LinkedIn InMail credits allow users to directly contact other members on LinkedIn that they are not connected to. Having these credits can be very useful for making important business contacts or reaching out to potential clients. However, LinkedIn limits the number of InMail credits users have available to send at one time. Here is an overview of how often LinkedIn InMail credits refresh.
The Basics of LinkedIn InMail Credits
LinkedIn provides all members with a certain number of InMail credits that they can use per month. The exact number depends on the type of LinkedIn account you have:
- Basic/Free Accounts: 0 InMails per month
- Premium Business Accounts: 15 InMails per month
- Sales Navigator Accounts: 25-100 InMails per month depending on plan
- Recruiter Accounts: 50-150 InMails per month depending on plan
Any InMail credits that you do not use during the month will expire and do not roll over. You cannot accumulate or save InMail credits over time with a normal LinkedIn account.
Once you have used up all of your available InMail credits for the month, you will need to wait for your allowance to refresh before you can send any more InMails. Trying to send an InMail without any credits will prompt you to purchase more.
How Often Do InMail Credits Refresh?
The standard refresh period for LinkedIn InMail credits is monthly. On the first day of each new calendar month, your InMail credit allotment will replenish back to the full amount based on your account type.
For example, if you have a Premium Business Account with 15 monthly InMails, on January 1st you would start with 15 available InMails for use in January. On February 1st, your balance would refresh back to 15 InMails again even if you had used them all up in January.
This monthly refresh schedule allows you to reliably know when you will have a new set of InMails to work with each month. However, there are some exceptions and additional options for refreshing InMails faster.
Exceptions and Faster Refresh Options
- New Accounts: When you first sign up for a paid LinkedIn account, you may receive a prorated number of InMails for your first month depending on what day of the month you joined.
- Canceled Accounts: If you cancel a paid LinkedIn account, your remaining InMail credits will be void and non-refundable.
- Purchasing More: You can purchase additional InMail credit packs at any time to instantly add more credits to your account as needed rather than waiting for the monthly refresh.
- Earning More: Certain activities on LinkedIn can earn you additional InMail credits outside of the monthly refresh, like referring new connections.
So while the standard InMail refresh period is monthly, you do have options to get more InMails faster when needed.
What Happens to Unused InMail Credits?
Any InMail credits that you have not used by the end of the month will expire and disappear. Leftover InMails do not roll over or accumulate month to month.
For example, if you have a Premium Business Account with 15 monthly InMails:
- On January 1st you receive 15 new InMail credits.
- During January you use 5 of them, so you have 10 left at the end of the month.
- On February 1st your balance resets to 15 InMails, so those previous 10 unused January credits expire.
The expiration policy prevents InMail credits from accumulating indefinitely over long periods of time. It encourages members to actively use their allotted InMails regularly for connecting rather than hoarding them.
If you wish to build up a larger InMail credit balance, you would need to purchase additional InMail credit packs, which then expire 12 months after purchase.
What Happens if You Have No InMail Credits?
If you attempt to send an InMail to a non-connection without any available credits, you will get an error message prompting you to purchase more. Options include:
- Wait until your credits refresh on the 1st of the next month
- Purchase an InMail credit pack to add more immediately
- Connect with the member through other means instead of an InMail
Without any InMail credits, you cannot send an InMail to that person until your balance has refreshed or you have purchased more credits. So it is important to track your remaining InMails each month.
Can You See Your Current InMail Credit Balance?
Yes, LinkedIn makes it easy to see your current InMail credit balance at any time so you can track how many you have left before the monthly refresh.
To view your InMail credit balance:
- Open the LinkedIn mobile app or navigate to the LinkedIn website.
- Go to your homepage or profile page.
- Look for the text that says “InMail Credits” and shows the number of credits remaining.
- This displays the amount of InMail credits you currently have available.
Checking this regularly can help prevent you from trying to send InMails when you have already used up your monthly limit. You can also see this information when starting a new InMail message before sending it.
Does an InMail Use Up 1 or 2 Credits?
Sending a single InMail message to another member only uses 1 InMail credit. So if you have 15 monthly credits, that allows you to send 15 InMail messages that month.
