Advanced Usage Billing: Prepaid with Drawdown

Advanced Usage Billing: Prepaid with Drawdown

Picture yourself at your favourite coffee shop, Bean & Brew. You come by every morning for your usual cappuccino, and occasionally you get an extra cold brew and a muffin or two in the afternoon. Interestingly, Bean & Brew has a new idea of offering a Coffee Pass. You can pay $50 in advance for 25 drinks. Each time you purchase a coffee, the system automatically deducts one drink from your prepaid balance. The goal is to have no wait time at the counter. 


Some weeks, you go there every day. You might skip a few mornings at other times. No matter what, you've already paid in full, and you're just taking money out of your balance/credit as you go.

You can immediately add money to your balance if it gets low or runs out. If you have extra drinks at the end of the month, you can even roll them over to the next month. The payment process seems straightforward and clear while giving you full control.

That's the simplest way to explain
Prepaid with Drawdown.

The New Reality 

Prepaid with Drawdown is quietly gaining ground because people need it in today's world. Businesses that offer AI, machine learning, and cloud services have a unique problem as they slowly move into consumption-based billing. They can't predict how their services will be used. A customer might make a few API requests one week, and the next week, they might process millions of data points or hours of video.

Traditional monthly billing is difficult to maintain. Customers often receive bills they weren't expecting, and businesses have to wait longer for money and take on more credit risk.


That's when Prepaid with Drawdown comes into play.

Customers pay in advance for a set number of credits or usage units. The system automatically takes credits from the prepaid balance every time they use the service, whether it's transcription minutes or an API call. Customers can always see what's left, add more when they need to, and, depending on the provider's policy, roll over unused credits.

It's a model that combines predictability and flexibility. It lets customers control costs while businesses keep a steady flow of cash.

Prepaid with Drawdown in Zoho Billing 

Zoho Billing has built-in support for Prepaid with Drawdown billing, which makes it easy for businesses to switch to this new model quickly and easily. This prepaid drawdown will change the game for setting up fair and real-time cash flow if you work in AI services, SaaS, cloud computing, or any other business model that relies on consumption.

This is how it works:
  • Create prepaid plan or add-on: Define prepaid products so that customers pay for usage credits in advance.

  • Drawdown Addon: Link usage lets services automatically take credits out of prepaid balances.

  • Real-time usage tracking: Track usage through Zoho's API or admin console and see the balance change right away.

  • Manage Overage and Rollover: Set up how overage usage is billed and how unused credit can be rolled over.

  • Top-Up and Overrides: Let customers add credits in the middle of a billing cycle or change the number of credits when they sign up for a subscription.

  • Statement and Invoicing: Statement shows the number of credits/units consumed, and it can be invoiced instantly or with the upcoming cycle along with overage charges.

Info

Scenario:

Let's say a cloud storage service offers a safe place for startups and content creators to store and back up their data.

The service provider offers a Prepaid Storage Plan because file uploads and downloads can vary a lot from month to month. Every customer pays in advance for a certain amount of data credits, like 5TB. Zoho Billing keeps track of how much they use every time they upload or download files and takes the same amount out of their prepaid balance.

The service provider also offers a Compression Service, where each GB of compressed data users receive 0.5 GB worth of credit.

Anna subscribes to the prepaid storage plan.

  • She consumes 800 GB of data on the first day.

  • Zoho Billing takes 800 GB off their prepaid balance right away, leaving them with 4200 GB.

  • Anna consumes 100 GB of compressed data, which Zoho Billing seamlessly handles through a drawdown rate and reduces the credit by 50 GB.

  • Again, on day 10, another 1000 GB was used, leaving Anna with a balance of 3150 GB in credit at the end of the month.

When usage tracking is connected to Zoho Billing in real time using APIs, all of this happens in real time.

Suppose, the balance credit reaches zero, Zoho Billing automatically starts tracking any extra usage as overage. This extra usage will be charged at standard rates on the next invoice or right away if the business chooses to "Charge Now." Also, The service provider rolls over the credits to the next billing cycle to make it flexible and fair. 



NotesNoteThe prepaid with Drawdown billing model is currently in early access. Reach out to support@zohobilling.com to enable it for your business. Then, go through our Prepaid with Drawdown in Zoho Billing help document to configure it in your organization.  

