Credits

Credits are the metered currency in Pillar for things that have a per-unit marginal cost: skip tracing, expensive agent work, and a few other enrichments.

What costs credits#

Action	Cost
Skip trace — successful match	1 credit per unique owner
Skip trace — no match	Free
Zoning report	3.5 credits per report
Agent — short chat, no tool use	Negligible
Agent — research with web / map / tools	~5–30 per task
Agent — long multi-step workflow	~30–50 per task
CSV export of a list	Free
Mail campaign — printing and postage	Billed separately, not credits

Things that don't cost credits:

• Parcel search (any filter, any volume).
• Community layers.
• Saved lists.
• Project / CRM usage.
• Task management.

How credits are provisioned#

• Subscription credits — included with every subscription. Refilled at the start of each billing period. Don't roll over.
• Top-up credits — purchased on demand from Account → Credits → Buy. Roll over indefinitely.

Pillar uses subscription credits first, then falls back to top-ups. The live credit balance in the app always shows your total.

Zoning reports#

Open a parcel on the map, then select Get Zoning Report from the parcel details panel. Pillar checks your balance before running the report. If you have enough credits, the report costs 3.5 credits. If no zoning data is available, the reservation is cancelled and no credits are charged.

Cached zoning reports can be opened again from the parcel's Zoning tab without another charge.

Fractional credit balances#

Some actions use fractional credits, so Pillar displays balances with two decimal places anywhere the live balance appears, including the sidebar user menu and Account → Credits. A balance like 96.50 stays 96.50, without floating-point artifacts or surprise rounding.

Credit balance and colors#

The balance indicator changes color as it drains:

• Green — ≥100 credits.
• Yellow — 20–99 credits.
• Red — under 20 credits. Consider topping up before running a large job.

Running out mid-job#

If you run out of credits mid-batch:

• Skip trace — stops where it is. Already-traced rows keep their data. You can resume after topping up.
• Agent — the session pauses and shows a top-up prompt. Top up to continue, or start fresh.

No action consumes credits you don't have — Pillar won't let you go negative.

Topping up#

From Account → Credits → Buy, pick a top-up amount. Larger packs have better unit pricing. Top-ups hit your balance within seconds of the charge succeeding.

Who can buy credits#

Only admins. See Team & roles.

Usage history#

The Credits page shows every credit-consuming action with timestamp, actor, and cost. Useful for:

• Tracking team consumption.
• Auditing unexpected usage.
• Budgeting for recurring campaigns.

Export as CSV if you want to pipe it into your own accounting.