Paying for an AI API when your card isn't in USD
As of 2026-11-12, QCode's top-up page is split by currency tab. The USD tab takes international cards (Visa / Mastercard), Apple Pay / Google Pay and crypto such as USDT and USDC. The CNY tab takes Alipay and WeChat Pay. Quota is counted in dollars. This page compares what each rail needs, how fast it credits and who it suits, and explains where card and on-chain fees come from.
Updated 2026-11-13
Want to sell it yourself? Validate the full flow with one key first — white-label and reseller come after.
- Billed per token — live rates on /models
- Pay by card (Visa / Mastercard), Apple Pay, Google Pay or crypto
- Self-service: top up and activate instantly
Four ways to pay at a glance
Card: one card that pays across borders
The USD tab takes Visa / Mastercard credit and debit cards through the international checkout, and the page labels it No fee. Some cards ask for 3-D Secure verification (a text message or app confirmation from your bank). Your balance is credited as soon as payment completes. The page prints the amount range as Minimum $5 and Maximum $2,000. Best when you want to start now with a modest amount.
Phone wallet: the card already in your wallet
Also on the USD tab and on the same international checkout: the wallet charges the bank card already stored in Apple Pay or Google Pay. The docs give it no crediting time of its own, so the card flow applies. Best when the card is already in your phone.
USDT / USDC: stablecoins on-chain
The crypto rail on the USD tab takes USDT and USDC (Tron, Solana, Arbitrum One, Polygon, Ethereum, TON and more). The page labels it 0% platform fee and about 1 day of manual reconciliation. Best when your funds already sit in a wallet or an exchange.
CNY balance: Alipay and WeChat Pay
The CNY tab takes Alipay and WeChat Pay, both labelled No fee. WeChat Pay runs through the international checkout and is settled at WeChat's own exchange rate; confirmation can take a few minutes. Best when you already hold a CNY balance.
Why currency needs its own explanation
You can pay. QCode keeps pricing and balances per currency: the English site prices in USD, and quota is counted in dollars of API usage ($1 of quota = $1 of API usage). The top-up page has a USD tab and a CNY tab, and the list of payment methods changes with the tab. When your money is not in USD, the conversion happens before the payment reaches QCode: the card network and your issuer convert a card payment, and with stablecoins you send USDT or USDC itself. On its side, QCode labels cards and wallets No fee and crypto 0% platform fee.
Fee labels on QCode's own pages (updated 2026-11-07)
The Payment Methods Overview lists the fee wording for every rail: cards and Apple Pay / Google Pay show No fee, crypto shows 0% platform fee · ~1d manual reconcile, Alipay and WeChat Pay charge no fee. The same page says some channels have their own per-transaction cap and asks you to split the amount into several smaller recharges. For crypto it suggests a small test transfer first.
Key dates
The Crypto Payment Guide is updated with 9 coins, 56 networks and each coin's exchange-side minimum deposit.
USDT and USDC open 18 networks each; deposit addresses are issued per asset and per network.
The payment methods, fee labels and crediting wording on this page were checked on 2026-11-12 against QCode's docs and top-up page.
What the docs state, and what you check yourself
Stated by QCode
① Prepaid: top up first, then buy a plan or a Pay-as-you-go Pack, and the purchase is paid from the balance. ② CNY and USD balances are kept apart and do not offset each other. ③ The USD tab takes international cards (Visa / Mastercard), Apple Pay / Google Pay and crypto. ④ The crypto rail takes USDT and USDC, with the on-chain transaction verified by QCode by hand. ⑤ A card credits your balance as soon as payment completes; WeChat Pay confirmation can take a few minutes. ⑥ Billing is per token, with per-model rates on /models.
Two costs you check yourself
Card conversion and markup, and the network fee on an on-chain transfer, are not on QCode's pages. Visa's developer documentation says Visa provides daily FX rates for the 180+ global currencies used to authorize and settle transactions on VisaNet, that its rates API takes a bank specific fee, and that it reports the markup between Visa and benchmark rates; what your issuer actually charges shows on your statement. Ethereum's docs say gas fees must be paid in ether (ETH). TRON's docs say the network burns TRX at the current rate when bandwidth does not cover a transaction.
Speed first or cost first
Speed: card or phone wallet
Labelled No fee, and the balance is credited as soon as payment completes. The trade-off: a cross-border charge passes the card network's conversion and the issuer's checks, so it can be declined. If it is, switch rail rather than resubmitting the same charge.
Cost control: stablecoins
The platform fee is zero, so the dollar value you send is what reaches your balance, with the on-chain network fee on top. The trade-off: about 1 day of manual review, and a wrong network or token cannot be recovered. On Optimism, Ink, Plasma, Conflux, HyperEVM, Unichain, X Layer, Flare and Tempo the token to send is USDT0, not plain USDT.
