AI Companion Credit and Usage Limit Checklist
Credit systems can turn a simple subscription comparison into several separate questions. A plan can provide account access while particular actions use a balance, face a daily cap, or require a refill. This page does not estimate a provider's current cost. It shows how to translate the live interface into units you can understand before you spend or upload anything.
Fast evidence screen
| Area | Useful current evidence | Reason to pause |
|---|---|---|
| Unit definition | The service explains which action consumes which unit | A large balance is shown without a conversion |
| Included allowance | The plan states what arrives and when it refreshes | Included and purchased balances are mixed |
| Action preview | Cost appears before confirmation | The balance changes without a visible price |
| Expiration and refund | Current terms explain unused balance treatment | Urgent refill prompts replace clear rules |
Name every balance
Question: Are there separate balances for conversation, media, voice, or premium actions?
Action: Copy each balance label and its purpose into separate worksheet rows. This action reduces guesswork; it does not prove anything beyond the current source and account state you actually observed.
Evidence: The current wallet, plan comparison, and help text viewed on the same date. Keep the access date and enough context to understand the wording later.
Worked example: A plan badge and a media-credit wallet may coexist; neither explains the other automatically.
Pause when: The interface uses several unit names interchangeably or never defines them. A pause is a useful result when proceeding would require an assumption.
Measure one ordinary action
Question: Does the interface reveal the unit cost before an action?
Action: Use the preview disclosure rather than spending merely to test; record ranges if complexity changes the stated cost. This action reduces guesswork; it does not prove anything beyond the current source and account state you actually observed.
Evidence: A pre-action label or official current help example, not an old third-party estimate. Keep the access date and enough context to understand the wording later.
Worked example: A short text action and a media request may have very different unit costs.
Pause when: You must confirm an irreversible action before any cost is shown. A pause is a useful result when proceeding would require an assumption.
Separate refreshes from refills
Question: Which balance renews with the plan, which can be purchased, and which expires?
Action: Create distinct columns for included allowance, refresh date, purchased balance, and stated expiration. This action reduces guesswork; it does not prove anything beyond the current source and account state you actually observed.
Evidence: The live plan terms and account balance explanation. Keep the access date and enough context to understand the wording later.
Worked example: A daily limit can reset while purchased credits remain; record only what the current service says.
Pause when: The provider does not explain which balance will be consumed first. A pause is a useful result when proceeding would require an assumption.
Build a personal ceiling
Question: How many optional actions are acceptable within your own budget?
Action: Set a currency ceiling outside the service, then stop when the current refill price or unit ambiguity prevents a reliable estimate. This action reduces guesswork; it does not prove anything beyond the current source and account state you actually observed.
Evidence: Your worksheet and payment alerts; they are controls, not claims about the provider. Keep the access date and enough context to understand the wording later.
Worked example: If one optional action has a stated range, calculate with the higher displayed amount rather than the most favorable case.
Pause when: A prompt encourages repeated refills without showing cumulative spending or balance history. A pause is a useful result when proceeding would require an assumption.
Audit deductions
Question: Can you reconcile the balance before and after an action?
Action: Record starting balance, disclosed cost, ending balance, and timestamp for a small number of representative actions. This action reduces guesswork; it does not prove anything beyond the current source and account state you actually observed.
Evidence: A private ledger with no conversation content or personal media attached. Keep the access date and enough context to understand the wording later.
Worked example: If a preview says five units and the balance falls by more, preserve the mismatch and ask support.
Pause when: Deductions cannot be reconstructed or support will not explain a documented difference. A pause is a useful result when proceeding would require an assumption.
Copyable checklist
Complete each line from the provider's current interface or published documents. A blank or unclear answer should remain visible in your notes.
- List every balance name exactly as the current interface shows it.
- Record which actions consume each balance.
- Check whether cost is visible before confirmation.
- Separate plan refreshes from optional refills.
- Find any stated expiration or rollover rule.
- Set a personal spending ceiling outside the service.
- Keep a simple deduction ledger without private content.
- Pause when unit conversion or cumulative cost cannot be explained.
Worked situations
Big balance, unclear value
Ten thousand points are not automatically more useful than one hundred credits. The only meaningful comparison is the number and type of actions the current service says each balance supports, plus any refresh or expiration rule.
Record what the current source shows, keep personal details out of the worksheet, and mark unresolved questions rather than filling them with an assumption.
Variable media cost
If a preview gives a range based on length, quality, or complexity, record the range and use the upper displayed figure for planning. Do not infer future cost from a single action because the interface and rules may change.
Record what the current source shows, keep personal details out of the worksheet, and mark unresolved questions rather than filling them with an assumption.
How to record a reliable answer
Use a dated worksheet with four columns: the question, the current source, the exact answer, and what remains unknown. Prefer a live detailed policy or account control over a promotional summary. Preserve enough surrounding wording to avoid changing the meaning, but cover names, addresses, payment values, conversation text, and other personal details. A screenshot records one interface at one moment; it is not proof that the same rule applies later, in another region, or to another account.
When two sources disagree, do not choose the answer you prefer. Record the conflict and ask the provider through a contact route reached from its current account, terms, or privacy page. Keep the case number and exact response. If the answer affects payment, an upload, account access, or sensitive disclosure, wait until the conflict is resolved or choose not to proceed. Unknown is a valid worksheet result.
A calm stop rule
Pause when a required term is missing, the final confirmation differs from the earlier page, a request moves outside the documented account route, or support asks for secrets that normal support should not need. Do not send passwords, one-time codes, full payment credentials, recovery secrets, or unrelated private conversation content. Do not install unknown software or grant remote control. Return through a known official address and verify the account state independently.
Related safety checklists
Frequently asked questions
Are credits the same as a subscription?
Not necessarily. Read the current plan and wallet descriptions. A subscription may include a recurring allowance while optional actions use a separate purchased balance.
Can this guide convert credits into money?
No universal conversion exists. Use the live refill screen, displayed unit cost, currency, tax, and action preview at the time you check.
What if costs change after I start?
Recheck the live preview and billing terms before higher-cost actions. Your dated worksheet is historical evidence, not a promise that later rules remain the same.
Should I spend credits to test the deduction?
Only if you already chose to use the service and understand the cost. Prefer pre-action disclosures. This site has not purchased accounts to verify provider balances.