This guide explains the two main billing structures available in 3Play Media—Account-Level and Project-Level billing—and how to manage budgets under each. Understanding these configurations allows you to control spending more effectively and assign financial responsibilities appropriately across teams or departments.
Prerequisites
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Super User with Manage Invoices and Billing access is required to configure billing and budget settings.
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Budgets module must be enabled for your account (contact support@3playmedia.com or your Account Manager if not visible once the activation has been requested).
Understand the Two Billing Structures
Account-Level Billing
All usage and charges across all projects within your account are billed together and appear on a single invoice. Budgets (if used) are applied at the account level.
Best for: Organizations with centralized finance teams or smaller teams using a single billing entity.
Project-Level Billing
Each project is treated independently for billing purposes. This means each project gets its own budget settings and invoice.
Best for: Companies with multiple departments or clients where each group should have its own budget or invoice.
Set Budgets by Account or Project
Budgets can be enabled to help manage and control spending by placing a processing hold on new orders that are expected to exceed a specified budget threshold. When a budget is exceeded within a single project, all processing for that account is paused—across all projects—until the issue is resolved. This safeguard applies even if there is a prepay balance available, ensuring better financial oversight and preventing overages beyond what has been allocated.
1. Activate the Budgets Module
- Click the Settings gear icon from your dashboard.
- In the left-hand menu, navigate to Add-On Modules.
- Locate the Budgets Module and click Request Access.
Once access is granted, the Budgets section will appear under your Billing settings, allowing you to configure account or project-level budgets.
2. Access the Billing Settings to Set Budgets
- From the top navigation, click Billing.
- Click on the Budgets link under Billing (only visible if budgets are enabled for your account).
3. Set or Adjust Account Budgets
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Click Create a New Budget or select an existing one to edit.
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Enter a Spending Cap — this is the dollar limit for services. Once reached, additional services will be held.
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Under the Actions (paper clip) icon, link the budget to the Currently Open Invoice so charges apply against it.
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(Optional) Under Actions (-), choose to deactivate the budget after the invoice closes.
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(Optional) To remove the budget entirely, click the Actions (trash can) icon. This removes all spending limits and holds.
| Note: Budgets can be adjusted at any time. Changes take effect immediately and apply to all future orders within the project. |
Monitor Budget Usage
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Navigate to Billing > Invoices or Budgets to monitor current spend.
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Review usage, remaining budget, and any alerts for overages.
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Budget notifications are only visible to billing users on the Billing > Budgets page. A red cap alert and a negative Amount Remaining indicate services are being held.
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On the My Files page, held services will simply appear as pending, with no visible explanation.
Tips and Best Practices
- Budget holds must be manually released by 3Play Support or your Account Manager.
- The Amount Ordered on a budget reflects both current charges on an open invoice and service fees for in-progress orders not yet invoiced.
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To avoid confusion, apply a new budget to a new invoice—this keeps fees aligned as they decrement the current budget.
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Budgets will automatically carry over to future invoices unless set to close with the current invoice. Decide based on whether you want the budget to span multiple invoices.