---
title: What happens when my balance runs out?
description: "Messages are charged from your balance when they are sent. If your balance is not enough to cover a message, that message is not sent. It is reported with the status **BALANCE_ERROR (Balance Over)** in your delivery report. ## How…"
url: "https://www.smsgatewaycenter.com/blog/kb/what-happens-when-my-balance-runs-out/"
updated: "2026-09-18"
category: "Users / Billing & Recharge"
---

# What happens when my balance runs out?

Messages are charged from your balance when they are sent. If your balance is not enough to cover a message, that message is not sent. It is reported with the status **BALANCE_ERROR (Balance Over)** in your delivery report.

## How to avoid running out

1. **Set a balance alert.** Go to **Notifications > Balance** and enter the level (wallet amount or units) at which you want an email. The alert is sent once a day while your balance is below that level.
2. **Turn on the Daily Balance Alert** to get your balance by email every day, whatever the amount.
3. **Check before big campaigns.** Compare your balance on the dashboard with the expected cost of the campaign, and remember that long or Unicode messages use more than one credit per recipient.

## If messages have already failed

1. Recharge your account (see *[How do I recharge my SMS Gateway Center account online?](https://www.smsgatewaycenter.com/blog/kb/how-do-i-recharge-my-sms-gateway-center-account-online/)*).
2. Open the **Delivery Report** and filter by **BALANCE_ERROR** to find the numbers that were missed.
3. Resend to those numbers only, so nobody gets the message twice.

### More Related Articles

- [What does “Valid Till” mean, and what happens when my account expires?](https://www.smsgatewaycenter.com/blog/kb/what-does-valid-till-mean-and-what-happens-when-my-account-expires/)
- [How do I receive my invoice if I am a post-paid customer?](https://www.smsgatewaycenter.com/blog/kb/how-do-i-receive-my-invoice-if-i-am-a-post-paid-customer/)
- [Can I pay by bank transfer, UPI QR or cash deposit?](https://www.smsgatewaycenter.com/blog/kb/can-i-pay-by-bank-transfer-upi-qr-or-cash-deposit/)

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