How to check your STOQ plan usage and remaining alerts
STOQ tracks your monthly usage for back-in-stock alert notifications and preorders. Each plan has a set limit for the number of notifications (email and SMS combined) and preorders you can process per month. The Usage card on the Plans page gives you a real-time view of how many alerts you have sent and preorders you have processed against your plan limits. STOQ also displays warning banners on the Home page when you approach or reach your limits so you can upgrade before alerts stop going out. Usage limits reset automatically at the beginning of each calendar month.
Why Check Your Plan Usage
There are several reasons to monitor your plan usage regularly.
- Avoid missed alerts. If you reach your notification limit, STOQ cannot send additional back-in-stock alerts until the limit resets next month or you upgrade. Monitoring usage helps you act before this happens.
- Prevent preorder disruptions. On free plans, exceeding the preorder limit disables preorders on your store. Tracking usage lets you upgrade in time to keep preorders active.
- Optimize your plan. Reviewing usage over multiple months helps you determine whether your current plan fits your store's needs or whether you should upgrade or downgrade.
- Understand channel breakdown. The Usage card shows how many alerts were sent via email vs. SMS, and breaks down usage by alert type (back-in-stock alert, reminder alerts). This helps you understand which channels and alert types drive the most activity.
- Track SMS costs. If you use SMS alerts, the Usage card shows the number of SMS segments sent, which directly relates to your SMS charges.
How to Check Your Plan Usage
Follow these steps to view your current usage.
- Open the STOQ app in your Shopify admin.
- Go to Plans from the left menu.
- Scroll down to the Usage card at the bottom of the Plans page. You can also click See current usage in the top action bar to scroll directly to it.
- The Usage card displays your current plan name (e.g. Lite, Pro, Unlimited) and two usage sections:
- Back in stock alerts — shows how many total notifications have been sent against your plan limit (e.g. "150/500"). A progress bar provides a visual representation of usage.
- Preorders — shows how many preorders have been processed against your plan limit (e.g. "12/50"). A progress bar shows the proportion used.
- Click the Back in stock alerts count to expand the detailed breakdown, which shows:
- Email alerts sent this month.
- SMS alerts sent this month.
- A breakdown by alert template: Back in stock alert and Reminder alert 1, each showing email and SMS counts separately.
- If SMS was used: the total segments sent this month and a note that SMS alerts incur additional fees.
- Use the month picker dropdown (labelled "See usage for") to view usage for previous months, up to 6 months back.
How to Read the Usage Card
The Usage card provides several pieces of information at a glance.
- Plan name: Shown at the top of the card (e.g. "Your current plan is Lite").
- Progress bars: A visual indicator of how much of your limit has been used. The bar fills up as you approach the limit.
- Count format: Displayed as "sent / limit" (e.g. "150/500"). On Pro and Unlimited plans, the notification limit shows as infinity (∞) because these plans have unlimited notifications.
- Template breakdown: When expanded, shows usage per alert type so you can see how much of your usage comes from the initial back-in-stock alert vs. reminder alerts.
- SMS segment note: If SMS segments have been sent, a note appears: "SMS alerts incur additional fees. {X} segments sent this month." with a link to the SMS charges article.
What Happens When You Reach Your Limit
STOQ displays warning banners on the Home page to alert you when you approach or exceed your limits.
Notification Limit Warnings
- 80% warning (yellow banner): "You may not be able to send back in stock alerts soon" — Appears when you have used 80% of your notification limit. You should consider upgrading your plan.
- 100% breached (red banner): "Upgrade to send more alerts" — Appears when you have used 100% of your notification limit. Upgrade your plan to continue sending alerts, or wait until the limit resets next month.
Preorder Limit Warnings
- 80% warning (yellow banner): "80% of preorder limit used" — On paid plans, STOQ continues processing preorders beyond the limit at an additional fee per order. On free plans, you may need to upgrade to continue selling preorders.
- 100% breached (yellow banner): "Upgrade to sell more preorders" — On free plans, preorders are disabled on your store. Upgrade your plan to sell more preorder products, or wait until the limit resets next month.
These banners include an Upgrade plan button and a Contact support button. You can dismiss each banner, but it will reappear in the next billing cycle if the condition is met again.
