Billing & Credits
Understand nRouter billing, credit purchases, and auto top-up settings. Learn how prepaid credit balances settle requests and how to manage your invoices.
nRouter operates on a prepaid credit model where every API request reserves and settles against your balance at the served model's exact list price with a 0% platform fee. Manage credits, auto top-up, payment methods, and invoices directly from the Billing page (/billing).
![Billing dashboard at /[organization]/billing — available credits, plan overview, and checkout](/_next/static/media/dashboard-billing.43c1rws804hxt.webp)
Credit Balance & Settlement
- Available credits: Spendable balance (active balance minus in-flight holds).
- Reserved credits: Pre-flight hold sized to maximum completion cost.
- Post-call settlement: Reconciles actual tokens at exact list price, releases unused holds, and outputs
x-nr-request-cost. Credits never go negative.
Buying Credits
Top up via preset amounts or custom values via Stripe Checkout with a 0% platform fee and zero markups.
Plans
nRouter sells one primary plan: Pay as you go. Subscription plans are not offered to new customers; existing subscribers retain their plans and allowances. Enterprise agreements are available for custom SLAs.
| Plan | Rate limits (org-wide) | Platform fee | Feature access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | 200 RPM / 200k TPM / 5 concurrent | 0% platform fee | All features (guardrails, routing, budgets, analytics) |
| Enterprise | Custom SLAs & concurrency pools | Custom | Dedicated infrastructure & custom SLAs |
- Exact list price: Usage on all models, including
nrouter/auto, settles at upstream provider list price without markup. - Existing subscribers: Legacy Starter, Pro, and Max plans include a monthly
nrouter/autousage allowance metered across sub-windows (8-hour, daily, weekly, monthly). Unused allowance expires at window reset. With extra usage enabled in Billing, requests overflowing an allowance draw from prepaid credits rather than returning an error.
Auto Top-Up
Set a threshold and top-up amount to reload via Stripe automatically (Owner / Org Admin only; amount must meet or exceed threshold).
Payment Methods & Invoices
Card details are stored securely by Stripe. View invoices, hosted receipts, and PDF downloads directly on /billing.
Out of Credits & Allowance Errors
| Scenario | HTTP Status | Error Code | Header & Diagnostic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exhausted credit balance | 402 | insufficient_credits | Pre-flight rejection until topped up. |
| Exhausted monthly allowance | 402 | plan_allowance_exhausted | x-nr-limit-source: plan_allowance_exhausted and x-nr-allowance-reset; no Retry-After is sent. |
| Exhausted 8-hour, daily and weekly sub-windows | 429 (rate_limit_exceeded) | rate_limit_exceeded | x-nr-limit-source: plan_window_h8, plan_window_day, or plan_window_week, with Retry-After and x-nr-allowance-reset. |
| Throughput rate limit hit | 429 (rate_limit_exceeded) | rate_limit_exceeded | x-nr-limit-source: key, team, plan, or capacity with Retry-After. |
For error handling, see Limits, Errors, and Budget Controls.
Role-Based Access for Billing
| Role | View Credits & Usage | Buy Credits & Manage Cards | Change Auto Top-up & View Invoices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Org Admin | Yes | No | Yes |
| Member / Viewer | Own activity only (via Reports) | No | No |
Next steps
- Budget Controls — Cap spend with org, team, and key budgets
- Analytics & Reports — Track where credits go
- Creating an Account — Your first credits at signup
Frequently asked questions
How do credits work, and what does 'available credits' mean?
Available credits represent your active balance minus in-flight reservations, settled at upstream list price.
Who on my team can buy credits or change billing settings?
Only Owners can purchase credits and manage payment methods; Org Admins can update auto top-up and view invoices.
Does the platform fee come out of the credits I buy?
No, nRouter charges a 0% platform fee and passes through 100% of purchased credits.
Which plan should I pick, and does a higher tier unlock more features?
All accounts use Pay as you go (200 RPM / 200k TPM / 5 concurrent) with full platform access and 0% fees.
How does auto top-up work?
Auto top-up reloads a designated amount via Stripe whenever your balance drops below your chosen threshold.
What happens when I run out of credits or allowance?
Exhausted credits return HTTP 402 (insufficient_credits); exhausted allowances return HTTP 402 (plan_allowance_exhausted) or HTTP 429 (rate_limit_exceeded) with Retry-After.
Can I download invoices and receipts?
Yes, download PDF receipts or view hosted Stripe invoices directly from Billing.
Can I get a refund for unused credits?
Unused prepaid credits may be refunded upon review by support@nrouter.ai, while promotional credits are non-refundable.
What is the difference between prepaid and promotional credits?
Prepaid credits cover all catalog models, while promotional credits apply exclusively to promo-labeled models.
Where are my card details stored, and what if a payment fails?
Payment methods are managed by Stripe, and failed payments trigger an update banner in the dashboard.