Your first top-up, step by step
① Pick the currency tab first: cards, Apple Pay / Google Pay and stablecoins are on the USD tab, Alipay and WeChat Pay on the CNY tab, and the method list changes with the tab. ② Run one small test first: top up a small amount on the USD tab (the page's minimum is $5), buy one Pay-as-you-go Pack and make one call before you commit a larger amount. ③ A card credits your balance as soon as payment completes, and the page asks you not to pay twice. For crypto you report the transfer yourself: coin and network, amount in USD, transaction hash, and your QCode ID or registered email; the amount is then credited in USD. ④ Once the balance lands, buy a plan at qcode.cc/subscribe and paste the key starting with cr_ into your tool.
On QCode's side
Your balance is held per currency: CNY and USD balances are kept apart and do not offset each other, so decide which one you need before topping up. A Personal Plan (bought by the month, 30 days) or a Pay-as-you-go Pack (valid for 7 days) is paid from that balance, not from your card again. Pay-as-you-go Packs are not available while you have an active Personal Plan; when a plan's quota runs short, add a booster pack. One key starting with cr_ then calls Claude through the Anthropic-compatible endpoint, GPT through the OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and the Chinese models, billed per token, with per-model rates on /models. The pack rules are on /pay-as-you-go. On the crypto rail QCode verifies the on-chain transaction itself, without a third-party crypto gateway.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay without a USD credit card?
Yes. Besides Visa / Mastercard, the USD tab takes Apple Pay / Google Pay (the card already in your wallet) and crypto, where USDT and USDC are both accepted and credited in USD after a manual check. The CNY tab takes Alipay and WeChat Pay into a CNY balance. Both routes are completed on QCode's top-up page.
Can I use Apple Pay or Google Pay?
Yes, if a card is already stored in your phone wallet. The docs put both on the USD tab and on the same international checkout as cards, and the wallet charges the bank card already stored in it. No crediting time of its own is given, so the card flow applies.
Which network should USDT use?
As of 2026-10-26 USDT is open on 18 networks: Tron, Solana, Arbitrum One, Polygon, Avalanche C-Chain, Ethereum, TON, Sei and Aptos, plus Optimism, Ink, Plasma, Conflux, HyperEVM, Unichain, X Layer, Flare and Tempo, which carry USDT0. Pick the chain your wallet's USDT already sits on. Deposit addresses are issued per asset and per network, so match the network and token symbol shown on the top-up page before you send.
How long does crediting take?
A card credits your balance as soon as payment completes; WeChat Pay confirmation can take a few minutes; crypto is checked by hand in about 1 day and then credited in USD. Every rail asks you not to pay twice, and if nothing moves you check the recharge history or contact support.
Can I put this on a company expense report?
For a company purchase, QCode's Team Edition route supports a corporate bank transfer and a formal service agreement, and a team plan is set up by hand in about an hour during working hours once the funds arrive. The recharge history opens from the top-up page. The steps are in the Team Edition Guide in the docs.
What should I check first when a payment fails?
First the tab: the method list follows the currency tab. Then the per-transaction cap: the page asks you to split the amount into several recharges. A card can be declined because of the issuer's checks on a cross-border charge, or because some cards ask for 3-D Secure; complete the verification the page shows. If money left but the balance did not move, open the recharge history before paying again, then contact live chat or hi@qcode.cc.
Sources
QCode: the Payment Methods Overview (English page updated 2026-11-07, Chinese page updated 2026-10-30), the Crypto Payment Guide (updated 2026-10-15), the pricing and Pay-as-you-go Packs pages, and the live pages /usdt-buy-claude-code-credits and /crypto-payment-guide. Card network and on-chain fees: Visa's Foreign Exchange product documentation, ethereum.org's Gas and fees page and TRON's Accounts documentation. All fetched on 2026-11-12.
Ready to pay? Make one small top-up first
Top up on the USD tab, buy a plan or a Pay-as-you-go Pack from the balance, and call with one cr_ key billed per token. Packs start at $4 and last 7 days; with an active Personal Plan, add a booster pack when you need more.
Related
Pay-as-you-go Packs: no monthly plan, 7 days
No monthly plan: buy one block of quota and draw it down, with per-model rates on /models.
Buy Claude API credits with Apple Pay / Google Pay
The tab, the fee label, the amount range and the three top-up steps for cards and phone wallets.
Buy Claude Code credits with USDT
The network list, the token symbol on each chain, and the minimum deposit.
Crypto payment guide
Nine coins, 56 networks, zero platform fee for AI coding API credits.
Payment methods, fee labels and crediting wording were checked on 2026-11-12 against qcode.cc and docs.qcode.cc as they stood that day. Card network, issuer and on-chain network fees are charged on their own; quota and per-model rates follow qcode.cc/models.