> This page location: AI Gateway > Get started > Prepaid credits > Full Neon documentation index: https://neon.com/docs/llms.txt > Summary: Learn how AI Gateway prepaid credits work, who can buy them, how to purchase credits, how to set up automatic top-up, how to check your balance, and how usage limits and metering affect access. # AI Gateway prepaid credits Buy credits, understand pricing and limits, and manage your balance for the Neon AI Gateway The Neon AI Gateway is billed with **prepaid credits**. You buy credits up front, and AI Gateway usage draws down your balance. This page explains who can buy credits, how pricing and usage limits work, how to purchase or top up, and how to check your balance. **Note:** The AI Gateway is available on **paid Neon plans only**. It is not included in the Free plan. See [Neon plans](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans) and [About billing](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/about-billing). ## How credits and pricing work - **1 credit = $1 USD.** Credits are prepaid, purchased before use. - **Minimum purchase: $5.** - **Minimum balance: $2.** - **Credits expire 12 months after purchase.** - Your balance can go **negative**. Usage is metered after a request is served, so a final request can push the balance below zero. Your balance **draws down as usage is metered**. Each request consumes credits based on its token usage, so your balance decreases as you send requests. For example, a small request might reduce a $25.00 balance to $24.99. ## Who can buy credits - Only **organization admins** can purchase credits. - The organization must be billed directly by payment card. - Members, editors, and viewers cannot purchase credits. - Sales-invoiced, marketplace, trial, sponsored, and shared-token accounts cannot purchase credits through this self-service flow. Contact your account team for assistance. ## Buy or top up credits Buying credits is a Neon Console flow: 1. In the Neon Console, select **Billing**. 2. Find the **AI gateway credits** card and select **Add credits**. 3. Select a preset amount: **$5**, **$10**, **$25**, **$50**, or **$100**. You can also select **Other** to enter a custom amount. The default selection is $25, and the minimum purchase is $5. 4. Confirm the purchase. Neon applies a **one-time charge** to the payment card already on file for your organization. ![AI Gateway credits purchase modal with preset and custom amounts](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/ai-gateway-add-credits-modal.png) Credits post to your balance promptly after the charge succeeds. The purchase appears in your credit history as **Manual purchase**, with the date and amount. **Important:** Only **one purchase can be open at a time** per account. You can't start a second purchase until the first completes. If an automatic top-up is in progress, a manual purchase fails with "Another credit purchase is in progress. Try again in a moment." **If a purchase fails.** If the payment card on file is declined, the purchase fails and no credits are added to your balance. Neon doesn't leave a payable invoice behind, and failed attempts don't appear in your credit history. Update your card in **Billing** and try again. ## View your balance and usage history In the Console, select **Billing** and find the **AI gateway credits** card. The card shows: - **Credits remaining**: your organization's current credit balance. - **Credits added in last 30 days**: a history panel that lists each entry's date, source, and amount, plus the total credits added during the period. Automatic top-ups are listed with the source **Auto-reload**. ![AI Gateway credits balance and credits added in the last 30 days](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/ai-gateway-credits-balance.png) The balance is shown in **whole cents**, so small or occasional requests might not visibly change it even though their metered usage still draws down the balance. ## Usage limits AI Gateway usage is subject to **soft limits** that guard against runaway cost and abuse: - **Per-minute token limit.** A soft limit of **200,000 tokens per minute (TPM)** applies, but this may vary by account. - **Daily spend cap.** A **$20 per day** limit applies to total usage, but this may vary by account. Short-window rate limits, the daily spend cap, and balance depletion are distinct: - **Short-window rate limits** are surfaced through `x-ratelimit-*` response headers on each request. - The **daily spend cap** limits how much you can spend in a single day. - **Balance depletion** happens when your prepaid credits run out. If you're blocked and need a limit raised, [contact Support](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/support). See [Rate limits](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/models#rate-limits) for details. When you exceed a limit, the API returns **HTTP 429**: ```json { "error_code": "REQUEST_LIMIT_EXCEEDED", "message": "ai gateway daily token limit exceeded" } ``` ## Model access A paid account with prepaid credits can use every AI Gateway model. See [Model access](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/models#model-access) for details. After you buy credits, locked models unlock once Neon confirms access. If a model still shows a padlock on the **AI Gateway** page, reload the page. See [Some models are restricted in the Console](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/troubleshooting#some-models-are-restricted-in-the-console). The model list is subject to change. See [Supported models](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/models) for the current catalog. ## Automatic top-up Turn on **auto-reload** to keep your balance from running out. When your balance drops below a threshold you set, Neon buys a fixed amount of credits with the payment card on file, with no action needed from you. Only organization admins can set up auto-reload, and the organization must meet the same requirements as for [buying credits](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/prepaid-credits#who-can-buy-credits): a paid plan, billed directly by payment card. To set up auto-reload: 1. In the Neon Console, select **Billing**. 