> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kalimna.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pricing Breakdown

> Detailed explanation of how call minutes are calculated and billed

# Pricing Breakdown

Kalimna.ai uses a **minutes-based** system for billing. These minutes (or tokens/credits) get **deducted** from your balance each time you make or receive a call. The actual “per-minute cost” depends on your plan, and **carrier costs** are also converted into minutes. Below is how it works.

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## 1. Inbound vs. Outbound Calls

* **Inbound**: You spend minutes as soon as the AI assistant picks up and is engaged in a call.
* **Outbound**: Minutes start deducting once the customer answers the call and stays connected. Dial time is not billed.

> **Note**: A call is considered active until the AI or the user hangs up, **or** until voicemail detection ends the call if the user’s voicemail answers (for outbound).

***

## 2. How Minutes Are Used

### a) AI Spoken Time

* If your AI assistant is actively on the call for 1 minute, you consume **1 minute** of AI time.
* The cost is **prorated** by the second, so a 30-second call uses 0.5 minutes from your plan (for AI time).

### b) Carrier Conversion

* **Carrier cost** (the telecom network fee) is also deducted from your balance **but** is typically **rounded up** to the next minute.
* We convert the carrier’s dollar amount to minutes at your plan’s rate.
  * **Example**: If your carrier charge is \$0.05 for a 1-minute call, and your plan’s AI rate is \$0.10/min, we convert that \$0.05 to 0.5 minutes from your balance.

**So a single 1-minute conversation might consume:**

* **1 AI minute** (for the assistant)
* **+ 0.5 “carrier minutes”** (converted from the carrier’s \$0.05 to half your AI cost).
* **= 1.5 minutes total** deducted from your plan balance.

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## 3. Per-Second Billing vs. Rounding

1. **AI Time**
   * **Measured per second**, so 70 seconds is \~1.17 minutes of AI usage.
   * Deducted exactly from your plan’s minute balance.
2. **Carrier Time**
   * **Rounded to next full minute** for the network fee.
   * Then converted into a fraction of your AI plan cost to decide how many “minutes” to deduct from your credit balance.

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## 4. Included Minutes & Top-Ups

* **Each Plan**: Usually includes a monthly allotment of minutes.
* **Using Up Minutes**: Once you exceed included minutes, you can **top up** your wallet with additional minutes at your plan’s rate.
* **No Rollover**: Unused minutes typically don’t roll over to the next month.

**Example**

> You’re on the **Starter Plan** with 200 included minutes:
>
> * If you make enough calls that total 180 AI minutes + carrier conversions = 180 used, you have 20 left this month.
> * Next month, you reset to 200. If you need 210 minutes, you pay for 10 extra minutes at your plan’s rate.

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## 5. Volume Discounts or Tiers

* Plans vary (e.g., **Starter** at \$0.20/min, **Pro** at \$0.15/min, **Agency** at \$0.09/min).
* High-volume usage (like 50,000+ minutes/month) can often get **bulk discounts** by contacting sales.

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## 6. Quick Usage Examples

### Example A (Outbound Call, Starter Plan)

* **AI Rate**: \$0.20/min
* **Call Duration**: 30 seconds → 0.5 AI minutes = \$0.10 AI cost.
* **Carrier**: \$0.01/min, but 30 seconds → 1 minute rounded up → \$0.01.
  * \$0.01 at your plan’s \$0.20 rate = 0.05 “plan minutes” used (Or if you do a simpler approach, \$0.01 / \$0.20 = 0.05 minutes)
* **Total**: 0.5 (AI) + 0.05 (carrier) = 0.55 minutes from your plan. If you had 200 included, you’d have 199.45 left.

### Example B (Inbound Call, Pro Plan)

* **AI Rate**: \$0.15/min
* **Call Duration**: 90 seconds → 1.5 AI minutes = \$0.225 AI cost.
* **Carrier**: Suppose inbound is \$0.015/min, rounding up to 2 minutes if the call was 1.5 min. That’s \$0.03 total.
  * \$0.03 / \$0.15 = 0.2 minutes from your plan.
* **Total**: 1.5 (AI) + 0.2 (carrier) = 1.7 minutes deducted.

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### FAQ

* **Do I pay double if user + AI talk simultaneously?**\
  **No**, it’s based on total call duration, not per speaker concurrency.
* **What if someone picks up then instantly hangs up?**\
  The AI might register a few seconds; cost is fractional for the AI, but carrier may round up to 1 minute.

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**Bottom Line**\
All calls burn **AI time** plus a **converted carrier cost** from your plan’s minute balance. Keep track of usage in your dashboard, top up if needed, and choose the plan that best suits your volume.