LMS is not a part of the yearly payment discount (→ Learn about Prepaid usage)Difference Between Free and Paid PlansOn a Free Plan, You Can:Use team messenger and live chat conversations regardless of MU or seatIntegrate with 3rd party messengers such as Instagram Messenger and LineReview your customer’s conversation history within 30 days from when the conversation startsAccess to each customer's event history for the past 7 days. (→ Learn about Events)Send Follow-up notifications via text/email when you prefill the balance (the sending limit is 10,000 PU per month)On a Paid Plan, You Can:Look up all customer profile dataReview the past conversation history of customers without any time limitReview customer’s past events for up to 90 daysOpenAPI and mobile SDK are available for customized use14-Days Free TrialYou can try out Channel Talk's paid plan features for 14 days. There is no subscription fee during the free trial period.Start Your Free TrialGo to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Subscription] and click [Try paid features for 14 days] buttonSelect a plan and billing cycle, then click [Start your14-day free trial] - [Start free trial]Register your payment method and you are good to go! The trial will start immediatelyFree Trial FeaturesOne free trial is available per channelPlans (MU and seats) are unlimited during the free trialIf you want to use more than the amount provided for the trial or if you don't want to use the free trial, you can "skip the free trial"If you want to exceed the trial limit or opt out of the free trial, you can select 'Skip the free trial’ optionThe following features are limited during the free trial and will be available when your paid plan subscription begins.Sending texts and emails when a new user chat is opened by a managerUse of OpenAPI and mobile SDKImporting customer profiles from web buildersAdd-on usage (support bots, automation rules, marketing) is limited to up to 1,000Text messages can also be sent up to 1,000 PUsStart Your SubscriptionYour first subscription only pays for the plan you selected. On your next billing date, you'll pay for the additional usage for the month plus the next month's plan subscription.Go to [Channel settings] - [Billing] - [Subscription]The day after your free trial ends, you will be automatically charged for the plan you have scheduled to subscribe to

  

• Payment Information

  How To Manage Payment MethodsChannel Talk accepts payment in three ways:1) Credit card2) Balance by deposit3) Credit by Channel TalkPayment deduction order: Credit → Balance → CardCredit CardPay your subscription with the credit card registered to the channel. The payment gateway companies are:Payment in Korea: NicepayInternational payment: StripeShopify: All channels integrated with Shopify need to use the payment methods registered with Shopify admin Register Your Payment CardPlease start your 14-day free trial in Billing → SubscriptionSelect a plan you want, then click [Start 14-day free trial] to beginIn the next step, enter the credit card information that will be mainly used, and enter your billing emailIf you don't enter your billing email, you won't receive payment-related emailsBy clicking [Register] button, your payment information is all setIf You Want To Change The Default Payment Card:Add new credit card information first that will replace the previous oneClick [Set as default] to set the new card as your default payment card. After that, you will be able to delete former card informationBalanceThere are two ways to set your balance in your channel:Balance Deposited By Bank Transfer:You can deposit an amount of money via bank transfer and use it as a payment methodIf the payment amount exceeds the balance, the rest will be charged to the credit card on the channelIf you would like to make a deposit, please contact usBalance From Refund:When you refund your subscription in the middle of a subscription period, the amount for the remaining period will be deposited into your balance and will be used for the next paymentBalance has no expiration date, but you will be charged a 10% penalty when you withdraw your balance to cashCreditsCredits are one of the payment methods that can be used like cash within Channel Talk, and will be given only by the Channel team.If you receive a credit coupon code, you can add it at [Channel Settings] - [Payment] - [Credit]Credits are not applied for 10% government taxBillYou can check your billing statement based on your plan and usageBilling history is in the tab of [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Payment] -[Invoice] and you can print individual billsYou can see your payment details including postpaid or prepaid along with your plan subscriptionIf you need previous receipts before October 2020, please contact us.

  

• How Subscription Works

  Get a paid plan suitable for your business size.

