![Credits section on the Account settings page](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/account-and-billing/profile/03-credits.png)

![still — paid plan after map ready](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/account-and-billing/billing/03-paid-plan-editor.png)

Traffic Chart is free to try. Event plans are not billed. Traffic plans start on a free tier; when you need more capacity you unlock **that plan** with a credit or a card payment — or you draw inside a participating municipality.

Prices always appear in the app at checkout. They can depend on country and currency. This page does not list amounts.

The payment **dialog** (every branch, **Payment status**, guests): [Pay or spend a credit](/hc/test/articles/paying-for-a-traffic-plan). The organization **Billing** page (packages, GmbH vs B.V., portal): [Organization billing](/hc/test/articles/organization-billing).

## What is free

**Creating** a traffic plan is free. Payment is asked when you **place signs** past the free allowance, not when you click **Start planning**.

**Event plans** do not use credits. They can still be turned off for a workspace. The **Event plans** tab then reads **Not enabled for Personal.** (or **Not enabled for Acme Events.**). [Workspace unavailable](/hc/test/articles/workspace-unavailable).

![Unpaid free-tier traffic plan in the editor (map loaded; no Paid badge)](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/account-and-billing/billing/02-unpaid-plan-editor.png)

A public **share link** is view-only. Viewers are not asked to pay.

## Participating municipalities

Some municipalities license Traffic Chart so organisers can draw freely there.

- Placement looks up the municipality under the pin.
- If the area is participating, eligible **personal** accounts can place unlimited signs there without paying for that placement.
- If not, the free sign limit applies until the plan is unlocked.

When the area is not participating, the paywall title uses the municipality under the pin, for example **Utrecht is not yet participating**. You may see **Ask Utrecht to participate** (a draft message to that municipality). Traffic Chart cannot force Utrecht to join.

On organization workspaces that prompt is **Cancel** instead — org billing is separate. Acme Events does not unlock signs by emailing Utrecht from this dialog.

## Free sign limit (the 5-sign rule)

Outside participating areas, unpaid traffic plans allow a limited number of signs that **count toward the cap**. That number is currently **5**.

Count every plate. A stack of three plates is three toward the five, not one pin. **Bulk signs** can use the whole allowance in one line.

The sixth counting sign is when the payment dialog appears. Until then, keep drawing.

Organization credit-pool workspaces often have **no** personal-style free allowance: you **Spend credit** (or you already have **Unlimited sign placement** on a subscription) before extra signs stay on the plan.

Duplicating a paid plan starts a **new unpaid** plan. **Demo traffic plan** with a **Paid** badge, duplicated, is a new plan that must be unlocked again.

## Unlocking a traffic plan (Paid vs organization funding)

Paying or spending a credit sets **this** traffic plan to unlimited signs. Other unpaid plans keep their own limits. A credit unlocks one traffic plan, not every plan on the account.

### Personal / legacy: the Paid badge

In the personal and older flows you will see a **Paid** badge on that plan on **Home** and **Plans**. That badge means **Demo traffic plan** has unlimited signs. It is not a Pro licence. It is not organization membership.

![Plan list with Paid badge and free-tier plan highlighted](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/account-and-billing/billing/01-plans-with-paid-badge.png)

### Native organization funding: often no Paid badge

On **Acme Events**, native organization billing does **not** always show the old **Paid** badge. The plan can still be funded from the organization account. The test is whether the next sign stays on the map, not whether the pill appeared.

Do not start a second payment because the badge is missing.

## Personal workspace

When placement is blocked you see the payment dialog. Full walkthrough: [Pay or spend a credit](/hc/test/articles/paying-for-a-traffic-plan).

In short:

1. If you have credits — **Spend credit**. The plan is saved and unlocked. Toast **Credit spent**.
2. If you have none — **Select a country**, then **Billing postal / ZIP code**, then **Checkout** / **Pay now** (or **Log in & Pay** / **Register & Pay** if you were a guest).
3. Complete Stripe. **Payment status** confirms the credit and unlocks the plan.

Personal credits also appear under **Settings** → **Credits**, except for some organisation-role accounts that hide that block on purpose.

## Organization workspace

Credits shown in the dialog are the **workspace pool**, not your personal **Settings** → **Credits**.

- If the pool has credits and you can edit the plan: **Spend 1 credit to create new plan?** / **Spend credit**.
- If billing is not set up: **Billing is not configured for this organization. Ask an organization administrator or Traffic Chart support to configure it.**
- If you cannot purchase: **Only an organization owner, administrator, or billing account holder can purchase credits. Ask them to add credits to this workspace.**

Owners and admins who are **not** the assigned editor cannot start checkout on a colleague’s **Demo traffic plan**. Reassign the editor first, or buy from a plan you can edit.

Buying a **package** for Acme Events is not this map dialog. When the organization shows **Billing**, owners use **Choose a package** and **Continue to checkout** (hosted Stripe). Members never see that page. [Organization billing](/hc/test/articles/organization-billing).

If you do **not** see **Billing**, credits may still be handled the older way by Traffic Chart for your team. There is nothing to “turn on” from **Settings**.

## After you pay

| Screen | Meaning | What to do |
|--------|---------|------------|
| **Confirming your payment** | Payment succeeded; unlock is applying | Wait; keep the tab open |
| **Payment successful** | Plan ready | **Open traffic plan** |
| **Payment received, confirmation pending** | Safe; confirmation is slow | Wait; do not pay again; **Check again** |
| **Payment failed** | No credit used | Return to the plan and retry |
| Plan unavailable | Plan missing; credit may remain | Check **Credits** / org **Billing**; contact support |
| Could not apply automatically | Payment OK, unlock failed | Contact support **before** paying again |

See [Payment status after checkout](/hc/test/articles/payment-status-after-checkout), [Payment succeeded but plan not unlocked](/hc/test/articles/payment-succeeded-plan-not-unlocked), and the outcome-by-outcome table in [Pay or spend a credit](/hc/test/articles/paying-for-a-traffic-plan).

## Paying does not unlock every tool

Unlimited signs on one plan is not the same as organization/PRO tools:

- **Bulk signs**
- **Displace sign stack**
- **XL** export maps
- Materials **Excel**
- **PDF preview**

Those show **Pro feature** (or similar) when your account cannot use them. [Feature not available for my account](/hc/test/articles/feature-not-available).

## Practical tips

- Prefer one browser tab for checkout.
- Never start a second payment while the first is still processing.
- **Switch workspace** before you pay. A **Personal** payment does not fund **Acme Events traffic plans**.
- For sign limits while drawing, see [I can’t place more signs](/hc/test/articles/cannot-place-more-signs).

## Related articles

- [Pay or spend a credit](/hc/test/articles/paying-for-a-traffic-plan)
- [Payment status after checkout](/hc/test/articles/payment-status-after-checkout)
- [Organization billing](/hc/test/articles/organization-billing)
- [Workspace unavailable](/hc/test/articles/workspace-unavailable)
- [I can’t place more signs](/hc/test/articles/cannot-place-more-signs)
- [Payment succeeded but plan not unlocked](/hc/test/articles/payment-succeeded-plan-not-unlocked)