Q: I bought a credit for my account, but now when I try to post my event it is asking me to pay to upgrade my event. Why can't I use my credit?

A: Each purchase for an upgraded event credit is associated with one of the following plans:

• Community
• Lifestyle
• Entertainment
• Professional
• Enterprise

When you select the categories for your event, we select the credit plan to match that event category (see "Pricing Plans and Packages"). If you choose to add additional or different categories when submitting your event, our system will automatically use the highest-value category to determine the cost to upgrade.

If the credit you purchased doesn’t match the highest-value category selected, the system may ask you to purchase a new credit at that price plan. This ensures your event gets the right level of exposure based on its category placement.

To avoid unexpected costs, we recommend reviewing your category selections carefully during submission. You cannot upgrade a credit that was already purchased.

For example, if my event has a "Live Music" event category, then the credit to upgrade it must be from an Entertainment plan. If you purchased the Community plan then your credit cannot be used unless you change the category of your event.

How to change the category to match your plan

First, determine what plan your credit is for. Just click on the "Credits" text and then you can see package details for your remaining credits.

Then, you can find a category that matches that credit plan. See all Categories by Plan here.

Next, you can edit your event to have that type of category. When you save it after this edit you may still be asked to pay, and that's just because the system doesn't notice the new category at checkout until you process that save, which you can do by processing it again as a "Free" event.

Finally, you can click to upgrade your event, and, if your credit plan matches your category, you will be able to select "Use credit" at the checkout page.