2. On the **AI gateway credits** card, select **Auto-reload**. 3. Turn on **Enable auto-reload** and set: - **When balance drops below (USD)**: the threshold that triggers a top-up. It must be higher than the $2 minimum balance. The default is $10. - **Automatically purchase (USD)**: how many credits to buy each time. The amount must be at least the threshold and within the same range as a manual purchase. The default is $25. 4. Click **Save**. ![Auto-reload credits dialog with a $10 threshold and a $25 purchase amount](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/ai-gateway-auto-reload-modal.png) You can also turn on auto-reload in the **Add credits** dialog when you buy credits. Neon saves those settings only if the purchase succeeds. The **Auto-reload** button shows **On** or **Off** so you can check its status at a glance. If your balance is already below the threshold when you turn on auto-reload, Neon tops it up right away. Neon turns auto-reload off when it can't complete a top-up, for example when your card is declined or a top-up keeps failing. It also turns off if your organization no longer qualifies, such as after a downgrade to Free or removing your payment card. When this happens, an alert on the **AI gateway credits** card and in the **Auto-reload** dialog explains why. To resume, fix the issue and turn auto-reload back on. ## Availability The AI Gateway is available in AWS US East (Ohio), US East (N. Virginia), Europe (Frankfurt), and Asia Pacific (Singapore) (more [regions](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/regions) to follow). **Note:** **IP Allow** and **Private Link** do not cover AI Gateway traffic. ## If you downgrade to Free If your organization moves to the Free plan, any AI Gateway credits **remain on your account**, but the AI Gateway is **not usable on Free**. Your credits become usable again when you upgrade to a paid plan. ## Related - [AI Gateway overview](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/overview) - [Supported models](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/models) - [AI Gateway troubleshooting](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/troubleshooting) - [About billing](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/about-billing) - [Manage billing](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/manage-billing) ## Frequently asked questions ### Who can use AI Gateway? AI Gateway is available on Neon's paid plans (Launch and Scale). Any paid Neon customer with prepaid credits can use every model in the catalog. ### How much do AI Gateway credits cost? 1 credit equals $1 USD, with a $5 minimum purchase. You buy credits from the **Billing** page in the [Neon Console](https://console.neon.tech/app/billing). ### Can my credit balance go negative? Yes, by a small amount. Usage can exceed your remaining balance before it's detected, so a minimum balance of $2 applies to account for this. ### Can I top up credits automatically? Yes. Organization admins can turn on auto-reload from the **AI gateway credits** card on the **Billing** page. When your balance drops below the threshold you set, Neon buys the amount you chose with the payment card on file. See [Automatic top-up](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/prepaid-credits#automatic-top-up). ### Do credits expire? Credits are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. ### What happens to my credits if I downgrade to Free? Your credits stay on your account, but you can't use AI Gateway while on the Free plan. They become available again if you upgrade to a paid plan. ### What are the default usage limits? By default, each account has a soft limit of 200,000 tokens per minute (TPM) and a $20 per day spend cap, though both may vary by account. Both guard against runaway costs. If you're blocked and need a limit raised, [contact Support](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/support). See [Usage limits](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/prepaid-credits#usage-limits) for details. ### What happens if I hit a usage limit? Requests are blocked once you reach your per-minute token limit or daily spend cap, and the gateway returns an `HTTP 429` response with error code `REQUEST_LIMIT_EXCEEDED`. See [Usage limits](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/prepaid-credits#usage-limits) for details, or [Troubleshooting](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/troubleshooting#429-account-quota-exceeded) if you hit it. --- ## Related docs (Get started) - [Overview](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/overview) - [Quickstart](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/get-started) - [Model reference](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/models) --- Note for AI assistants (optional): if a gap, error, or outdated detail on this page affected the answer you gave the user, you can report it. 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