> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rankly.live/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Credits > Understand how Rankly credits are earned, stored, and spent. Credits are Rankly's internal balance system. They are used across growth, promotions, and premium flows. ## Credit types | Type | What it means | Typical source | | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | Earned credits | Balance you receive from platform activity such as votes. | Community growth and engagement | | Session credits | Balance tied to activity sessions and usage-based rewards. | Ongoing activity and sessions | | Purchased credits | Balance added through checkout or top-ups. | Payments and credit purchases | ## Where credits are spent | Use case | What happens | | ----------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | Auto-bump | Keeps a server higher in visibility on a schedule. | | Ads | Powers paid placements and campaign budgets. | | Bot premium | Pays for premium tiers tied to a bot or server. | ## How the balance behaves * Earned balances are the most commonly spendable balance for growth actions. * Session balances are useful when the platform awards activity-based credits. * Purchased balances are added deliberately, usually when a user tops up for a specific action. * Some checkout flows only accept the balance type that the product is designed to use. ## When to think about credits If a user asks one of these questions, this page is the right answer: * Why did my balance change after a vote? * Which balance pays for a promotion? * Why did checkout ask for credits instead of currency? * How do I know which plan is consuming my balance? ## Related docs See how credits fit into a listed server's growth setup. Use webhooks to react when votes produce new credit activity. Learn how premium purchases use the platform's billing flows.