 Key Takeaways  

For Customers

For Business

Pay in advance to avoid surprise bills or missing payments.

Getting paid before services are used will improve cash flow.

Keep an eye on the credits you use and your remaining balance right away.

Keep unpaid bills and late payments to a minimum.

Buy more units whenever you need them to handle a spike in use.

Track how people use your service in real time to optimize service delivery.

Unused credits can be carried over when policies allow them, so there is no waste.

Overage can be tracked and monetized easily without service interruption.

 

I am confident that the next time you use your coffee pass at Bean & Brew, or any other prepaid service, you will realize it is more than just a convenience. It's a small, everyday reflection of how many big data-driven companies are changing how we pay for technology.


Idea
The Prepaid with Drawdown model has scope in every business we encounter. We will provide additional use cases in the comments to make it easier for companies to adopt this model logically. 

    • Sticky Posts

    • Community Learning Series | Digest #5 — September 2020

      Dear customers, We're happy to bring you the September edition of our #CommunityDigest! Keep track of your subscription KPIs right from your smartphone: Last month, we enhanced our Android mobile app to help our customers get daily updates on their business health. We got to know from a lot of customers that this has made their job much more easier because they no longer have to keep a reminder to manually check on the previous day's revenue or activations. If you have not downloaded it yet, here's
    • Community Learning Series | Digest #4 - August 2020

      Dear customers, We hope you're staying safe and healthy. I'm happy to bring you the fourth edition of our #CommunityDigest with some brand-new updates from us. 1. Daily Business Updates (for Android users) The Zoho Subscriptions Android app has got a cool new update: You can now get a push notification to your smartphone that lets you know how many activations and cancellations have taken place, and what's the net revenue for the previous day. The best part is, you can tell the app when exactly you
    • Community Learning Series | Digest #3 - July 2020

      Dear customers, We hope you're staying safe and healthy. We're glad to bring you the July edition of our #CommunityDigest. New community members can view our previous newsletters here. This time, we have two major updates and three interesting topics for you: 1. Zoho Subscriptions Developer Community Since the inception of Zoho Subscriptions, our team believed that the recurring billing platform we provide should be able to offer an extensive API library that empowers businesses to automate most
    • Introducing: Community Learning Series | Digest #1 - May 2020

      Dear customers, We hope you are staying safe and healthy. Helping businesses manage their customer subscriptions more efficiently has always been, and always will be, our goal at Zoho Subscriptions. We strongly believe this is possible if we grow together as a community and share what we know with each other. To nurture this shared learning experience, here is our brand-new Community Learning Series! ​ Welcome to the first edition of our digest! Each edition of our community digest includes guides

    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


      • Recent Topics

      • [IDEA] Bring Layout - Conditional Rules and Client Scripts to Zoho Books

        The problem We run Zoho Books with two e-invoicing integrations: myData (Greek tax authority, AADE) and PEPPOL (EU e-invoicing). Between the two, our Invoice form carries a large number of custom fields — document type codes, VAT exemption categories,
      • Last four Digit field in Zoho Payment Received

        One of our client's payment received doc has Notes, Last four digit and Transaction ID fields set, I couldn't find api parameter for these fields in the documentation... when I checked the site, it's not custom fields as well. where do i find it, any
      • Automatically remove commas

        Team, Please be consistent in Zoho Books. In Payments, you have commas here: But when we copy and paste the amount in the Payments Made field, it does not accept it because the default setting is no commas. Please have Zoho Books remove commas autom
      • Show my cost or profit while creating estimate

        Hi, While creating estimate it becomes very important to know exact profit or purchased price of the products at one side just for our reference so we can decide whether we can offer better disc or not .
      • Cash Flow Forecast Dashboard in Zoho Reports

        I am exploring the capabilities of Zoho Reports and created a simplified Cash Flow Dashboard - http://db.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=97137000000016024 This is just a sample of the useful financial information for small businesses that can be created with this powerful business intelligence tool from Zoho.
      • Admin Logging in as another User

        How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Latest Update (27th April 2026): With the early
      • Zoho CRM Layout Rules: Nine New Actions, Profile-Based Execution, and Interactive Preview

        Hello everyone, Availability: This feature is now available for all users. We’re excited to announce powerful new enhancements to Layout Rules in Zoho CRM - a feature built to guide our teams through form-filling by showing the right information to the
      • Lookups and Custom Modules