The recipient responding back to your InMail will not use up any of your credits or impact your allowance. Only the initial sent message costs 1 credit.
In some cases, InMails may be sent in two parts – a brief introductory note along with a request to view your full profile. This still only deducts 1 credit as it is considered a single InMail transaction.
So remember, each InMail you send only uses 1 credit no matter the scenario.
Does LinkedIn Notify You When Credits Are Low?
LinkedIn currently does not send any notifications when your InMail credits are running low for the month. It is up to you to proactively monitor your remaining credits.
Some tips to avoid running out unexpectedly:
- Check your InMail credit balance weekly or every few days
- Set a reminder on your calendar at month end to review your usage
- Purchase additional credit packs if you are nearing your limit each month
- View your balance when composing each new InMail
With no alerts from LinkedIn, you need to take responsibility for keeping an eye on your credits yourself. Get in the habit of frequently checking so you know where you stand.
How to Get More InMail Credits
If you are running low on credits before the monthly refresh, there are a few options to get more InMail credits:
Purchase an InMail Credit Pack
You can purchase additional InMail credits at any time through the LinkedIn website. Options include:
Credit Pack | Price |
---|---|
25 Credits | $40 |
50 Credits | $75 |
100 Credits | $140 |
200 Credits | $250 |
500 Credits | $500 |
Purchased credits expire after 12 months. This allows you to build up a reserve of credits beyond the monthly refresh amount.
Earn Additional Free InMail Credits
LinkedIn offers ways to earn a limited number of additional free InMail credits by completing certain activities:
- Referring Connections: Earn up to 5 InMails per month for referring new connections.
- Mobile App Usage: Occasional promotional offers for free InMails for frequent mobile app use.
- Content Posting: Chance to earn 1 or 2 InMails for posting unique content that gets high engagement.
While you can’t rely on these methods alone, they provide a nice way to add to your credits each month.
Upgrade Your LinkedIn Account
Upgrading to a premium LinkedIn account level unlocks more base InMail credits per month. For example:
- Premium Business: 15 InMails
- Sales Navigator Pro: 25 InMails
- Recruiter Lite: 50 InMails
Upgrading can provide more generous, steady InMail access but costs more in subscription fees. Assess whether the extra monthly allotment is worth the ongoing spend.
Do InMail Credits Expire?
Purchased InMail credit packs expire 12 months after the date of purchase. Any unused purchased credits will disappear after this 12 month period.
The monthly InMail credits you receive as part of your base LinkedIn account package do not technically expire. They refresh each month. But the credits do disappear if not used by month end.
So both purchased and free monthly InMail credits have a limited period in which they can be used before vanishing. Be sure to utilize your credits regularly to get the full value.
Who Has Access to InMail Credits?
Only paid LinkedIn account holders have access to monthly InMail credits. Here is the breakdown by account type:
Account Type | InMail Credit Access |
---|---|
Basic/Free Account | No InMail Credits |
Premium Business Account | 15 monthly InMails |
Sales Navigator Account | 25-100 monthly InMails depending on plan |
Recruiter Account | 50-150 monthly InMails depending on plan |
Only paying LinkedIn members get the ability to directly message non-connections with InMail credits. Free members can send InMails to existing connections only.
Can You Transfer InMail Credits?
There is no way to transfer or share InMail credits between LinkedIn accounts. Your credits are for your account use only.
If you wish to allow someone else access to your InMail credits, you would need to provide them with login access to your full LinkedIn account. Each set of credits is tied directly to the account that purchased them.
Gifting or transferring credits is not an option. Any InMails you purchase can only be utilized by your own account.
Conclusion
Understanding how often LinkedIn InMail credits refresh is key to maximizing your use of them. To recap:
- Credits refresh monthly on the 1st for your account type allotment
- Unused credits expire at month end
- You can purchase additional credits anytime
- Earning free credits through promotions is possible
- Check your balance frequently to avoid running out
With a monthly refresh schedule, you need to stay organized on how many credits you have left each month. Consistently monitor and manage your credits to get the most from your LinkedIn messaging capabilities.