Guide

HeyGen Unused Credits Expire After Cancel; Web Creator Can't Top Up

By Istar editors
At a glance

HeyGen monthly credits roll once and annual credits bank until renewal, but canceling or pausing clears the balance. Web top-ups require Business.

HeyGen’s current credit plans allow some rollover while a paid subscription remains active. They do not preserve the balance after an exit. Monthly unused credits roll for one additional billing cycle; annual unused credits accumulate until the annual renewal date. Canceling lets the customer use paid features and remaining credits through the current period, then the account moves to Free and the balance expires. Pausing is harsher: unused credits are permanently lost when the pause takes effect.

The second constraint is the web overflow path. On HeyGen’s web credit-based plans, Creator and Pro do not sell one-time credit packs. Creator must upgrade to Pro, and Pro must choose a higher Pro tier. Only Business documents web packs and auto-reload. HeyGen’s mobile Creator plan has a separate one-time top-up menu, so the purchasing surface matters.

These rules were checked on 28 August 2026 against HeyGen’s current pricing page and credit-based-plan help, not the retired Unlimited-plan documentation.

What the current plans include

Plan Public monthly price Included credits Documented overflow path
Creator $29 600 On web, upgrade to Pro
Pro From $49 From 1,000 On web, move to a higher Pro credit tier
Business $149 plus $20 per extra seat 1,500 shared credits On web, buy 100-credit blocks or enable auto-reload

The pricing page also lists Creator at $24 per month when paid annually. Pro scales from 1,000 credits at $49 to 100,000 credits at $4,300; HeyGen does not publish every intermediate rung in the same FAQ. Business extra seats add collaboration access, not another 1,500-credit allocation.

Prices and plan contents can vary by checkout region. Use the live signed-out page to compare, then use the signed-in upgrade screen as the final quote.

Monthly rollover buys one extra cycle

HeyGen’s credit-based pricing guide says monthly subscribers can carry eligible unused credits into one additional billing cycle. This is a short buffer, not an accumulating wallet.

For a monthly freelancer, the practical order is:

  1. Use the oldest eligible balance before the next billing date.
  2. Keep the paid plan active if that rollover is part of the capacity plan.
  3. Do not count any remainder after the account actually reaches Free.

Canceling stops the next renewal. It does not immediately delete the current paid period: HeyGen says features and credits remain available until that billing cycle ends. At the downgrade to Free, unused credits expire and no longer roll.

Annual billing banks credits, but does not issue the year upfront

An annual subscription receives its credit allocation monthly on the purchase-date anniversary. Unused amounts can accumulate until the annual renewal date. HeyGen does not issue all 12 months of credits at checkout.

That makes annual billing useful only when quiet months and busy months occur inside the same paid year. It does not protect the bank after cancellation, and it does not make unused annual time refundable. Before renewing, compare the actual accumulated balance with the remaining work and the next annual charge.

Pause destroys the balance immediately

HeyGen’s cancel-or-pause guide says pausing makes the account inactive, removes paid-feature access, and expires the entire credit balance when the pause takes effect. Those credits are not restored when the subscription resumes.

The same help page says paused accounts automatically resume after 30 days. Pause is therefore neither an indefinite stop nor a way to freeze credits.

Cancel and pause should be treated as different actions:

Action Paid access Remaining credits Future billing
Cancel Continues to cycle end Usable to cycle end, then expires Next renewal stops
Pause Account becomes inactive when pause takes effect Entire balance expires Page says the plan resumes after 30 days

Previously rendered videos remain accessible after a move to Free. Extra avatars beyond the Free-plan allowance become locked rather than deleted, according to the same help page.

Web Creator and Pro cannot buy a small rescue pack

HeyGen’s current help explicitly says Creator and Pro do not use one-time packs. The upgrade is immediate: the customer pays the difference and receives the additional credits right away. Downgrades generally wait until the next billing cycle.

Only the web Business plan lists add-on credits:

  • $0.05 per credit
  • $5 minimum for 100 credits
  • further purchases in 100-credit blocks
  • optional auto-reload

A solo web creator should not compare a $5 pack with a Creator shortfall in isolation. Unlocking that web pack requires the $149 Business plan, and extra seats cost $20 each without enlarging the shared 1,500-credit pool. Compare the total Business bill with the immediate Creator-to-Pro or Pro-tier upgrade.

Mobile Creator has a separate top-up path

HeyGen’s mobile getting-started guide documents one-time packs after a mobile Creator subscriber runs out:

  • 60 credits for $5
  • 150 credits for $10
  • 250 credits for $15

The help page says those purchased credits are valid for 12 months. This does not create a web Creator pack, and it should not be mixed with the Business web price of $5 per 100 credits. Confirm the platform and storefront before choosing an upgrade.

Refund is a request, not an exit strategy

HeyGen’s refund guide says HeyGen and Google Play purchases may be considered within 15 days, while Apple App Store purchases may be considered within 14 days. Direct HeyGen requests are reviewed case by case, and significant credit use may prevent approval.

That language is not a guaranteed trial. Canceling ordinarily stops future recurring charges but does not automatically produce a prorated refund for the current period. Request any refund through the billing channel that took the payment and keep the usage record.

The decision for uneven client work

  • Stay monthly while demand is uncertain; the maximum documented bank is one extra cycle.
  • Choose annual only if the ability to accumulate monthly allocations inside one year is worth the upfront commitment.
  • Spend the balance before cancel takes effect.
  • Never use Pause to preserve credits.
  • If web Creator or Pro runs short, price the whole upgrade; do not assume a web pack exists.
  • Buy web Business for its team workflow and shared capacity, not merely to reach a $5 top-up.
  • If the work is mobile-first, compare the current mobile top-up menu separately.

For a broader vendor comparison, see the AI video tool guide.

Sources