        I created a Custom Module that I'm calling "Item Purchasing Group". This module will store information for groups of Items that must be purchased together (including minimum overall quantities and/or values, etc.). This will have a one-to-many relationship
      • can't access zoho account

        I can't log in to my zoho account, can you help me
      • Auto sync Photo storage

        Hello I am new to Zoho Workdrive and was wondering if the is a way of automatically syncing photos on my Android phone to my workdrive as want to move away from Google? Thanks
      • Has anyone integrated Zoho with Go High Level (GHL)? Looking for guidance

        Hi everyone, I’m exploring the possibility of integrating Zoho applications with Go High Level (GHL) and wanted to check if anyone in the community has experience with this. Specifically, I’m interested in understanding: Whether a direct integration is
      • Updating Unit Code for New Item Creation, Quote and Invoicing is so inconvenient

        The Zoho Team has implemented many updates, but these updates should be optional. Before rolling out any new feature, they should already have a solution in place that allows users to remove or disable it if they choose not to use it. Just yesterday,
      • Item/service subtotal

        Just discovered & really pleased that we can drag to re-order the line items in Sales orders & Invoices, a very nice feature which doesn't seem to be documented? It would be nice to be able to insert a subtotal as a line item to complete this great feature
      • Set Custom Icon for Custom Modules in new Zoho CRM UI

      • I want to prefill CRM Account information using the GSTIN of the Customer

        Currently i need to add account details manually in zoho crm and when it syncs in zoho books manual working needs to be done. Whereas in zoho books i can prefill the customer details using the GSTIN which is great feature. Can the same be enabled for
      • #5 Is This Actually The Right Tool For Me?

        Day 5: Before Meera brought six months of business history into Zoho Invoice, she stopped and asked herself a very sensible question: Is this actually the right tool for me? It is much easier to ask that now than after moving all your data. The Usual
      • Timesheet entry and comment on the actual timesheet

        Dear madam/sir, It would be really helpful if we could add an option to comment on a specific timesheet entry, after the employee logs a time-log. Would that be possible in the future? Or can you suggest another way to do this?
      • OpenAI Is Moving to the Responses API: Here's What It Means for SalesIQ

        OpenAI has deprecated its Assistants API and is moving to the Responses API. If you're using OpenAI Assistants with SalesIQ, you may be wondering if you need to make any changes to your existing setup. You don't. SalesIQ has already taken care of the
      • Need Native Support for docx files in Zoho Writer

        Absolutely love Zoho Writer, but often need to share files by email with people who are in the Office ecosystem. Downloading a file as docx, then sending it by email, getting the comments back, converting it to Zoho format, editing it, then converting
      • CRM integration issues

        hi Just start testing Campaigns. Read up on up on these issues but can not find an answer. I am super admin. 1) its only showing 1002 contacts, I have a 2500 plan which is confirmed in dashboard. I says it sync'd 1400. I've looked at missing contacts,
      • What's New in Zoho Expense: Integrated Business Travel and AI-Powered Expense Management

        This release brings a wide range of updates across Zoho Expense, including new AI-powered capabilities, enhancements to corporate cards, expense management, audits, and more. Keep reading to know how the new updates can transform your travel and expense
      • ChatGPT Plugin / MCP Server auth error

        Hi all I'm trying to connect the ChatGPT plugin for Zoho CRM but after username stage of the auth process, I get this error from the URL https://mcp.zoho.eu/mcp-client/ {"error_description":"Invalid request url, Request is not as per defined in oauth
      • Project Management Platforms for AI Agents: What Matters Most?

        Zoho Projects is already going beyond basic AI assistance with MCP, AI Bridge, and integrations that let AI models access project data and perform actions. That raises an interesting question: what should a project management platform for AI agents actually
      • Sync workdrive feature inside ZohoCRM

        Hi, I'm exploring the new workdrive/ZohoCRM connector released by Zoho to replace the free extension workdriveforCRM which is decomissioned https://marketplace.zoho.com/app/crm/zoho-workdrive-for-zoho-crm I'm rather upset with this long awaited feature,
      • Adding Custom Status Options in Work Order Action Menu

        Hello FSM Team, We would like to inquire if it is possible to add more custom options in the Work Order action/status dropdown (e.g., Cancel, Terminate, Non-Billable, Void, etc.). Currently, the available options are limited, and we are unable to customize
      • MTA - BAD IP reputation by outlook/hotmail

