Set up billing and add balance

Simbase runs on a prepaid balance, there are no monthly contracts or minimums. You add funds, Simbase deducts usage, and as long as your balance stays positive your SIMs keep working. This guide covers the one-time billing setup, the three ways to add balance, the alerts that warn you before service stops, and where to find your invoices.

Step 1: Enter your billing details

  1. In the dashboard, open Billing → Billing Settings

  2. Enter your billing entity, address, tax ID, and any details required for invoicing in your country

  3. Save

These details print on every invoice Simbase issues you, so make sure they match what your finance team expects.

Step 2: Add balance

You have three ways to fund your account:

  • Credit card - best for one-off top-ups and small accounts. Instant. See accepted cards by currency

  • Invoice / bank transfer - best for larger top-ups and finance-managed accounts. Funds appear after the transfer settles

  • Auto-recharge - best for production fleets, or anyone who hates surprises. Automatically tops up to an amount you set when the balance drops below a threshold you define

To add balance, open Billing → Add balance in the dashboard and pick your method.

For accepted card brands, supported currencies, and tax handling, see Payment methods.

Balance alerts

Simbase sends two alerts so service interruptions don't catch you out:

  • Low-balance alert - fires when your balance falls below the equivalent of 5 USD/EUR/GBP/AUD/CAD (depending on your account currency). You get an email and an in-app notification

  • Empty-balance alert - fires when the balance hits 0. Email and in-app, and all SIMs on the account are disabled at this point

Once a SIM is disabled for empty balance, service resumes within minutes of you adding funds. No need to re-enable your SIMs.

Auto-recharge: never run out of balance

If you can't risk service interruption (production telematics, paying customers, lone-worker safety), enable auto-recharge:

  1. Open Billing → Auto-recharge

  2. Set the trigger (top up when the balance drops below X)

  3. Set the amount to top up to

  4. Choose the saved card to charge

  5. Save

You'll still receive low-balance alerts as a heads-up, but the recharge fires automatically.

Invoices

Simbase issues one invoice per top-up, regardless of payment method. There's no monthly cycle.

To download an invoice:

  1. Open Billing → Invoices

  2. Click the invoice you want

  3. Use the download icon for a PDF

What gets billed

Usage charges deducted from your balance:

  • Data - by the MB, per the plan attached to each SIM

  • SMS - per message sent and received, where applicable

  • Public IPs - daily fee per assigned IP, including for SIMs whose status is currently disabled

  • Enabled SIMs - daily fee per enabled SIM, on all pay-as-you-go profiles

    Green profile SIMs are prepaid: you pay upfront for the bundle, so no daily fee applies. Every other profile is pay-as-you-go and charges a daily fee per enabled SIM.

  • Private Networks and IPSec tunnels - daily fee per network and per tunnel

  • Add-Ons - Support plans, Private APNs, Wholesale Pricing plan

For the full list and current rates, see Billable items.

Common questions

All SIMs on the account are blocked at zero balance. Service resumes within minutes of adding funds, and you don't need to re-enable your SIMs manually.

Yes. You get a low-balance alert by email and in-app when your balance falls below the equivalent of 5 USD/EUR/GBP/AUD/CAD, and an empty-balance alert when it reaches zero.

Enable auto-recharge in the dashboard. It charges a saved card automatically whenever your balance drops below a threshold you set, so the balance never reaches zero.

Yes, the minimum varies by currency and payment method. The dashboard shows the minimum at the moment you select a method.