Credit Usage

How Credits Work

pdf-mcp uses a simple, transparent prepaid credit system. Credits are the currency you use to generate PDFs through our API and MCP server. This model ensures you only pay for what you use, with no monthly subscriptions or hidden fees.

Simple Rule: PDF generation costs 1 credit (first page included) + 0.01 per extra page. Utility operations cost just 0.01 credits. File management is free.

Credit Consumption

Generation Operations (base + per-page)

Heavy operations that render or rasterize PDFs are charged a flat base cost (first page included) plus a small per-page surcharge for additional pages:

Formula: credits = 1.0 + (max(0, page_count - 1) × 0.01)

A single-page PDF costs exactly 1.00 credit. The per-page surcharge only applies from the second page onward.

Utility Operations (flat rate)

Lightweight operations are charged a flat rate of 0.01 credits per request, regardless of document size:

Free Operations

Document management operations are completely free:

• List documents — browse your stored files
• Get document — retrieve metadata and download URL
• Delete document — remove stored files

No Hidden Costs

• API calls that fail or return errors do NOT consume credits
• Storage retrieval (downloading your generated PDFs) is free
• Account management operations (API key generation, settings) are free

Free Credits Coupon

Every new pdf-mcp account receives a 100 free credits coupon upon account creation—no credit card required. This allows you to test our API and evaluate the service before making any purchase.

• Free credits coupon is available upon account creation
• Free credits are added to your account balance immediately
• Free credits are non-transferable and provided once per user
• Creating multiple accounts to obtain additional free credits is prohibited

100 credits is enough to generate approximately 100 single-page PDFs, or thousands of utility operations like text extraction and merging. Perfect for testing your integration before going to production.

Purchasing Credits

Purchase credits through your dashboard. Enter any custom amount — one-time payments, no subscriptions or recurring charges. For high-volume needs, contact us at support@pdf-mcp.io for custom pricing.

Low-Balance Notifications

Never run out of credits unexpectedly — we'll email you when your balance is running low:

How It Works

Set a credit threshold in your dashboard. When your balance drops below this threshold, we send you an email reminder with a direct link to top up.

Escalating Reminders

If your balance stays low, we send a few follow-up reminders over the next few days — then we stop. No spam, just helpful nudges.

Depleted Alert

If your credits hit zero, you'll get a one-time alert so you can top up and resume service.

Control

You can enable, disable, or adjust the threshold at any time from your dashboard. Default threshold is 50 credits.

Credit Balance and History

Viewing Your Balance

Your current credit balance is displayed:

• In your dashboard header (always visible)
• In API responses via the X-Credits-Remaining header
• Through the /account/credits API endpoint

Transaction History

View a complete history of credit purchases and consumption in your dashboard. Each entry includes:

• Date and time of the transaction
• Type (purchase, consumption, refund)
• Credits added or consumed
• Balance after transaction
• For consumption: the associated API call and document ID

Usage Analytics

The dashboard provides insights into your credit usage patterns:

• Daily, weekly, and monthly consumption charts
• Breakdown by operation type (generation, merge, extraction)
• Average credits per document
• Projected runway based on current usage

Credit Validity

Credits are tied to your account. Credits are forfeited upon account termination. Dormant accounts (no activity for 24+ months) may be subject to review.

Refund Policy

Unused Credits

Credits are non-refundable once added to your account. This policy exists because:

• Credits can be used immediately upon purchase
• We cannot verify whether credits were used by the time of a refund request
• Our pricing model is designed for prepaid, à la carte usage

Exceptions

We may issue refunds or credit adjustments in the following cases:

Technical Failures

If our system consumes credits without producing the expected output due to a bug or outage, we'll credit your account upon verification.

Duplicate Charges

If you're charged multiple times for a single purchase, we'll immediately refund duplicates to your original payment method.

Unauthorized Purchases

Report unauthorized access within 48 hours. We'll investigate and refund if fraud is confirmed.

For refund inquiries, contact support@pdf-mcp.io within 30 days of the transaction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I run out of credits?

API calls will return a 402 Payment Required error with a message indicating insufficient credits. Your documents and settings remain intact—simply purchase more credits to resume service.

Can I transfer credits to another account?

Credits are non-transferable between accounts. This policy prevents fraud and abuse of our free credit system.

Do credits work across all API endpoints?

Yes, your credit balance is shared across all pdf-mcp services: the REST API, MCP server, and any future integrations. One account, one balance.

How do I estimate credit usage for my project?

Use your 100 free credits coupon to test with real documents. The dashboard will show you exactly how many credits each operation consumes, helping you forecast production costs.

Is there a minimum purchase?

There's no minimum for testing — your free 100 credits coupon is sufficient to evaluate the service.

Contact

Questions about credits, billing, or pricing? We're here to help:

Email: support@pdf-mcp.io

For technical questions, visit our documentation.