  

• Manage Subscription

  If you are subscribed to a paid plan, you can change your subscription details, such as the renewal date or cycle and usage limits, from the [Billing] - [Subscription] section. Please routinely check your usage and manage your costs via the current usage dashboard.

  

• Plan Change

  Channel Talk's subscription contains the payment for the plan and the usage. This guide explains the process when you change your plan from one to another (Early Stage, Growth, Enterprise).Upgrade Your PlanWhen Does This Happen?Changing to a higher plan (e.g. from Early stage to Growth)Changing your plan subscription from monthly to a yearly paymentChanging from a free plan to a paid planPayment Process for UpgradeChanging to a higher plan:First, the amount for the remaining period is prorated and returned to the balance.After that, the upgrade plan subscription for the remaining period is paid. The refunded balance will be used first, and any shortfall will be charged to the credit card on the channel.Example case: If you paid for [Early Stage] plan on March 17 and upgraded to [Growth] plan on April 6Changing your plan subscription from monthly to a yearly paymentFirst, the amount for the remaining period from the monthly plan is prorated and returned to the balance.After that, the new yearly subscription begins from the day of the plan change. The refunded balance will be used first, and any shortfall will be charged to the credit card on the channel.Example case: If you are on the monthly plan from Oct 15th, 2023 to Nov 14th, 2023 and change to a yearly subscription on Nov 10th:The amount for the remaining period will be refunded to the balance.Payment will be processed for a new yearly subscription for the period Nov 10th, 2023 to Nov 9th, 2024.Please Note:Channel Talk usage is calculated by day.Following global SaaS standards, even if you only use the channel for 1 minute, it is considered used for a day. Therefore, refunds are calculated from the day after the plan change, and the new plan activation is counted from the day of the plan change.The amount for the remaining period will be refunded to the balance.As the global payment systems are all different and purchases for yearly subscriptions may not be able to be canceled due to finance policies in different systems, refunds are only deposited to the balance.Any additional usage from the existing subscription will be billed as postpaid.Any additional usage from the previous plan period will be charged postpaid.Example case: When upgrading from Early stage → GrowthIf you utilized 2 operator seats when you were on Early stage plan, you will be billed for 1 seat after switching to Growth plan. The seat cost will be based on the rate for Growth plan.If you had prepaid usage on the plan before switching.For MU, basic seats, and add-ons: available to use the same when changing plansPrepaid operator seats cannot be used for the higher planCharges are retained until the expiration date and can be used when changing plans upon repurchase.Downgrade Your PlanIf you've ever had a discount applied, downgrading your plan will result in a repayment of the discount.When Does This Happen?Changing to a lower plan (e.g. from Growth to Early stage)Changing your plan subscription from yearly to a monthly paymentChanging from a paid plan to a free planPayment Process for DowngradeChanging to a lower planFirst, the amount for the remaining period is prorated and returned to the balance.After that, the downgrade plan subscription for the remaining period is paid. The refunded balance will be used first, and any shortfall will be charged to the credit card on the channel.Example case: If you paid for [Growth] plan on March 17th and downgraded to [Early stage] plan on April 6thChanging your plan subscription from yearly to a monthly paymentFirst, the amount for the remaining period from the yearly plan is prorated and returned to the balance.After that, the new monthly subscription begins from the day of the plan change. The refunded balance will be used first, and the rest will be in the balance.Please note:When changing from Growth to the Early stage plan, you cannot downgrade if you have exceeded usage of the Early stage plan limits.You need to lower your usage below the limit before downgrading the plan.When changing from a paid plan to a free plan, your usage during the paid plan will be billed postpaid.If you downgrade to a free plan, you will maintain your prepaid usage if there is any.You can use the remaining usage when you subscribe to a paid plan again within the valid period of the prepaid usage.If there are any usage changes of add-ons within the last 5 minutes, you cannot switch to a free plan.Please deactivate all add-ons and try again.Repayment for DiscountYearly subscriptions offer a discounted rate compared to monthly subscriptions.When you decide not to continue using the yearly subscription, you need to repay the discounted amount when changing the plan.Payment FailureInitial payment failureIf the payment fails with the default payment method, the system will automatically retry the payment once a day for 7 days.This does not apply to manual plan changes.After 7 days of payment failureAfter 7 days of attempts and the payment is unsuccessful on the 8th day, your channel will be entering a grace period for the pending payment.Your channel will function as usual during this period, but all features will be completely suspended after 30 days of non-payment. Please check your payment status.If you are ready with the payment method, please complete the payment on the [Payment] → [Invoice] → [Recharge].The grace period is up to 30 days from the date of the first failed payment.After 30 days of payment failureIf necessary payment is not processed within 30 days, you will be completely suspended from using Channel Talk for all features.Your channel will be reactivated upon full payment, and remain on a free plan.If you wish to use a paid plan after reactivation, please restart the subscription process.Notice for Payment InformationWe will notify you of any payment activities including failures to the billing email. We recommend you enter the email address.How to Make a RepaymentGo to [Payment] - [Invoice] - [Recharge].If you complete a repayment during the grace period, your channel will be converted to a regular subscription status.If you complete a repayment after 30 days of non-payment, your channel will be reactivated and remain on a free plan.