        Messages to Microsoft email servers are bouncing back due to poor reputation. Message: 4.7.650 The mail server [136.143.188.206] has been temporarily rate limited due to IP reputation. For e-mail delivery information see https://postmaster.live.com (S775)
      • Timesheet Task Icons

        In the image below which shows the task field drop down when creating a timesheet against a project and task. What do the icons mean the the right side column against each task? I can't find any documentation or guide that explains what the no entry sign,
      • Open Records in a New Browser Tab

        Hi FSM Team, Just a suggestion: It would be helpful to have a right-click → Open in New Tab option in FSM, similar to CRM. This should ideally work for any clickable record or module, allowing users to open multiple records in separate tabs without losing
      • Facturation électronique 2026 - obligation dès le 1er septembre 2026

        Bonjour, Je me permets de réagir à divers posts publiés ici et là concernant le projet de E-Invoicing, dans le cadre de la facturation électronique prévue très prochainement. Dans le cadre du passage à la facturation électronique pour les entreprises,
      • Marketing Tip #18: Make your online store mobile-friendly to improve traffic

        Most online shoppers browse on their phones first. If your store is hard to read, slow to load, or tricky to navigate on mobile, they’ll bounce fast. A mobile-friendly store doesn’t just look nice; it improves engagement, reduces drop-offs, and helps
      • Cannot add note to record on mobile

        In the latest version of the mobile app - if a record already has notes associated with it - you can add a note via the mobile app - if a record does not have previous notes there is no way to add a new one - it allows me only to send email
      • Custom color coding for your entities

        Our brains are fine tuned to recognize colors before any text or shapes, making color coding a powerful tool to organize data and find items quickly. Color coding of our day-to-day work help with quickly processing the information, reducing cognitive
      • The Social Wall: August 2026

        Hello everyone. Welcome to the August 2026 edition of The Social Wall. This month, we're bringing you updates that make it easier to reach your audience, manage more channels, and streamline your publishing workflow. Here’s what’s new. WhatsApp bulk messaging
      • Check out in Meetings

        Why there is no check out in Meetings of Zoho CRM, very difficult to track
      • How do I get to "Admin Panel"

        I just started a Cliq account. I am the sole administrator. As I read the documentation, I keep seeing reference to an "Admin Panel". I see no way to access this from my Cliq account. How do I access this panel?
      • 【初開催! オンライン】Zoho Campaigns メール配信の基礎・活用勉強会を開催します! 10/15 参加無料

        ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。 Zoho コミュニティグループの中野です。 Zoho ユーザーコミュニティ初となる、メールマーケティングをテーマにしたオンライン勉強会を開催します! ▶︎イベント詳細・参加登録はこちら 今回取り上げるサービスは「Zoho Campaigns」です。 「Zoho CRMとZoho Campaignsのどちらからメールを配信すればよいか分からない」 「一斉配信はできるようになったけれど、現在のリスト管理や設定が正しいか不安」 「メールを送るだけで終わり、配信後の改善につなげられていない」
      • Marketing Tip #46: Run flash sales the right way

        A flash sale can do a lot for your store. It can clear slow-moving inventory, spike revenue on a slow day, or reward your most loyal customers. But if done carelessly, flash sales can backfire. Customers start expecting discounts, stop buying at full
      • Introducing Smart Fields in Zoho Forms

        Hello form builders! We are excited to introduce Smart Fields in Zoho Forms - a faster way to add calculations to your forms without writing formulas. Instead of creating multiple fields and configuring complex calculations yourself, you can now drag
      • Checkbox not displaying correctly in subform

        Greetings: I have shared my app (wv) with support.  I am having problems with a checkbox field not displaying correctly in a subform.  The main form is called volunteers and the subform is called volunteers_subform.  The field in question is called roles. When you access the subform by itself the checkbox lookup displays as checkboxes.  But when you view it in the main volunteers form, it displays as a multi-select dropdown instead.   I have attached jpegs showing the difference.   Any thoughts?
      • Unbundle feature for composite items

        We receive composite items from our vendors and sell them either individually or create other composite items out of them. So, there is a lot of bundling and unbundling involved with our composite items. Previously, this feature was supported in form
      • Next Page