Credits and access requirements

Three checks, not one

A task can depend on three different things: permission to use the feature, entitlement to the selected format, and enough credits for its current quote. A positive credit balance does not automatically unlock every feature.

Web access

Eligible new accounts receive the welcome-credit grant shown in the account after identity verification and an automated eligibility check. The current welcome grant is valid for 7 days and does not refresh. Creating several accounts does not create several valid claims, and an account remains usable when the grant is pending or not applied. Free export access covers GIF and PNG frames ZIP.

An active paid subscription, or a qualifying credit-pack purchase within its entitlement period, unlocks advanced web exports and commercial-use entitlement under the current product terms. Current pack export entitlement lasts 365 days from purchase. Check Pricing and your account for the applicable terms and balance.

Credit packs do not create a subscription or extend subscription storage and developer limits. Advanced web export access can remain active even when the credit balance is zero, but a paid operation still needs enough credits.

Monthly subscription upgrades

An upgrade purchases the new plan at its full price; unused time on the old plan is not credited toward it. Review the actual charge, currency, full credit allowance and expected next renewal date before confirming on Pricing.

After payment and the new plan are confirmed, a new billing cycle starts and its full credits are added: 3,500 for Expert or 12,500 for Ultra. Existing credits keep their original expiry dates. The new allowance expires at the end of the new billing period; a higher balance immediately after upgrading can therefore include several valid batches. Your account shows the confirmed billing period and credit history.

A failed or unconfirmed upgrade does not add credits or remove your original paid benefits before their original expiry. If a request is still being checked, use Check payment status or contact support instead of paying again. Downgrades remain scheduled for the next billing date.

Public API access

The Public API is in public beta and requires a verified account. Create keys in Account → Developer, use only the scopes required by the caller, and revoke unused keys. Registered access receives baseline limits; active subscriptions raise them.

Credits do not bypass email verification, an account pause, or key scopes. Cost-bearing generation also fails with INSUFFICIENT_CREDITS when the available balance is below the current quote.

Quote before starting

Generation and some export processing consume credits. Quotes depend on the selected model, duration, resolution, and processing options. Use the UI quote or API quote endpoint; do not calculate a fixed price from examples in a guide.

A quote is not a completed payment or a guarantee that a later request uses the same price. The API re-evaluates on creation. The live MCP provides explicit spending guards for approved tool calls.

Cancellation and existing assets

AI frame repair

When enabled in the Advanced Editor, AI frame repair reserves the maximum you confirm, then settles actual token usage at the quoted rates. It never charges more than that maximum. The estimate is not a fixed per-image price, and the available balance must cover the reservation.

Unused credits are released to their original credit batches without extending their expiry. Failed repairs release the reservation. A successful candidate is charged even if discarded. Missing or inconsistent usage is checked separately while the image remains usable; unverified charges are waived after the reconciliation deadline, normally 24 hours. This does not change video or export pricing.

Video generation and other assets

Confirmed Seedance content-review rejection before a video is delivered returns the original credits, including welcome credits. An API/MCP one-click task returns the full generation-and-export amount when export has not started. Provider billing reconciliation does not delay this return. The task and ledger show the actual amount returned; account/payment exceptions may need review.

Valid credits keep their original expiry. If the original credits already expired, the returned portion gets 30 days of validity without extending paid feature access. This is a credit return, not a cash refund. Network timeouts and download/export errors do not by themselves prove a moderation rejection.

Cancellation is best effort. Once production starts, cancelling does not automatically refund credits already charged. Unspent holds can be released, and completed earlier outputs may remain available.

When export entitlement expires, it can restrict new advanced exports. Existing asset access still depends on ownership, retention, and storage policy; do not treat a signed link as permanent storage.

For an account issue, send support the request ID or job ID and a short description. Never include an API key, OAuth token, original private image, or signed download URL.

MCP access and account management

MCP is live in public beta and requires a verified account. It uses OAuth, not an API key. Follow client setup; authorization does not approve spending, and subscriptions only raise account limits.

See account management for verification, cancellation timing, and revocation, and storage cleanup for resource usage and deletion behavior.