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Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG)

Pay-As-You-Go allows you to use the Apertis API without a subscription by paying for what you use. This guide explains how PAYG works and how to manage it effectively.

Overview​

PAYG is a flexible billing model where you:

  1. Add funds to your account balance
  2. Use the API as needed
  3. Pay per usage based on actual consumption
Add Funds → Make Requests → Deduct from Balance → Top Up When Low

PAYG vs. Subscription​

FeaturePAYGSubscription
CommitmentNoneMonthly/Yearly
PricingStandard ratesDiscounted rates
Quota ResetNever (balance-based)Monthly cycle
Best ForVariable usagePredictable usage
Minimum$5Plan price

When to Use PAYG​

  • Testing phase - Evaluating the platform
  • Sporadic usage - Occasional API calls
  • Unpredictable volume - Usage varies significantly
  • Budget flexibility - Pay only for what you use

When to Use Subscription​

  • Regular usage - Consistent monthly volume
  • Cost savings - Lower per-token rates
  • Budgeting - Fixed monthly costs
  • High volume - Heavy API usage

Adding Funds​

Payment Methods​

MethodAvailabilityProcessing
Credit/Debit CardGlobalInstant

All payments are securely processed through Stripe.

Top-Up Process​

  1. Log in to Dashboard
  2. Go to Billing → Add Funds
  3. Select amount
  4. Choose payment method
  5. Complete payment

Minimum Top-Up​

MethodMinimum
Credit Card$5

PAYG Pricing​

PAYG uses standard pricing per token based on the model used. For current model pricing, please visit the Models page.

Cost Calculation​

Cost = (Input Tokens × Input Rate) + (Output Tokens × Output Rate)

PAYG Fallback for Subscriptions​

Subscription users can enable PAYG as a fallback when subscription quota is exhausted.

How It Works​

Request → Check Subscription Quota
              ↓
         Quota Available? → Yes → Use Subscription Quota
              ↓ No
         PAYG Enabled? → Yes → Use Account Balance
              ↓ No
         Return 402 Error

Enabling PAYG Fallback​

  1. Go to Billing → Subscription
  2. Find PAYG Fallback section
  3. Toggle Enable PAYG Fallback
  4. Set Spending Limit (optional)
  5. Save changes

Spending Limits​

Set a maximum PAYG spending per billing cycle:

SettingEffect
No limitUse balance until exhausted
$50/cycleMax $50 PAYG per month
$0PAYG disabled (same as off)

Hybrid Billing​

When a request spans both subscription quota and PAYG:

Example: 100 quota remaining, request needs 150

Subscription pays: 100 (remaining quota)
PAYG pays: 50 (overflow)
Total request: 150 ✓

Auto Top-Up​

Automatically add funds when balance drops below a threshold.

Configuration​

SettingDescription
EnableTurn on auto top-up
ThresholdBalance level to trigger
AmountAmount to add each time
Payment MethodCard to charge

Example Setup​

Threshold: $10
Amount: $50

When balance drops below $10:
→ Automatically charge $50 to saved card
→ New balance: current + $50

Setting Up Auto Top-Up​

  1. Go to Billing → Payment Methods
  2. Add or select a payment method
  3. Go to Auto Top-Up settings
  4. Enable and configure threshold/amount
  5. Save

Best Practices​

ScenarioThresholdAmount
Light usage$5$20
Regular usage$20$50
Heavy usage$50$100
Production$100$200

Monitoring PAYG Usage​

Dashboard Views​

  • Balance Overview - Current balance and recent transactions
  • Usage Graph - Daily/weekly/monthly spending trends
  • Transaction History - Detailed transaction log

API Access​

Check balance programmatically:

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.apertis.ai/api/user/self",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer sk-your-api-key"}
)

user_info = response.json()
balance = user_info['data']['quota']
print(f"Current balance: ${balance / 500000:.2f}")  # Convert from internal units

Low Balance Handling​

Warning Levels​

BalanceStatusRecommendation
> $20NormalContinue usage
$10-20LowConsider top-up
$5-10WarningTop up soon
< $5CriticalTop up immediately

When Balance Exhausted​

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Insufficient account balance",
    "type": "billing_error",
    "code": "insufficient_balance"
  }
}

Recovery Steps​

  1. Immediate: Add funds via dashboard
  2. Prevention: Enable auto top-up
  3. Monitoring: Set up low balance alerts

PAYG for Teams​

Shared Balance​

Team accounts share a common balance:

  • All team members use the same balance
  • Usage is tracked per API key
  • Billing goes to account owner

Per-Key Limits​

Control spending per team member:

  1. Create separate API keys for each member
  2. Set quota limits on each key
  3. Monitor usage per key

Cost Optimization​

Model Selection​

Choose cost-effective models for your use case:

Use CaseRecommendedCost
Simple chatGPT-3.5 Turbo$
General tasksGPT-4o-mini$
Complex reasoningGPT-4o$$
Long contextClaude Sonnet 4.5$$

Prompt Optimization​

Reduce costs by optimizing prompts:

# Expensive: Long, verbose prompt
prompt = """
I would like you to help me with the following task.
Please read the text below carefully and provide
a detailed summary of the main points...
"""

# Cheaper: Concise prompt
prompt = "Summarize the key points:"

Caching Strategy​

Implement caching for repeated queries:

import hashlib
from functools import lru_cache

@lru_cache(maxsize=1000)
def cached_completion(prompt_hash):
    # Only calls API if not cached
    return client.chat.completions.create(...)

Set Max Tokens​

Limit response length to control costs:

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4.1",
    messages=[...],
    max_tokens=500  # Limit output length
)

Billing Statements​

Viewing Statements​

  1. Go to Billing → Statements
  2. Select month
  3. View or download PDF

Statement Contents​

  • Beginning balance
  • Top-ups during period
  • Usage breakdown by model
  • Ending balance
  • Transaction details

Refunds​

Refund Policy​

  • Unused balance is generally non-refundable
  • Contact support for exceptional circumstances
  • Refunds processed to original payment method

Requesting a Refund​

  1. Contact support at [email protected]
  2. Provide account email and reason
  3. Allow 5-7 business days for review

FAQ​

Can I switch from PAYG to subscription?​

Yes, you can subscribe at any time. Your PAYG balance remains available for fallback usage.

What happens to unused PAYG balance?​

Balance never expires and remains available until used.

Can I get invoices for PAYG purchases?​

Yes, invoices are available in the Billing section for all top-ups.

Is there a minimum balance required?​

No minimum balance is required, but we recommend maintaining at least $5 for uninterrupted service.