Understanding AI top-ups
AI top-ups give you an extra block of AI allowance, equal to your monthly AI allowance on Canva Business, to use within 30 days. You can buy one manually as a one-time purchase whenever you need it, or turn on auto top-ups to refresh your extra AI allowance when it runs out, so you can focus on designing.
AI top-ups don't unlock additional features; they give you more AI allowance to use the tools you already have access to on your Canva Business plan.
Note: AI top-ups are available for Canva Business users who subscribed online. They're separate from your monthly AI allowance and the AI Pass add-on.
What’s the difference between manual and auto top-ups?
Manual top-up | Auto top-ups | |
|---|---|---|
Availability | Canva web and mobile. | Currently, auto top-ups are available if you purchased a Canva plan through the web. If you purchased your subscription through Apple or Google Play, you can still purchase AI top-ups manually, but you can’t enable auto top-ups yet. |
How it works | Purchase a top-up whenever you need one. Once it's used up, you'll need to manually purchase another if you want more allowance than what you get as part of your plan. | Automatically purchases a new top-up when you run out of AI allowance, up to the spend cap you set for the billing period. |
Purchase confirmation | You confirm each purchase. | Once auto top-up is turned on, you don’t need to confirm each top-up purchase. |
Spend cap | No spend cap needed. Each AI top-up gives you the same amount of AI allowance included with your monthly plan. | You set the maximum amount that can be spent on auto top-ups during each billing period. For example, if your spend cap covers three AI top-ups, Canva can automatically purchase up to three AI top-ups during that billing period. Once you reach your spend cap, no further top-ups are purchased automatically until the next billing period. |
Spend cap reset | Not applicable | Your spend cap resets each billing period. If a charge is refunded, the refunded amount is added back to your available spend cap. |
How AI top-ups differ from AI Pass?
AI top-ups | AI Pass add-on | |
|---|---|---|
How to purchase more AI allowance | Purchase in-product as a one-time purchase, or turn on auto top-ups. | Purchase in-product as an auto-renewing plan add-on. |
AI allowance size | The same size as your monthly AI allowance on Canva Business. | 40x more AI than Canva Pro, and 20x more AI than Canva Business. |
How your AI usage allowance works | Once your top-up AI allowance is used, it doesn’t refresh. If you don’t use your top-up within 30 days, it expires and doesn’t roll over. You’ll receive notifications as you approach and reach your AI allowance limit. If you’ve turned on auto top-ups, a new top-up is automatically purchased when you run out of AI allowance, until you reach your spend cap for the billing period. | Your AI allowance refreshes monthly, on your billing date. You'll receive notifications as you near and reach your limit. |
What happens when your AI allowance runs out | If you use all your AI allowance on AI top-ups, and you’ve used your Business plan allowance too, you'll have a brief pause between generations so you can design beyond your allowance, until it refreshes. If you’ve turned on auto top-ups, you typically won’t see this pause because a new AI top-up is automatically purchased when your AI allowance runs out, up to the spend cap you set for the billing period. You may see a pause if you’ve reached your spend cap for the billing period, or if an auto top-up payment fails. | If you use all your AI allowance on AI Pass, you'll have a brief pause between generations so you can design beyond your allowance, until it refreshes. |
AI tools you can access | All Standard, Premium, and Ultra AI tools. Learn more about how AI usage works. | All Standard, Premium, and Ultra AI tools. Learn more about how AI usage works. |
How to track your AI usage allowance | Monitor your usage from Settings. There are separate trackers for your monthly AI allowance via your Canva Business plan, and for your AI top-up allowance. | Monitor your usage from Settings. One tracker for base plan and AI allowance. |
Who can purchase AI top-ups?
AI top-ups are currently available for Canva Business users only. You can purchase AI top-ups on web or mobile, depending on where your Canva subscription is managed.
If your plan is managed through Canva, purchase your AI top-up on the web. If your plan is managed through the Apple App Store or Google Play, purchase your AI top-up through the Canva mobile app.
Auto top-ups are currently available if you purchased your Canva plan through the web. They aren’t available for Canva plans purchased through the mobile app.
Admins can also purchase AI top-ups for individuals in their team. For pricing details, see How do I purchase AI top-ups?
Once purchased, you can use your top-up allowance on any device where you use Canva.
What do I get with AI top-ups?
Each AI top-up gives you:
- An AI allowance equal to the included monthly AI allowance you get with your Canva Business plan
- Access to all Standard, Premium, and Ultra AI tools. Learn more about how AI usage works.
- 30 days to use your top-up allowance from the date of purchase
Top-up allowance is tracked separately from your base plan allowance.
Only one top-up can be active at a time. Once your current top-up expires or runs out, you can purchase another manually. If you’ve turned on auto top-ups, a new top-up is purchased automatically when your AI allowance runs out, up to the spend cap you set for the billing period.
