> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexiq.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Days to Token Expiry, NetDispatch > Days to Token Expiry for NetDispatch stores. Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it. **Metrics type:** [Key Metrics](/nerve-centre/overview#metrics-types-explained) • **Category:** [Shipping & Courier](/nerve-centre/connectors#connectors-by-type) ## At a glance > Days remaining before the Net Dispatch API key the merchant uses to create labels, rate-shop UK carriers, and pull tracking data stops working. Net Dispatch typically issues OAuth credentials with a 365-day TTL by default; the card surfaces the countdown. | | | | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it counts** | `(token_expires_at - now()) / 86400` rounded down to whole days. The card reads the OAuth credential TTL stamped at last successful auth handshake. | | **Token type** | Net Dispatch API uses OAuth 2.0 client-credentials with a 365-day refresh-token TTL by default. Configurable per merchant; some legacy connections use static API keys. | | **What "expired" actually breaks** | Once expired, every Net Dispatch API call returns HTTP 401. Label generation breaks across all underlying UK carriers; rate-shopping breaks; tracking-event polling breaks. | | **Detection mechanism** | Vortex IQ checks credential metadata at every token-refresh event. The expiry stamp is cached and decremented hourly. | | **Renewal path** | Net Dispatch Dashboard → **Account → API Credentials → Regenerate**. Paste new credentials into Vortex IQ Settings → Connectors → Net Dispatch. Total downtime: under 5 minutes if proactive. | | **Notification cadence** | Card alerts at \<14 days (warn) and \<7 days (critical). Vortex IQ also sends in-app banner and email at 14, 7, 3, and 1 day. | | **Underlying-carrier credentials** | Net Dispatch internally manages credentials with Royal Mail, DPD, Evri, etc. Those have their own expiry semantics inside Net Dispatch's account; if they break, label generation for that specific carrier fails even though the Net Dispatch master key is still valid. | | **Time window** | `RT` (real-time, refreshed hourly) | | **Alert trigger** | `<14 days` (warn) / `<7 days` (critical) | | **Roles** | owner, operations | ## Calculation Calculated automatically from your NetDispatch data. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading. ## Worked example A UK DTC merchant connected Net Dispatch on 14 Mar 25. Reading taken on 12 Mar 26. | Date | Days to expiry | Card state | What happened | | --------- | -------------- | ---------- | ------------------------ | | 14 Mar 25 | 365 | green | Initial connection. | | 14 Sep 25 | 181 | green | Mid-life. | | 14 Feb 26 | 28 | green | Approaching warn. | | 26 Feb 26 | 16 | green | First pre-warn email. | | 28 Feb 26 | 14 | amber | Warn alert tripped. | | 07 Mar 26 | 7 | red | Critical alert. | | 12 Mar 26 | 2 | red | Reading at this example. | The card reads **2 days** with red sentiment. Three things to do: 1. **Rotate today.** Open Net Dispatch dashboard, regenerate API credentials, paste into Vortex IQ. Under 5 minutes downtime. 2. **Schedule annual rotation reminder.** 11 months ahead. 3. **Watch underlying-carrier credentials separately.** Net Dispatch's master key may be fine while one of its internal carrier credentials expires (Royal Mail OBA, DPD Account, etc), causing label-generation failures for that carrier only. Drill into [API Error Rate](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/api-error-rate) for partial-failure patterns. ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together | Card | Why pair it with Days to Token Expiry | What the combination tells you | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | [API Error Rate](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/api-error-rate) | Partial-failure capture. | Master-key valid + per-carrier credential broken = error-rate spike on subset. | | [Label Generation Success Rate](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/label-generation-success) | Workload that breaks on auth fail. | Sudden drop across all carriers = master-key issue; drop on one carrier only = that carrier's internal credential. | | [Shipments Total](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/shipments) | Volume context. | Volume-to-zero with auth failed = expiry was the cause. | | Cross-connector: [`shopify.unfulfilled_orders`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/shopify/unfulfilled-orders) | Downstream impact. | UK Shopify backlog spike on Net Dispatch expiry. | ## Reconciling against the vendor's own dashboard **Where to look in Net Dispatch's own dashboard:** [Net Dispatch Dashboard](https://www.netdispatch.com/) → **Account → API Credentials**. Shows credential creation date, TTL, and underlying carrier credential states. **Why our number may legitimately differ from Net Dispatch's portal:** | Reason | Direction | Why | | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Master-key vs carrier-internal credentials** | Different scope | Card tracks master OAuth credential; portal also shows per-carrier credential states. | | **Time zone** | \<1 day off | UTC vs UK local time. | **Cross-connector reconciliation:** | Card | Expected relationship | What causes legitimate divergence | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | [`royal_mail.rm_auth_token_expiry_days`](/nerve-centre/royal_mail/rm_auth_token_expiry_days) | Direct-RM credential. | Independent if direct-RM also connected. | ## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **My Net Dispatch master credential is fresh but Royal Mail labels are failing. Why?** Net Dispatch internally manages a separate Royal Mail OBA (Online Business Account) credential. Royal Mail OBA credentials don't have a fixed TTL but can be revoked or de-activated by Royal Mail. Check Net Dispatch dashboard → Carriers → Royal Mail → Credentials for the carrier-specific status. Reactivate via Royal Mail OBA portal if revoked. **Should I rotate proactively?** Yes annually. Even with 365-day TTL, rotating 1 month early creates a clean cycle and reduces surprise expiries during peak periods (don't let credentials expire in November-December). **Net Dispatch keys vs underlying carrier credentials, who manages?** Master Net Dispatch OAuth credential: merchant manages via Net Dispatch dashboard. Underlying carrier credentials (Royal Mail OBA, DPD Account, etc): managed inside Net Dispatch by Net Dispatch CSM at onboarding; merchant typically doesn't touch them. If carrier-side credentials break, contact Net Dispatch support. **Card says 14 days but I rotated yesterday. Why?** Vortex IQ refreshes hourly. Click "Reconnect" in Vortex IQ Settings to force-refresh. Should reflect new credential within 1-2 hours. **What if expiry hits during UK Christmas peak?** Avoid this by pre-rotating in October. If credentials expire mid-peak, label generation breaks and Christmas orders queue. UK retail-customer expectations during peak are tight; downtime is more painful than usual. **Multiple Net Dispatch accounts?** Each connector instance has its own credential and card. Multi-account merchants (e.g. UK Ltd plus separate Ireland subsidiary) need to monitor each independently. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *Days to Token Expiry* is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across NetDispatch and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. [Start for free](https://app.vortexiq.ai/login) or [book a demo](https://www.vortexiq.ai/contact-us) to see this metric running on your own data.