Price vs Pulses: Why Changing the Dollar Amount Does Not Change Credits

When you change a play package on an ArcadePay Controller, two fields matter — and they are not the same thing.

Price is what the guest pays. Pulses are what the machine actually credits. Changing the dollar amount does not change the pulses. If you only edit the price, the guest can still get the old credit count.

Open the Machine Products Tab

These steps use the phone view of the ArcadePay dashboard. Desktop looks similar — the tab is labeled Products & Pricing on desktop and Products on a phone.

  1. Open the ArcadePay dashboard and go to Machines.
  2. Open the machine you want to update.
  3. Open Products (or Products & Pricing on desktop).
  4. Find the package. Use the pencil next to the name and the pencil next to the price.
  5. On a phone, open Options on that package to edit Pulses. On desktop, Pulses is on the card.
  6. Tap Preview to confirm the guest checkout page looks right.

There is no separate Save button. Each pencil commits that field when you finish editing it.

ArcadePay Products tab on phone — pencils next to package name and price
Use the pencils next to the name and price. Desktop may look slightly different.

Price vs Pulses

Keep this pairing in mind every time you edit a package:

  • Price — what shows on the guest payment page and what Stripe charges.
  • Pulses — the credit signal ArcadePay sends to the machine after a successful payment.

On a quarter machine, pulses usually equal plays × 4 (including any free-play bonus). Token machines are usually 1 pulse per play.

Name Price Pulses
2 Plays $2.00 8
3 Plays $3.00 12
6 Plays - 1 FREE Play $5.00 24 (most popular)
12 Plays - 2 FREE Plays $10.00 48

Example: the $5 option sends 24 pulses (6 plays, including the bonus). To drop the bonus, change pulses to 20 and rename the package — do not only change the price.

ArcadePay package list showing 3 Plays, 6 Plays with free play, and 12 Plays packages
Scroll to the package you want. On mobile, Pulses lives under Options.

What Not to Tap

  • The purple down arrow is a test play, not an edit.
  • The red trash can deletes the package.
  • Pulse Settings (timing and wiring) is not the package list — that is a different screen.
  • On desktop, do not use a global Products & Pricing item in the left sidebar if you meant the per-machine tab. Open the machine first.

Several Machines, Same Packages

If one machine is already correct, use Copy Config to push those products, prices, and pulse counts onto similar cabinets. Same machine type only — do not copy quarter settings onto a token machine, or a prize/locker setup onto a machine without those inputs.

For the full copy walkthrough, see How to Copy Config Across ArcadePay Controllers.

If a Payment Charges but the Machine Does Not Credit

Check Pulses first. A common miss is the price looking right while pulses are still set for a different package. Confirm the pulse count matches how that machine credits plays, then run a small test before you leave the stop.

The Takeaway

Treat every play package as a pair: guest-facing price plus machine pulses. Edit both when you change an offer, preview the checkout page, and copy a known-good setup across similar machines so your route stays consistent.

Not sure how many pulses a cabinet needs for a new package? Email ops@arcadepay.app with the machine type (quarter vs token), the package name, and what the guest should receive — Support can help you confirm before you publish the change.

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