Understanding Usage Credits, Committed Plans, and Overage Billing

API Bricks products use Usage Credits (UC) as the billing unit for API usage.

This guide explains how Usage Credits work, how committed plans apply discounts, and how overage billing works across API Bricks products.

What are Usage Credits?

Usage Credits, or UC, are the credits consumed when your organization uses API Bricks products.

Depending on the product, usage may be based on different units, such as:

• API calls
• Rates
• Data transfer
• REST Credits
• WebSocket data transfer
• Flat Files requests
• Flat Files data downloads
• Connection-Hours for certain protocols

The product pricing page defines how each type of usage is converted into Usage Credits.

Pay As You Go credits

With Pay As You Go, credits are purchased at the standard rate:

This means that if your usage consumes 100 UC, the Pay As You Go cost is $100 before applicable taxes or fees.

Pay As You Go is usually best for:

• Testing
• Occasional usage
• Unpredictable usage
• One-time downloads or backfills
• Customers who are not ready to commit to a monthly plan

How committed plans work

Committed plans allow you to purchase Usage Credits at a lower effective price per credit.

For example:

The lower the price per Credit, the more Usage Credits you receive for the same dollar amount.

For example, with the Committed 256 plan:

$256 ÷ $0.75 per Credit = ~341.33 UC

This means you pay $256 and receive approximately 341.33 Usage Credits.

Why usage is shown in UC

The portal shows usage in Usage Credits because API usage is billed against the organization’s UC balance.

For example, a product may show usage such as:

This does not mean the committed discount was ignored.

The usage meter shows how many credits were consumed. The discount is applied when credits are purchased through a committed plan at a lower price per credit.

Example: Usage within the plan limit

Assume you are on the Committed 256 plan.

The plan costs:

$256/month

The price per Credit is:

$0.75/Credit

Included credits:

$256 ÷ $0.75 = ~341.33 UC

Now assume your usage for the month is:

300 UC

Since the plan includes approximately 341.33 UC, the usage is fully covered:

341.33 UC included - 300 UC used = 41.33 UC remaining

There is no additional Pay As You Go usage in this example.

Example: Usage above the plan limit

Assume you are on the same Committed 256 plan.

Included credits:

~341.33 UC

Now assume your usage for the month is:

500 UC

The plan covers the first 341.33 UC.

The remaining usage is:

500 UC - 341.33 UC = 158.67 UC overage

Usage above the included plan credits is billed as additional Pay As You Go usage at the standard rate of:

$1.00/Credit

So the estimated monthly cost is:

$256 plan cost + $158.67 overage = $414.67

Why the portal may still show the full usage amount

The portal may show the full metered usage, such as:

500 UC consumed

This is expected.

It means your organization consumed 500 Usage Credits. It does not mean the committed plan discount was ignored.

The plan discount is reflected in how much you paid for the included credits. For example, under the Committed 256 plan, you received approximately 341.33 UC for $256, instead of buying those credits at the standard Pay As You Go rate.

How overage works

Overage happens when your usage exceeds the credits included in your committed plan.

For example:

The overage is billed as additional Pay As You Go usage at:

$1.00/Credit

If your usage regularly exceeds your committed plan, a larger committed plan or an Enterprise plan may be more cost-effective.

Product-specific usage units

Usage Credits are used globally, but each product may measure usage differently.

Examples:

Always check the product pricing page for the exact usage model and rates.

Daily tiers and committed plans

Some products use daily pricing tiers.

This means the unit price may decrease as daily usage increases.

For example, a product may have pricing tiers such as:

• First usage tier
• Next usage tier
• Higher-volume usage tier

Usage paid with committed credits still counts toward daily pricing tiers.

This means committed plans and daily tiered pricing can work together:

1. Product usage is calculated according to the product’s pricing rules.
2. Daily tiers are applied where applicable.
3. Usage consumes credits from the organization’s balance.
4. If included committed credits are exhausted, remaining usage is billed as Pay As You Go.

Choosing the right committed plan

A good rule of thumb is to choose the plan where your expected monthly usage is close to the included credits.

Committed plans are usually most useful when your usage is predictable and recurring.

Before choosing a plan

Before subscribing to a committed plan, estimate:

1. Which product you plan to use
2. Which endpoints, datasets, or protocols you will use
3. Your expected daily or monthly usage
4. Whether usage is one-time or recurring
5. Whether the workload may produce overage
6. Whether your tools may generate additional requests or data transfer

For Flat Files or S3-compatible downloads, also consider whether your tool performs extra operations such as LIST, HEAD, retries, or multipart downloads.

Common questions

Why does usage show in UC instead of USD?

Usage is billed against your organization’s Usage Credit balance. The portal shows how many credits were consumed.

Does a committed plan lower each usage line item?

Not always. The usage line item may still show the standard metered UC usage. The committed discount is applied through the lower price paid per Credit.

What happens if I use more than my included credits?

Usage above the included plan credits is billed as Pay As You Go at $1.00/Credit.

What happens if I use less than my included credits?

Committed plans are designed for predictable recurring usage. If your usage is much lower than the included credits, Pay As You Go or a smaller committed plan may be a better fit.

Do committed credits apply across products?

Committed credits are applied according to the product and organization billing configuration. Check the applicable product pricing page or your organization billing settings for details.

Are taxes or fees included in the examples?

No. Pricing examples usually show estimated usage before applicable taxes, fees, or other invoice-level adjustments.

Summary

Usage Credits are the billing unit used across API Bricks products.

Key points:

• Usage is measured in Usage Credits (UC).
• Pay As You Go credits are priced at $1.00/Credit.
• Committed plans let customers purchase credits at a lower price per Credit.
• The portal shows how many UC were consumed.
• The committed discount is applied through the lower price paid per Credit.
• Usage above included committed credits is billed as Pay As You Go.
• Product-specific usage rules still apply, such as API calls, rates, data transfer, or Connection-Hours.
• For best results, estimate expected usage before choosing a committed plan.