  

• Prepaid Usage

  Estimate your monthly usage of MU, seats, and add-ons and purchase them in advance. Save up to 25% when you prepay usage with a yearly commitment, equivalent to getting 3 months of usage for free.Prepaid Usage OverviewPrepay for 12 months of estimated usageAfter the 12-month valid period, the prepaid usage will expirePrepaid usage has its minimum and maximum monthly usage limit. You can only use it within the range of usage limitsYou can prepay multiple times if neededHow to Charge Prepaid UsageGo to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Prepaid Usage] and select basic seats, add-ons, or usage for integrationsMonthly Usage: Enter your estimated monthly usage to see the price of a 12-month prepaid cost.Renewal: Your prepaid charge will be automatically renewed the day after the expiration date. Options to turn ON/OFF are available after the first payment.Minimum/Maximum Monthly Usage LimitsMinimum limit: 50% of the monthly usage you prepaidEven if there is no use in the current month, the minimum amount will be deducted from your prepaid usageMaximum limit:Required and add-on features can be used up to double the monthly usageUsage for integrations can be used up to 12x the monthly usageIf you’ve used up your monthly usage for the current month, the usage from the next month will automatically utilizedPlease Note:Full or partial refunds are not available if the prepaid usage is deducted due to actual use occurring.You cannot purchase prepaid usage during a free plan or a 14-day free trial.Prepaid usage has a limit for one-time purchase amount (9,999,999,999). Please make multiple purchases if needed.You cannot purchase more usage than the system limit of each plan. (→ Learn about Limit)If you set a manual limit, you can use it by increasing the limit even if you have charged more than the limit you set.Prepaid usage typesRequiredIf you want to use more MU, basic seats, and operator seats more than the usage that comes with your plan, you can add more usage.Add-OnsYou can add more usage for Support bot, automation rules, marketing messaging, and the white label feature.White label: the white label add-on is for hiding ‘powered by Channel Talk’ to only emphasize the brand on the website. White label is only available for prepaid.Usage for IntegrationsYou can prepay PU charges for sending texts (SMS, LMS) and messages through Kakao Talk.Text: Charge per SMS/LMS sentSocial media: Charge per Kakao Info-talk sentPU (Post Unit)1 PU = $0.001PriceSMS10PU ($0.01)LMS28PU ($0.028)PU applies when sending marketing text messages or Follow-up notifications.You can recharge PU based on your usage, regardless of your plan.No minimum or maximum monthly usage for PU. You can use as much as you want.International (Global) Text MessagingThe charges for sending international SMS with Channel Talk are calculated as follows, depending on the length of the text.North America: 14 PU per message sent + 14.5 PU per message segmentJapan: 14 PU per message sent + 109 PU per message segmentPriceGlobal SMS - North America28.5PU~ ($0.0285~)Global SMS - Japan123PU~ ($0.123~)1 segment = 140byte (approximately 70 characters in KO/JA 160 characters in EN)The character count includes the URL automatically added to the message.If you integrate Twilio for global texting, you can send unlimited text messages, and you will be directly billed to your integrated Twilio account.

