Every account on your platform is either a Credit account (balance held as SMS units) or a Wallet account (balance held as money). The choice decides which products the account can use, whether reseller pricing and margin work, and whether MCC/MNC routing bills correctly. Getting it wrong means rebuilding the account later, because balances don’t convert.
Quick comparison
| Credit | Wallet | |
|---|---|---|
| Balance stored as | SMS credits / units | Money (INR, USD, EUR, …) |
| Products allowed | SMS only | SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, Voice and other enabled products |
| Balance field | SMS Balance | Wallet Amount Balance |
| Usage field | SMS Sent | Wallet Consumed |
| MCC/MNC routing | Not intended | Required |
| Reseller Pricing / Margin | Not available | Available |
| Typical account | India domestic SMS reseller, single route | Multi-product or international customer |
Decision guide
- International, or using MCC/MNC routing? → Wallet. MCC/MNC pricing is decimal rates per country and operator, which needs a currency balance.
- Needs more than SMS (WhatsApp, RCS, Voice)? → Wallet. Credit accounts can only have SMS under Allowed Products.
- Reseller needing custom pricing or margin? → Wallet. Reseller Pricing Adjustments and Reseller Margin work only for Wallet resellers.
- SMS only, domestic, one assigned route? → Credit is simpler: transfer credits, check SMS balance, done.
Credit Type is not Payment Type
These are two separate settings on Global Attributes:
| Setting | Options | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| User Credit Type | Credit / Wallet | How the balance is stored and deducted |
| Payment Type | Pre-paid / Post-paid | When the customer pays |
All four combinations are valid: Credit + Pre-paid, Credit + Post-paid, Wallet + Pre-paid, Wallet + Post-paid.
Where to set it
Users → Edit User → Global Attributes → User Credit Type
Rules that catch people out:
- Credit type cannot be changed on this screen for Admin and Reseller accounts; it’s fixed for them.
- Child users inherit the credit type from their parent/reseller at creation, including through the Reseller API.
- Switching a customer between types requires ticking “Nil existing balance before switching”. Balances are not converted; they must be zero first.
Switching Credit ↔ Wallet
- Zero the existing balance.
- Tick Nil existing balance before switching and save.
- Credit → Wallet: set currency, limits and reorder point on the Wallet tab.
- Wallet → Credit: set billing type and post-paid limits on SMS Attributes, and remove non-SMS products (Credit allows SMS only).
Setting up an international customer
| Step | Setting |
|---|---|
| 1 | Credit Type = Wallet |
| 2 | Payment Type = Pre-paid or Post-paid |
| 3 | Wallet currency = the customer’s currency |
| 4 | Enable MCC MNC Routing on SMS Attributes |
| 5 | Map countries/operators to routes and rates under Users → MCC MNC Routing |
| 6 | Enable Reseller Pricing / Margin if this is a reseller (Wallet only) |
| 7 | Fund the wallet balance, not SMS credits |
On Manage Users, the route column shows an MCC/MNC Map (globe icon) when MCC/MNC routing is on, and a route name for single-route accounts.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Result | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Credit account with MCC/MNC routing | Billing, pricing and margin may fail | Switch to Wallet |
| Credit account that needs WhatsApp/RCS | Other products can’t be enabled | Switch to Wallet |
| Wallet for a simple SMS-only reseller | Works, but adds needless complexity | Use Credit |
| Switching type without clearing balance | Save rejected | Nil the balance first |
| Transferring “credits” to a Wallet user | Wrong balance bucket | Transfer wallet currency |
| Child on a different type from the parent chain | Transfer and billing problems | Align the parent chain first |
| Post-paid user with no limits set | Unexpected blocking, or unlimited usage | Set credit and grace limits |
Explaining it to your customer
- Credit: “Your account works like an SMS credit pack. Each message uses credits from that balance.”
- Wallet: “Your account works like a prepaid wallet in your currency. SMS, WhatsApp and other services deduct money from the same wallet at their own rates.”
Related articles
- Post-paid Accounts: How Credit Limit and Grace Limit Work
- How to Set Up Vendor Pricing and MCC/MNC Cost Rates
- Display wallet amount in decimals
- Introducing calculation units display for wallet users
- How to add or remove credits/wallet balance for downline users in reseller panel
- What is MCC MNC?
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