If your account has spend controls enabled, you have a fulfillment credit limit — the headline number that caps how much in-flight work your account can carry at once. This guide explains what it is, what it isn't, and how it interacts with the rest of billing.
#What the credit limit is
A single dollar number set by your Merch sales rep. Your remaining headroom is your credit limit minus your current in-flight exposure, where in-flight exposure is the sum of projected totals across all orders that have been allocated but haven't been invoiced yet.
It's a continuous capacity number, not a budget. It doesn't reset on a calendar. When new orders are placed, your in-flight exposure goes up. When orders move to invoiced through the regular monthly invoice cycle, your exposure goes down naturally.
The headroom number is what tells you how much new gifting you can launch right now.
#What it isn't
- It's not a hard spend ceiling — it's an in-flight ceiling. You can spend any amount over time; you just can't have more than the limit in motion at once.
- It's not tied to a calendar period like a monthly or annual budget.
- It's not directly affected by the payment status of past invoices — though if you have overdue invoices, your sales rep may decline to raise the limit until those clear.
#Defaults for new accounts
Brand-new accounts start with a small fulfillment credit limit, and accounts with established fulfillment history start with a larger one. At migration, Merch also makes sure the limit is comfortably above your current in-flight exposure so you don't get capped on day one.
Your sales rep adjusts the limit upward over time based on payment history and your relationship with Merch.
#How exposure frees up
The natural rhythm is the monthly invoice cycle. Once an order is invoiced (as part of the monthly invoice generation), it drops out of in-flight exposure. That moment also automatically retries any orders sitting on credit hold against the new headroom — they can clear without manual intervention.
So in practice:
- Steady-state account with predictable monthly volume → invoices roll, exposure stays roughly flat
- Spike of new orders → exposure climbs, may approach the limit
- Wait for the next monthly invoice → exposure drops, held orders auto-release
#Payment terms
Payment terms are separate from the credit limit. Your account is either on net terms (the invoice is due a set number of days after it's generated — Net 30 is common, but your terms may be different) or due immediately on receipt. Your sales rep sets this.
Net terms don't affect the credit limit directly, but a pattern of overdue invoices may cause your sales rep to reduce the limit until trust is restored.
#How to request a credit limit change
Talk to your Merch sales rep. The conversation usually covers:
- Current monthly fulfillment volume and trend
- Upcoming campaigns or seasonal spikes
- Outstanding invoice status
- Length of relationship
You can't change the credit limit yourself from the customer portal — your sales rep makes the change on your behalf once you're aligned.
#What happens when you hit the limit
New orders are accepted normally (the recipient sees no error) but go on credit hold. The hold queue is visible on your Spend Controls page. The order won't ship until headroom clears.
Resolution options:
- Wait for invoicing — natural release as the monthly invoice cycle runs.
- Pay outstanding invoices early — frees up exposure as soon as the payment lands.
- Request a limit raise — talk to your sales rep.
- Manual override — an Admin in your customer portal can clear specific held orders with a captured reason.
#FAQs
Can I see exactly which orders are using my exposure? Yes — the Spend Controls page lists the held queue and totals.
Does the credit limit apply to public-link orders? Yes. The source of the order doesn't change the math — every order contributes to your in-flight exposure whether it came from an invite link, a public link, an API call, or a CSV import.
What if I have credit available but a specific campaign cap is hit? The order goes on hold for that campaign's reason, not for fulfillment. Raise the campaign cap (or wait for its reset) to clear.
Will the credit limit ever increase automatically? No. It's a credit decision your sales rep owns. Reach out when you want a raise.