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FAQ and troubleshooting

Short answers to the questions and problems that come up most often in the Subscriber Exchange, grouped by where they bite: general, enrolment, your own ads, hosting, credits and plans. Each answer links to the page that covers the flow in full.

If you are setting up for the first time, read Getting started instead — it walks the whole flow in order.

General​

Does the Subscriber Exchange cost anything?​

No. Hosting and running ads is free — the exchange runs on reciprocity, not money. The only optional charges are the one-off delivery boosts and Priority Review (see Delivery boosts) and the Onflow Ads subscription plans that raise your limits.

Can I run ads without hosting?​

No. The exchange is reciprocal: you need at least one enrolled, actively hosting channel before the advertising side opens. If you would rather pay for reach without hosting, use Paid Promotions instead.

Will my subscribers know my channel is in an exchange?​

The ads themselves do not say so. Ads from Free-plan advertisers carry one generic "Advertisement by Onflow Ads" line; paid advertisers' ads carry nothing. Neither names the advertiser, your channel, or the exchange relationship.

What do the pills at the top of the page mean?​

  • "N channels · M live now" — live pool activity: enrolled channels and placements up right now, in aggregate.
  • "Exchange in sync" / "Sync pending" — whether the exchange bot is running the current configuration. "Sync pending" is normal briefly after a platform update and clears on its own.
  • "Reliability N/10" — your account reliability score. Click it for the full breakdown.

Enrolment problems​

Verification keeps failing when I add my channel​

The error message names the exact problem. The full table of messages and fixes is in Getting started. The common ones:

  • "We couldn't reach that channel" — the bot has not been added yet, or the username is wrong.
  • "Only public Telegram channels can join the exchange" — private channels are not eligible.
  • "…is an admin but still needs: …" — a specific right is off. Turn on exactly the highlighted toggle.
  • "You must be an administrator of this channel to enrol it" — the Telegram account linked to Onflow Ads must itself be an admin.
  • "That channel is already enrolled in the exchange by another account" — a channel lives in the exchange under one account only.

Why does the bot need Delete Messages?​

Because the exchange promises every placement comes down after 24 hours, and only a bot with delete rights can keep that promise. The bot only ever removes ads it posted itself — never your own posts. The enrol wizard's "Is it safe?" panel spells out exactly what the bot can and cannot do.

My ad​

My ad is approved but has no placements yet — is something wrong?​

Usually not. Click Why? on the ad row — the diagnostic walks every gate in order and tells you which one applies. The most common answers:

  • Placements are spread evenly across the 30-day cycle, so the next one may simply be a day or two away.
  • No channels currently match your level or targeting — widen your targeting or lower the level.
  • A swap is waiting for a compatible partner offer to exist.
  • Your reliability or account standing is temporarily holding things up.

Full details in Running ads.

My ad was declined — what now?​

The decline reason is shown on the ad row. Fix the issue and submit a corrected ad, or — if you believe the decision was wrong — click Appeal and give the reviewer a sentence or two. You get one appeal per ad, and you will be notified of the outcome.

Why can't I pick the level I want for my ad?​

Some topics enforce a minimum level: a casino ad always runs at level 4 or above, for example. This stops sensitive ads being declared "general" to reach channels whose owners said no to that content.

Why was I refused a delivery boost at submit time?​

A campaign can never exceed 24 placements per cycle. If your plan's base plus extra placements leave less headroom than the boost's full bonus, the boost is refused rather than sold short — pick a smaller boost, reduce extras, or add Priority Review alone. See Delivery boosts.

I cancelled an ad — do I get my money and credits back?​

If nothing had delivered yet, yes — automatically. The wallet charge is refunded and credits are returned. If at least one placement ran, a mid-cycle cancel forfeits the purchases. A decline in review always refunds the delivery charge.

Hosting​

An ad appeared in my channel that I don't want. What do I do?​

Use My channels → Hosted ads → Refuse on that ad. It comes down immediately, never returns to that channel, and costs you nothing. Do not delete the post by hand or demote the bot — that counts as an early removal and damages your standing. Step by step in Refusing an ad.

Can I approve every ad before it posts?​

Yes. Turn on Review ads on the channel row. Matched ads are then held for your approval, and an "Ads waiting for your review" card appears with Approve and Decline buttons and a deadline for each. Ads you do not decide on in time are skipped, never posted. See Reviewing ads before they post.

Why does my channel say "Suspended"?​

A placement was removed early enough times that the channel was paused from the pool. The badge shows when the suspension lifts — it clears automatically, and re-enrolling after it has been served tidies the card. See Rules and fair play.

"Your exchange is paused" — what is that banner?​

A placement was removed early, so the exchange is closed to your account — hosting and advertising both — until the time shown. The banner also shows your strike count. Keeping placements up for their full window keeps you in good standing; paid plans include a per-cycle grace allowance for genuine accidents.

How often will my channel carry ads?​

At most a set number per rolling week (the network default is 4), never two within 20 hours of each other, and only ever at or below the level ceiling you chose.

How do I stop hosting temporarily?​

Turning on Review ads gives you full manual control without leaving. To stop entirely, click Leave on the channel — anything live finishes its 24 hours, and you can re-enrol whenever you like, with your previous settings kept.

Credits​

How do I earn credits?​

Host placements to completion. Each full 24-hour run pays out at your plan's rate — 10 credits on Free, up to 20 on Ultimate. Inviting members pays a one-time 100-credit bonus to both of you when they enrol their first channel. See Earning credits by hosting.

What do credits buy?​

Extra placements on your own broadcast campaigns, at 25 credits each, capped by your plan. They never buy a way around any host's limits, and they are refunded if a campaign is declined or cancelled before anything delivered. See Spending credits on extra placements.

"Extra drops are part of a paid plan" — what does this mean?​

The Free plan cannot add credit-bought extra placements to a campaign — its cap is 0. Paid plans raise the cap, and hosting is what earns the credits to spend on them. Your balance keeps building in the meantime.

Where do I see my credit balance?​

Credits are earned and spent automatically, so the number rarely needs looking up. It surfaces in the enrolment message when a referral bonus is paid, in the message you get if you ask for more extras than you can afford, and through the Developer API's state action on Elite plans and above. See How credits work.

Can I buy credits, or cash them out?​

No to both. Credits are minted by hosting only, and they have no cash value. Money buys delivery boosts instead, which are a separate rail.

Are SubX credits the same as Boost credit?​

No. SubX credits are earned by hosting and spent on extra exchange placements. Boost credit is a separate balance used by the Boost product — and it is what the Ultimate Delivery Floor make-good pays out in.

Plans​

Which numbers change when I upgrade?​

Enrolled channels, ads running at once, placements per cycle, the cap on credit-bought extras, targeting precision, grace allowance, credit earn rate, and access to the Developer API, lookalike matching, custom matcher weights and the Delivery Floor. Full table in Plans, tiers and limits.

What happens to a running campaign if my subscription lapses?​

Nothing. Your tier is frozen onto the campaign at submit time, so it keeps the allowance you paid for until the cycle ends. New submissions use your new entitlements, and existing enrolled channels are never removed.

Does a paid plan protect me from penalties?​

No. Reliability rules bite paid plans exactly as hard as free ones. Paid plans do include grace: a number of accidental early removals forgiven per cycle, which never covers demoting or removing the bot.