Billing & Payments

This guide explains how the billing system works in Binom.Router, including credit management, balance top-ups, and usage tracking.

How Billing Works

Binom.Router uses a token-based billing system, not a request-based system. This means you are charged based on the number of tokens consumed by AI models, not the number of API requests you make.

Token-Based Pricing Explained

Each AI model consumes tokens differently:

• Input Tokens: Tokens sent to the model (your prompt)
• Output Tokens: Tokens generated by the model (the response)

Example: A single API request with 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens will cost more than a request with 100 input tokens and 50 output tokens, regardless of both being single requests.

Why Token-Based Billing?

Token-based billing provides several advantages:

• Fair Pricing: You pay only for the actual computational resources used
• Transparency: Costs are directly tied to model usage
• Flexibility: Different models have different token costs, allowing you to optimize based on needs
• Predictability: Token counts are returned with each API response for accurate cost tracking

Cost Calculation

Cost is calculated as:

Example:

Request to GPT-4:
- Input: 1,000 tokens @ $0.03/1K tokens = $0.03
- Output: 500 tokens @ $0.06/1K tokens = $0.03
- Total: $0.06

Credits

Credits are the currency used in Binom.Router to pay for API usage. 1 Credit = $1 USD.

What Are Credits?

Credits represent your account balance that can be used to pay for token consumption. When you make API requests, the system:

1. Processes your request through the AI model
2. Counts the tokens consumed (input + output)
3. Calculates the cost based on model pricing
4. Deducts the cost from your credit balance

Viewing Your Balance

Your current credit balance is displayed in multiple locations:

Balance Information Displayed:

• Available Credits: Current balance in USD
• Credit Usage: Percentage of credits used (if applicable)
• Last Updated: When the balance was last synchronized

How Credits Are Deducted

Credits are deducted in real-time after each successful API request:

{
  "id": "chatcmpl-123",
  "object": "chat.completion",
  "usage": {
    "prompt_tokens": 1000,
    "completion_tokens": 500,
    "total_tokens": 1500
  },
  "billing": {
    "cost": 0.06,
    "currency": "USD",
    "balance_before": 100.00,
    "balance_after": 99.94
  }
}

Insufficient Credits

If your balance is insufficient to cover a request:

• The request will be rejected with HTTP 402 (Payment Required)
• No tokens will be consumed
• You will receive an error message indicating the required amount

Error Response:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Insufficient credits. Required: $0.06, Available: $0.02",
    "type": "insufficient_credits_error",
    "code": "insufficient_credits"
  }
}

Credit Expiration

Credits are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. After 12 months, unused credits expire and cannot be refunded.

Adding Funds

You can add funds to your account anytime using various payment methods. All payments are processed securely and automatically credited to your balance.

Supported Payment Methods

Binom.Router supports multiple payment options:

Cryptocurrency (Recommended)

Benefits:

• Instant automatic crediting
• No transaction fees (network fees only)
• Global availability
• Privacy-focused

Fiat Payments

Note: Fiat payments may have additional processing fees.

How to Top Up Your Balance

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Navigate to Billing Page

   • Click "Billing" in the main menu
   • Or visit /billing directly

2. Select Payment Method

   • Choose your preferred payment method
   • Cryptocurrency is recommended for fastest processing

3. Enter Amount

   • Enter the amount you want to add (minimum $10)
   • Review the estimated credits you'll receive

4. Complete Payment

   • For Cryptocurrency: Scan QR code or copy wallet address
   • For Fiat: Enter payment details and confirm

5. Wait for Confirmation

   • Cryptocurrency: Wait for network confirmations
   • Fiat: Wait for payment processor confirmation

6. Balance Updated

   • Credits are automatically added to your account
   • You'll receive a confirmation email

Invoice Generation

Every top-up generates an invoice automatically:

• Invoice Number: Unique identifier (e.g., INV-2024-001234)
• Date: Transaction date
• Amount: Amount paid
• Credits Received: Number of credits added
• Payment Method: Method used
• Status: Payment status

You can download invoices in PDF format from the Billing page.

Minimum and Maximum Limits

For amounts exceeding $10,000, please contact sales@binom-router.com for enterprise payment options.

Failed Payments

If a payment fails:

• Check your payment details
• Ensure sufficient funds
• Verify cryptocurrency network fees are covered
• Contact support if the issue persists

Usage History

The Usage History section provides a comprehensive record of all credit transactions, allowing you to track spending, analyze patterns, and manage your budget effectively.

