> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.macropay.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Credits Benefit

> Grant prepaid usage credits that top up a customer's meter balance automatically

Prepaid credits are the cleanest way to fund metered usage up front — perfect for AI products where every token, request, or agent action draws down a balance. The Credits benefit grants a fixed number of units to a customer's [Usage Meter](/features/usage-based-billing/meters) balance, automatically, every time they buy or renew. No invoices to chase, no surprise overage bills.

<img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/macrodeepinc/S4T0jM7ZWV5HVLft/assets/features/benefits/credits/credits.light.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=S4T0jM7ZWV5HVLft&q=85&s=97ea27e3a0512875bd6f74bc18d83b7d" width="1620" height="2304" data-path="assets/features/benefits/credits/credits.light.png" />

<img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/macrodeepinc/S4T0jM7ZWV5HVLft/assets/features/benefits/credits/credits.dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=S4T0jM7ZWV5HVLft&q=85&s=be7dcb261097976a0c30d77f919cf39c" width="1620" height="2304" data-path="assets/features/benefits/credits/credits.dark.png" />

## When credits are granted

Attach the Credits benefit to any [product](/features/usage-based-billing/credits) and Macropay tops up the balance for you. The timing depends on the product type:

| Product type     | When units are granted                                  |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Subscription** | At the start of every billing cycle — monthly or yearly |
| **One-time**     | Once, at the moment of purchase                         |

For example, a "Pro" subscription that grants `50,000` inference credits per month gives the customer a fresh 50,000-unit balance on each renewal. A "Starter pack" one-time product that grants `10,000` credits hands them over a single time at checkout.

<Tip>
  Want a credits-only product with zero risk of overage? Skip the metered price
  entirely. With no price attached to the meter, billing never triggers — the
  customer simply spends down what you granted. See
  [Credits for usage-based billing](/features/usage-based-billing/credits).
</Tip>

## Rollover unused credits

By default, leftover credits expire when the cycle ends. Enable **Rollover unused credits** to carry the unused balance forward instead: whatever a customer doesn't spend this cycle is added on top of next cycle's grant. Toggle the checkbox when you create or edit the benefit.

<Note>
  Rollover changes apply only to credits issued **after** the change. Credits
  already on a customer's balance keep the rollover behavior they were granted
  with.
</Note>

## Reading the balance in your app

To gate features or show a usage widget, read the customer's current meter balance. The simplest path is [Customer State](/integrate/customer-state), which returns the full customer object including the balance of each active meter. For a single meter, query the [Customer Meters API](/api-reference/customer-meters/list) directly.

<Warning>
  Macropay tracks the balance but does not block usage when it hits zero —
  if there's a metered price, the overage is billed; if there isn't, spending
  simply continues. Enforce your own limits wherever you need a hard stop.
</Warning>

## Why prepaid credits fit AI billing

Because Macropay is the [Merchant of Record](/features/usage-based-billing/introduction), every credit purchase is sold by us — we collect and remit sales tax and VAT worldwide, and your tax liability stays capped at one flat fee. That removes a real headache for usage-based AI products selling into dozens of jurisdictions.

Credits also pair naturally with agent and AI workloads: fund a balance with one purchase, meter it down per token or per action, and grant a fresh allotment each cycle. Combined with [usage-based metering](/features/usage-based-billing/meters), it gives you prepaid AI billing without building a balance ledger yourself.