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Account & billing

AI usage, allowances & top-ups

Every plan includes a monthly amount of AI. See your usage on the Account page, buy a one-time top-up if you need more, or connect your own Anthropic key.

4 min read

Everything AI in Ecom Forward draws from one monthly AI allowance that's included in your plan, Ford and your AI team, AI Listings content and images, and deep research and viral hooks all share it. It resets on the 1st of each month. Bigger plans (Captain → Crew → Fleet) include more.

Seeing your usage

Go to Account (sidebar footer) and find the “AI usage this month”card. It shows a simple percentage of your allowance used, the date it resets, and a colour that shifts green → amber → red as you get close. There's no per-question or per-image price to track, it's an allowance, not pay-per-use.

Note

Asking Ford how-to / help questions (the kind this Help Center answers) is always free and never counts against your allowance.

Need more this month? Top up

If you run low before the month resets, you can add more without changing your plan. On the Account page, open the “AI usage this month” card and click Top up AI. Pick one of the top-up sizes and pay once, the extra AI is added for the rest of the current month. You'll always see the price before you confirm.

Note

A top-up only applies to the current month, it doesn't roll over. On the 1st you start fresh on your plan's included allowance.

Tip

If you find yourself topping up most months, upgrading a tier is usually cheaper than repeat top-ups, and it raises every AI allowance at once.

Use your own Anthropic key (advanced)

If you use Ford heavily, you can connect your own Anthropic API key instead. When you do, Ford and your AI team run on your Anthropic account, that usage is billed by Anthropic directly and doesn't count against your Ecom Forward allowance at all. AI product images still use your plan's allowance (those run on other providers).

  1. Create a key in your Anthropic Console (console.anthropic.com → API Keys).
  2. In Ecom Forward, go to Account → the “Use your own Anthropic key” card → Connect a key.
  3. Paste the key and click Connect key. We test it with Anthropic, store it encrypted, and never show it again.
  4. To switch back to your included allowance, click Disconnect on the same card.

Note

Only the account owner can connect a key, and it applies to the whole account.

FAQs

What happens when I hit my allowance?

The AI action you tried pauses with a friendly message and the reset date. Everything non-AI keeps working normally. Top up, wait for the 1st, or upgrade for a bigger allowance.

Will I get surprise bills?

No. Your plan includes a set monthly allowance, and top-ups are optional one-time purchases you choose, you always see the price first. The only way AI is billed to you directly is if you choose to connect your own Anthropic key.

Where do I see exact counts (e.g. AI listings left)?

The AI Listings batch page shows “X / Y AI listings (and images) used this month,” and the research/viral-hooks pages show your research-run usage. The Account meter is the overall view across everything.

Still need help?

Send us a note at info@ecomforward.ioand we'll get back within 24 hours.

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