Accessing Usage History

1. Navigate to the Billing page
2. Scroll to the Usage History section
3. View all transactions sorted by date (newest first)

Transaction Types

Your usage history includes:

Transaction Details

Each transaction record displays:

Filtering and Search

You can filter your usage history:

• By Date Range: Select start and end dates
• By Type: Show only specific transaction types
• By Amount: Filter by minimum/maximum amounts
• By Model: Show usage for specific AI models

Export Options

Download your usage history in multiple formats:

To Export:

1. Apply desired filters
2. Click "Export" button
3. Select format
4. Download file

Usage Analytics

The Billing page also provides visual analytics:

• Daily Usage Chart: Credits consumed per day
• Model Distribution: Breakdown by AI model
• Cost Trends: Monthly spending patterns
• Forecast: Projected usage based on current trends

Invoice Management

All invoices are stored and accessible:

• View: Click invoice ID to view details
• Download: Download PDF version
• Resend: Resend invoice to email
• Archive: Mark as archived (hidden from main view)

Reconciliation

For accounting purposes, you can:

1. Export monthly usage data
2. Match with invoices
3. Generate reconciliation reports
4. Integrate with accounting software via CSV export

Support

If you have billing-related questions or issues:

• Email: billing@binom-router.com
• In-App Support: Click the help icon on any billing page
• Documentation: Related guides:
  • Dashboard - Overview of account statistics
  • API Keys - Managing API keys for tracked usage
• Response Time: Typically within 24 hours

FAQ

Q: Can I set up automatic top-ups?

A: Yes, you can enable auto-recharge in the Billing settings. When your balance drops below a threshold, funds are automatically added.

Q: Are there any hidden fees?

A: No. We only charge for token consumption. Network fees for cryptocurrency payments are paid by you directly to the network.

Q: How accurate is the cost estimation?

A: Cost estimation is highly accurate based on token counts. Actual costs may vary slightly due to rounding.

Q: Can I get a refund for unused credits?

A: Refunds are available for unused credits within 30 days of purchase. Contact support to request a refund.

Q: Do credits expire?

A: Yes, unused credits expire after 12 months from the date of purchase.

Q: Can I share credits across multiple API keys?

A: Yes, all API keys share the same account balance. Usage is tracked per key but billed to the same account.

Q: What happens if I exceed my balance during a request?

A: The request will be rejected with HTTP 402. No tokens are consumed, and no charges are applied.

Q: Can I get a detailed breakdown of costs per model?

A: Yes, the Usage History section allows you to filter by model and view detailed cost breakdowns.

To view or change your subscription:

1. Go to the Subscription page (/subscription)
2. View your current plan details
3. Click "Upgrade Plan" to switch to a higher tier
4. Click "Cancel Subscription" to cancel (auto-renewal stops immediately)

Note: When you upgrade, the difference is prorated. When you cancel, you retain access until the end of the billing period.

Auto-Renewal

By default, subscriptions auto-renew at the end of each billing period. You can disable auto-renewal in the Subscription page.

Model Limits

How Limits Work

Binom.Router implements a multi-level limit system:

1. Account Level: Total requests per month (based on subscription)
2. Model Level: Specific limits for each model type
3. Rate Limiting: Requests per minute (per API key)

Viewing Model Limits

On the Billing page, you can see progress bars for each model category:

• Chat Models: GPT-4, GPT-3.5, Claude, etc.
• Embedding Models: text-embedding-ada-002, etc.
• Image Models: DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, etc.
• Audio Models: Whisper, TTS models

Limit Behavior

When you reach a limit:

• Soft Limit: You receive a warning but can continue
• Hard Limit: Requests are rejected with error code 429 (Too Many Requests)

Example:

HTTP 429
{
  "error": {
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded for model gpt-4. Limit: 100 requests/minute",
    "type": "rate_limit_error",
    "code": "rate_limit_exceeded"
  }
}

Increasing Limits

To increase your limits:

1. Upgrade Plan: Higher tiers have higher limits
2. Contact Support: Enterprise customers can request custom limits
3. Wait: Monthly limits reset at the beginning of each billing cycle

Transaction History

All transactions are recorded and displayed on the Billing page:

• Top-ups (credit purchases)
• Subscription payments
• Usage charges (deducted from balance)
• Refunds (if applicable)

Each transaction shows:

• Date and time
• Amount
• Type (credit, debit, subscription)
• Status (completed, pending, failed)

Pricing

Model Pricing

Pricing varies by model and usage type:

Note: Prices are subject to change. Check the billing page for current rates.

Cost Estimation

You can estimate costs before making requests:

# Example: Estimate cost for GPT-4
input_tokens = 1000
output_tokens = 500

cost = (input_tokens * 0.00003) + (output_tokens * 0.00006)
print(f"Estimated cost: ${cost:.4f}")
# Output: Estimated cost: $0.0600

Billing Alerts

You can configure alerts to notify you when:

• Balance drops below a threshold
• You reach 80% of your monthly limit
• A payment fails

To configure alerts, go to Settings → Notifications.

FAQ

Q: What happens if my balance reaches zero?

Your API requests will be rejected with error code 402 (Payment Required). Top up your balance to continue using the service.

Q: Can I get a refund?

Refunds are available for unused credits within 30 days of purchase. Contact support to request a refund.

Q: How accurate is the cost estimation?

Cost estimation is based on token counts. Actual costs may vary slightly due to rounding and provider pricing updates.

Q: Do credits expire?

Unused credits expire after 12 months. Subscription benefits reset monthly.

Q: Can I use multiple API keys with the same balance?

Yes, all API keys share the same account balance. Each key has its own rate limits.

Support

If you have billing-related questions:

• Email: billing@binom-router.com
• In-app support: Click the help icon in the billing page
• Documentation: API Keys Management for setting up API keys