At a Glance

1. 1Account Balance — the pool of money your campaigns actually draw from as impressions serve. Reaches zero and campaigns pause.
2. 2Ad Spend Plan — your recurring subscription tier (Self-Serve, Essential, Growth, Scale, or Advanced). Sets your bid floor and which features you can use.
3. 3They're connected, not interchangeable: 100% of your Ad Spend Plan subscription fee is applied to your Account Balance as advertising credits — but adding funds directly does not change your Ad Spend Plan tier.

What Account Balance Is

Account Balance is the amount of money currently in your Topple account that has been funded but not yet spent on campaign delivery. As campaigns run, spend is drawn down from this balance in real time. When it reaches zero, active campaigns pause until more funds are added. You can add funds directly at any time — see How to Fund Your Account.

What Ad Spend Plan Is

Your Ad Spend Plan is a separate recurring subscription that sets your Account Tier: Self-Serve, Essential, Growth, Scale, or Advanced. Each tier sets a bid floor — the minimum price per impression before any tier discount — and unlocks certain features (for example, Essential and above include retargeting campaigns). Higher tiers cost more per month but lower your bid floor, so the same budget wins more impressions. Ad Spend Plans are managed from 'Manage Ad Spend Plan' in your dashboard navigation, separate from the Billing section where you add funds.

How They Connect

The two are linked in one specific way: 100% of your Ad Spend Plan subscription fee is applied to your Account Balance as advertising credits, and unused credits roll forward for 90 days. So paying your subscription does add money to your Account Balance — but it is not the same action as clicking Add Funds, and it does not happen on the same schedule. Add Funds credits your balance immediately, on demand, in whatever amount you choose. Your subscription fee credits your balance automatically, only on your billing cycle, in a fixed amount set by your tier.

The Practical Difference

Think of it as two separate levers. Account Balance answers 'do I have money right now for my campaigns to spend?' Ad Spend Plan answers 'what bid floor and features do I have access to?' A healthy Account Balance with a low-tier Ad Spend Plan means your campaigns can run, but at a higher bid floor and without higher-tier features. A high-tier Ad Spend Plan with a zero Account Balance means you have a low bid floor and full features available, but nothing will serve until the balance is funded.

When to Adjust Each

1. 1Add funds directly (Add Funds in Billing) when your Account Balance is running low and you need campaigns to keep spending before your next subscription cycle.
2. 2Set up Auto Top-Up if you want your Account Balance refilled automatically whenever it drops below a threshold, instead of relying only on subscription credits.
3. 3Change your Ad Spend Plan tier when your bid floor is limiting delivery, or when you need a feature gated to a higher tier, such as dedicated human support or priority API access.
4. 4Don't change your Ad Spend Plan tier just to add money to your balance — Add Funds is the direct, immediate way to do that.

Common Mistakes

1. 1Assuming a zero Account Balance means the account is closed — it means campaigns pause; your Ad Spend Plan subscription keeps billing on its own schedule if you're on a paid tier. Add funds to resume delivery.
2. 2Assuming paying the Ad Spend Plan subscription is the same as adding funds — it does add credits, but only on your billing cycle and only in the amount set by your tier, not on demand.
3. 3Assuming a higher Ad Spend Plan tier alone will fix an empty Account Balance — a tier change adjusts your bid floor and features going forward; it does not retroactively add money beyond that cycle's subscription credit. Use Add Funds for an immediate balance increase.

Related Troubleshooting

1. 1
   Account balance and funding problems →

Next Steps

1. 1
   Add funds to your Account Balance now →
2. 2
   Compare Ad Spend Plan tiers →

   Also: Manage your current plan →
3. 3
   Set up Auto Top-Up to avoid balance gaps →
4. 4
   Review the Account Balance and Ad Spend Plan glossary entries →