If you need a larger ongoing AI allowance, AI Pass provides a larger allowance that refreshes monthly. See How AI top-ups differ from AI Pass above.
How do I purchase AI top-ups?
How do I buy an AI top-up for myself?
- From the homepage, select your profile icon.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Billing.
- Select Get more.
- Choose Buy top-up.
- Select One-time purchase.
- Follow the prompts to complete your purchase.
Your top-up allowance is available immediately after purchase.
How do I purchase an AI top-up for a team member?
Note: Team members who need AI top-ups should contact their owner or admin directly to request it.
If you're an owner or admin, you can purchase AI top-ups for your team individually or in bulk, from the People page:
Manual AI top-ups are a one-time purchase and can't be cancelled once purchased. Make sure you're buying for the right team member(s) before completing your purchase.
How do I manage auto top-ups?
How do I turn on auto top-ups?
- From the homepage, select your profile icon.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Billing.
- Select Get more.
- Choose Buy top-up.
- Select Automatic top-up.
- Choose your Maximum monthly spend (spend cap).
- Follow the prompts to confirm your purchase.
How do I update the spend cap for auto top-ups?
- From the homepage, select your profile icon.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Billing.
- From the AI usage section, select (More).
- Select Manage auto top-up.
- Choose your new Maximum monthly spend (spend cap).
- Select Update to confirm.
How do I cancel auto top-ups?
- From the homepage, select your profile icon.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Billing.
- From the AI usage section, select (More).
- Select Cancel auto top-up.
- Select Remove AI top-up to confirm.
Can I use Canva's AI design tools with AI top-ups?
AI design tools don’t consume any AI allowance and can be used any time, generously. They are subject to fair use limits. With Canva Business, you can use AI design tools and Standard AI tools generously outside your AI allowance. They’re subject to fair use limits.
AI top-ups boost your allowance, so you can use Premium and Ultra AI tools for longer.
To understand your AI allowance better, see Understanding your AI usage.
How do I track my AI allowance with AI top-ups?
Quick tip
You can check the AI usage tracker anytime from the Billing page in Settings.
- From the homepage, select your profile icon.
- Select Settings.
- Select Billing.
- Under AI usage, you can see your AI usage and remaining balance. Your base plan and top-up allowances appear as separate trackers, and you'll receive notifications as you near and reach each limit.
AI tools will always use the allowance that expires soonest, whether that’s your base plan allowance that refreshes monthly, or your AI top-up that expires after 30 days.
What happens when I reach my limit?
If you use all your top-up allowance and your base plan allowance, you’ll have a brief pause between generations. You can still use AI tools, but there will be a short wait between each use.
If you’ve turned on auto top-ups, Canva automatically purchases a new top-up when you run out of AI allowance, until you reach the spend cap you set for the billing period.
Once you reach your spend cap, no more top-ups are purchased automatically for that billing period. If you then run out of AI allowance, you’ll have a brief pause between generations. You may also see a pause if an auto top-up payment fails.
The monthly AI allowance available on your Canva Business plan resets on your billing date, regardless of any active top-up.
How do I get more AI access?
If you run out of AI allowance, you have a few options:
- Purchase another AI top-up. Each top-up adds an AI allowance equal to your monthly Canva Business allowance, active for 30 days.
- Turn on auto top-ups. A new top-up is purchased automatically when your AI allowance runs out, up to the spend cap you set for the billing period.
- Upgrade to AI Pass. AI Pass is a monthly recurring add-on with Canva's largest AI allowance. It gives you 40x the monthly AI allowance of Canva Pro, or 20x the allowance of Canva Business, and refreshes each month. Learn more about AI Pass.
I can't find the option to buy AI top-ups
What can cause this
The account, platform, or device may not meet AI top-up requirements. Auto top-ups are available only on Canva web for Canva-managed plans with a supported payment method.
What to do
If you can't see the option to purchase AI top-ups:
- Check your plan. AI top-ups are only available for Business users on paid Canva plans.
- Check your purchase platform. AI top-ups need to be purchased on the same platform where your Canva plan is managed. If you subscribed on the web, purchase your top-up on the web. If you subscribed through Apple or Google Play, purchase your top-up through the Canva mobile app. If you’re looking for auto top-ups, they’re currently available on Canva web for Canva-managed plans only.
- Check your payment method. Auto top-ups require a payment method that supports automatic charges where the amount may vary. Try using a different payment method, or purchase one-time AI top-ups instead.
- Check your account. Make sure you're signed in to the right account.
- Check your device. To purchase AI top-ups on mobile, your device needs to meet these minimum requirements:
- Apple: iOS 15.0, iPadOS 15.0, or macOS 12.0
- Google: Android 4.4
Some devices that meet these requirements may still be unable to make mobile purchases. For example, devices without Google Play billing services can’t purchase AI top-ups in the Canva app.
- Try again later. If the option still doesn't appear, try refreshing the page or signing out and back in.
If you're having an issue with AI top-ups, contact our support team for help.
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