Wallet-based billing gives each customer a prepaid balance, a wallet, that usage draws down in real time. In Credyt, wallets hold multiple assets, such as dollars, tokens, or credits, in one balance.
Wallet-based billing is Credyt's model for charging customers: every customer holds a prepaid balance, a wallet, and usage debits it as it happens. Instead of metering usage all month and sending an invoice, the wallet is the live source of truth for what a customer has and what they have spent.
How Wallet-based billing works
Each customer has a wallet that holds a balance. When the customer uses the product, Credyt authorizes the event against the wallet balance and debits it the moment the event is recorded. The balance ticks down in real time, and the customer (and the platform) can see it at any moment.
In Credyt, a wallet is multi-asset: it can hold dollars, tokens, GPU hours, image credits, or any custom unit natively, each with its own balance and rules, in one wallet. This is what lets a product price in the unit its customers actually understand rather than converting everything to a currency amount.
Wallet-based billing examples
An AI product gives each customer a wallet holding model tokens; every generation debits tokens live, and when the balance runs low, auto top-up refills it. A compute platform holds GPU hours in the wallet and draws them down as jobs run. A credits product holds image credits a customer purchased.
In each case the wallet, not a month-end invoice, is where billing happens, which is why customers see a live balance instead of a surprise bill.
Wallet-based billing vs Invoice-based billing
| Wallet-based billing | Invoice-based billing | |
|---|---|---|
| Source of truth | Live prepaid balance | Month-end invoice |
| When charged | Real time, per event | End of cycle |
| Assets | Multiple (tokens, credits, USD) | Currency amounts |
| Customer view | Live balance, self top-up | Invoice after the fact |
Benefits & when to use it
Wallet-based billing fits products where usage carries real, variable cost and customers want visibility and control. It enables prepaid balances, hard spend caps, live balance displays, and self-service top-up, none of which an invoice cycle provides. For AI products where one request can cost real money, the wallet is what makes spend controllable before it happens.
It is less necessary for stable, predictable subscriptions, where a flat recurring charge is simpler. The wallet earns its value when consumption varies and pre-spend control matters.
FAQ
What is wallet-based billing?
A model where each customer holds a prepaid balance (a wallet) that usage draws down in real time. In Credyt the wallet is multi-asset, holding dollars, tokens, credits, or any custom unit in one balance.
How is a wallet different from a credit balance?
A traditional credit balance is a monetary amount that reduces an invoice. A Credyt wallet holds multiple assets natively (tokens, GPU hours, credits, USD), each with its own balance and lifecycle, and is debited in real time rather than at invoice finalization.
Why do AI products use wallet-based billing?
Because AI usage has real per-event cost. A prepaid wallet lets the platform authorize and debit each event live, cap spend before it happens, and show customers a live balance, which an invoice cycle cannot do.
How Credyt handles Wallet-based billing
Wallet-based billing is Credyt's core model. Each customer gets a multi-asset wallet; Credyt authorizes every usage event against the balance before it runs, debits it the instant it is recorded, and supports stacked grants, customer-set auto top-up, and live balance displays. Credyt sits in front of an existing payment processor, so top-ups flow through the PSP the team already uses. See the platform. Explore Credyt →