  

• External Post Log

  You can review the outbound message history via SMS/LMS, emails, and Kakao Info-talk from Follow-up notifications and marketing.Review Post LogFilter by date: see the sending log by monthFilter by condition:All: all sends made to Channel Talk in the current monthMarketing - Campaign: the sending log by a specific campaignMarketing - One-time: the sending log by a specific one-time messageNumber of sends: the total number of sends that meet the filtering criteria and the costs per mediumSending log by date: Click on a date to see the detailed log for that dateType: shows what functions sent the messages (e.g. marketing campaign, Follow-up notification)Status: shows whether messages were sent or not. You can see the failure reason by hovering over the question mark on the right.Delivery: shows the delivery method. It can be SMS, LMS, email, or Kakao.Contact Info: a recipient’s email or mobile numberPlease Note:Post log is available only for up to 1 year(365 days).The monthly amount shown is the amount used in the month you review (from the 1st to the end day of the month) which may be different from the amount used during the billing period.

  

• Refund Policy

  Channel Talk refund policy is divided into full refund, partial refund, and non-refundable. Please review the refund policy below carefully.Full RefundPartial RefundPlanOOPostpaid UsageXXPrepaid UsageOXFull RefundA full refund, amounting to a 100% chargeback to the payment method used for your subscription, is available only if you have not utilized any services paid for after subscribing to the plan and if you apply directly to the Channel Team within 7 days.A full refund is available if you meet the following unused criteria. (→ request a full refund)PlansRequired features:MU: No customer data was stored in Contacts at the channel after a paid subscriptionBasic seats: No manager was invited to the channel after a paid subscriptionOperator seats: No user chat conversation opened after a paid subscriptionAdd-onsNo actions or activations occurred from any Support bot or automation rulesNo marketing messages were sentPrepaid UsageAfter the prepaid purchase, no bill has been generated, and no deduction has been made.Partial RefundsA partial refund is receiving a refund for the unused portion of your subscription period upon cancellation. Partial refunds are available only for plans and do not apply to prepaid usage for MUs, seats, and add-ons, nor to postpaid usage.How to get refund: Go and change the plan to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Subscription] - [Subscription change].Refund for Monthly PaymentA refund will be deposited to the balance for the unused portion of the subscription period up to the refund date.We do not support a refund to the initial payment method. (→ Go to Balance)Refund for Yearly PaymentIf you have received a discount for a yearly subscription or a coupon on a plan, the discounted amount will be deducted, and the remaining amount for the unused period will be deposited into your balance. (Go to Repayment for Discount)Non-Refundable UsagePrepaid UsageRefunds are not available if any deduction already occurred due to the use of MU, seats, or add-ons.Prepaid usage for operator seats cannot be utilized if you change to a higher plan (e.g. Early stage → Growth/Growth → Enterprise). You can use it when you return to the same plan, and a refund is not available for those seats.Postpaid UsageRefund does not apply to the usage that has already been used and billed postpaid.Withdraw the BalanceWithdrawal is available for your balance, including refunds you received. The penalty, amounting to 1% of the total withdrawal amount, will be applied.The penalty arises from the arbitrary termination of the Channel Talk usage agreement (service subscription), and withdrawing the balance is considered a final indication of your intent not to resume using Channel Talk. Upon requesting a withdrawal, 10% of the refund amount will be deducted as a penalty.If you withdraw the full amount of the deposited balance from the bank transfer, the penalty does not apply.How to WithdrawSubmit the official withdrawal request form at the link below. Please allow 7-10 business days for processing.Request withdrawal: https://forms.gle/LiSg7J7oxWmEW5dD9