# Minimum Balance to Start a Call

> CallTuv requires enough credit for 3 minutes at the destination's rate before a call can start - here's why, and what to do when you see the prompt.

**TL;DR:** Starting a call needs credit for at least 3 minutes at that destination's rate. You're still only billed for the minutes you actually use.

Before connecting a call, CallTuv checks that your balance covers at least **3 minutes at the destination's per-minute rate**. If it doesn't, you'll see a prompt like "You need at least $0.30 (3 minutes calling time) to make this call."

## What it means

The threshold scales with the destination. If the rate to your destination is $0.05/min, you need $0.15 available; at $0.50/min you need $1.50. This is only a gate for *starting* the call - billing itself stays per minute used, as explained in [Understanding Rates and Per-Minute Billing](/help/6198430-understanding-rates-and-per-minute-billing).

## What to do

- **You're the team owner:** top up - the prompt takes you straight there, or see [How to Top Up Your Balance](/help/8412937-how-to-top-up-your-balance). On mobile, the top-up sheet opens right in the app.
- **You're a team member:** only owners can add credit, so the app will ask you to contact your team owner. See [Inviting and Managing Team Members](/help/8241695-inviting-and-managing-team-members) for how roles work.

## Avoid hitting the minimum

Two easy ways to never see this prompt:

- Enable [auto top-up](/help/4573082-auto-top-up-never-run-out-of-credit) - CallTuv adds credit automatically whenever your balance drops below $5.
- Keep an eye on the balance shown in the dashboard and app; it updates in real time as your team calls.

Remember that if your balance runs out **during** a call, the call ends when the next minute can't be covered - auto top-up prevents that too.