Billing & Credits

How to Top Up Your Balance

A step-by-step guide to adding calling credit - on the website or in the mobile app, with a card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay - explained simply.

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Your balance is the money on your CallTuv account that pays for your calls. When the balance is empty, calls can't be made - so "topping up" simply means adding money to it. It takes under a minute, and whatever you add never expires; it stays on your account until you use it.

One thing to know up front: topping up is a team owner action. If someone added you to their team, they handle the credit for everyone - you don't need this guide, just ask them.

This is the easiest and most flexible way to add credit:

  1. Open your internet browser, go to calltuv.com, and sign in if needed.
  2. Click Balance in the menu. You'll see your current balance and, below it, the top-up choices.
  3. Choose an amount. There are four ready-made buttons - $5, $10, $25, or $50 - or you can type any amount of your own between $5 and $500 into the custom amount box. Not sure how much? $10 is the most popular choice, and you can always add more later.
  4. If CallTuv sent you a discount code in an email, type it into the promo code field now - the discount shows immediately. (More about codes in Using Promo Codes.)
  5. Click the payment button. A secure checkout page opens, run by Stripe - a trusted payment company used by millions of businesses worldwide. Pay with your credit or debit card, or with Apple Pay or Google Pay if your device has them - those skip typing card details entirely.
  6. After the payment completes you're returned to CallTuv, your new balance appears right away, and a receipt is emailed to you automatically (more on invoices here).

If the payment button seems stuck or your card is refused, don't worry - Payment Not Going Through at Checkout walks through the usual causes.

Even faster: one-click top-ups with a saved card

Once you've paid by card once, future top-ups get delightfully short: your card is saved securely, so next time you just pick the amount and press Confirm Payment - no checkout page, no retyping card details. One click and the credit is on your balance.

A promise worth putting in writing: we never charge you automatically without your consent. Every top-up happens because you pressed the button - the single exception is auto top-up, which runs only if you switched it on and confirmed it yourself, and which you can switch off anytime.

Topping up in the mobile app

The iPhone and Android apps take payment the same way the website does - securely through Stripe:

  1. Open the CallTuv app, go to the Team tab, and tap Add credits (you'll also be offered it if you try to call with an empty balance).
  2. Choose an amount - $5, $10, $25, or $50. Underneath you'll see roughly how many minutes that buys to the country you pick, so you can judge the right amount.
  3. Got a discount code? Tap Got a promo code? and enter it - the discount appears straight away.
  4. Tap the Continue button, which shows the exact total you'll pay.
  5. A secure payment sheet slides up. Pay with a card, or with Apple Pay or Google Pay if your phone has them set up. You can also tap the camera icon to scan your card instead of typing the number.
  6. The app confirms the payment and your new balance appears. A receipt is emailed to you, exactly as with a website payment.

Using an older version of the app? Before this change, app top-ups went through the App Store or Google Play instead. Those still work perfectly - if you see the familiar App Store or Google Play confirmation box rather than the payment sheet described above, you're on the older version, and nothing is wrong. Updating the app gives you the newer payment screen, promo codes, and proper invoices.

You can review past top-ups anytime: open the Team tab and tap Top-up History. It shows every top-up on the account together - ones paid in the app and ones paid on the website.

Never run out in the middle of a call

If the balance can't cover the next minute of a call, the call ends on its own. Two easy ways to make sure that never happens to you:

  • Turn on auto top-up - CallTuv then automatically adds $10 whenever your balance drops below $5, so it simply never runs dry.
  • Keep in mind that starting any call needs enough credit for at least 3 minutes at that destination's price - explained in Minimum Balance to Start a Call.

Managing your saved cards

On the Balance page there's a button called Manage Payment Methods. It opens a secure page where you can add a new card, remove an old one, or choose which card is your main ("default") one - that default card is the one auto top-up uses.

In the app you can do the same: Team tab, then Payment Methods under Billing & payments. Full instructions: Managing Saved Payment Methods.

Where the money goes

Every dollar you top up becomes calling credit on your team's shared balance, and every call by any team member draws from it. You can always see exactly what was spent, by whom, in your call history - and what each minute costs in Understanding Rates and Per-Minute Billing.

Frequently asked questions

Who can top up?
Adding credit is a team-owner action. Members share the balance for calling, and if they reach the top-up screen they'll be guided to ask their owner.
Do credits expire?
No - credit stays on your balance until you use it, whether that's tomorrow or next year.
Is there a minimum or maximum?
The minimum top-up is $5 and the maximum is $500 per payment. You can top up as often as you like.
Will CallTuv ever charge my card on its own?
Never without your consent. A charge happens only when you confirm a top-up yourself - the single exception is auto top-up, which runs only if you've explicitly enabled and confirmed it, and which you can switch off anytime.

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How can we help?

If you have any questions, our team is here to assist you.

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