How to Upgrade Your Plan
If you are approaching or have exceeded your plan limits:
- Click the Upgrade plan button on the warning banner on the Home page, or navigate to Plans from the left menu.
- Review the available plans and their notification and preorder limits.
- Select the plan that fits your usage needs and confirm the upgrade.
Pro and Unlimited plans offer unlimited back-in-stock alert notifications.
Known Limitations
Keep these points in mind about plan usage in STOQ.
- Usage limits reset at the beginning of each calendar month, not on your billing anniversary.
- The notification count includes both email and SMS alerts combined against a single limit.
- Pro and Unlimited plans have unlimited notification limits (shown as ∞), but preorder limits still apply.
- SMS alerts incur additional usage-based charges on top of your plan fee, regardless of your notification limit.
- Warning banners can be dismissed, but they will reappear in the next billing cycle if the usage threshold is met again.
- The month picker shows up to 6 months of historical usage data.
- On free plans, exceeding the preorder limit disables preorders on your store. On paid plans, STOQ continues processing preorders beyond the limit at an additional fee per order.
- The Usage card is not shown on legacy plans.
- Usage data may take a few moments to load when you first open the Plans page.
Troubleshooting
Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
Usage card shows a loading spinner | Wait a few seconds for the data to load. If it persists, refresh the page. STOQ fetches usage data from the server each time the Plans page loads. |
Cannot find the Usage card | The Usage card is at the bottom of the Plans page, not the Home page. Go to Plans from the left menu and scroll down, or click See current usage in the top action bar. The Usage card is not shown on legacy plans. |
Usage count seems incorrect | The count includes all email and SMS alerts sent in the current month. Click the notification count to expand the breakdown and verify the email and SMS totals. Use the month picker to check if you are viewing the correct month. |
Warning banner appeared but I have not reached my limit | The warning banner appears at 80% usage. Check the exact count on the Usage card on the Plans page — you may be closer to the limit than expected. |
Preorders were disabled on my store | On the free plan, exceeding the preorder limit disables preorders. Upgrade to a paid plan to re-enable them, or wait until the limit resets at the start of next month. |
I upgraded my plan but the usage count did not reset | Usage limits reset at the beginning of each calendar month, not when you upgrade. Your new higher limit takes effect immediately, but the count of alerts already sent this month carries over. |
FAQs
Q: When do usage limits reset?
A: Usage limits reset at the beginning of each calendar month. For example, if you sent 450 out of 500 alerts in January, your count resets to 0 on February 1st.
Q: Do email and SMS alerts share the same limit?
A: Yes. The notification limit on your plan covers both email and SMS alerts combined. For example, if your plan allows 500 notifications and you send 300 emails and 200 SMS alerts, you have reached your limit. Note that SMS also incurs additional per-segment charges separately.
Q: What does the infinity symbol (∞) mean?
A: The infinity symbol means your plan has unlimited notifications. This applies to Pro and Unlimited plans. You can send as many back-in-stock alerts as needed without hitting a notification limit.
Q: Can I view usage for previous months?
A: Yes. Use the month picker dropdown on the Usage card (labelled "See usage for") to select a previous month. You can view up to 6 months of historical usage data.
Q: What are reminder alerts in the breakdown?
A: Reminder alerts are follow-up notifications sent to customers who were alerted about a restocked product but have not yet purchased it. If you have configured reminder notifications in STOQ, these are tracked separately in the usage breakdown (Reminder alert 1, 2, 3, etc.).
Q: Does upgrading my plan reset the usage count?
A: No. Upgrading your plan increases your notification or preorder limit immediately, but the count of alerts already sent this month does not reset. Usage resets at the start of the next calendar month.
Q: What happens if I exceed my preorder limit on a paid plan?
A: On paid plans, STOQ continues processing preorders beyond the plan limit at an additional fee per order. You are not blocked from selling preorders, but you may incur extra charges. On the free plan, preorders are disabled once the limit is exceeded.
Q: Where can I see my SMS charges?
A: The Usage card on the Plans page shows the number of SMS segments sent this month. For detailed SMS pricing by country, click the "Learn more" link in the SMS note on the Usage card, or refer to the SMS alert pricing and charges article.
Updated on: 10/04/2026
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