> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.kardinal.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pricing and credits

> How credit-based billing works: free credits, consumption, and packs.

## How credits work

Usage of the Builder API is billed in credits. Every new account starts with 1,000 free credits.

Two endpoints can consume credits: `POST /plans` (creating a plan) and `PUT /plans/{planId}` (updating one). The billed metric is the number of unique stops optimized per plan, at a 1:1 ratio — one unique stop optimized costs one credit.

A stop counts as the same unique stop across requests only if both its `id` and its position stay unchanged; changing either one makes it a new unique stop for billing purposes. Every other field — capacities, time windows, and so on — can change freely without affecting billing.

On an update (`PUT /plans/{planId}`), any unique stop that has already been in the plan for more than 24 hours is billed again. A stop added within the last 24 hours isn't re-billed on that same update.

## Buying credits

Additional credit packs are available directly from the [Console](https://console.kardinal.ai) — no sales conversation required. Credits never expire and are never refunded once purchased.

To avoid a service interruption, the Console lets you configure an automatic repurchase rule that triggers before your balance runs out.

## See also

* [Limits and quotas](/reference/limits-and-quotas) — rate limits and other usage caps, a separate mechanism from credit consumption.
* [Authentication and API keys](/guides/authentication) — obtaining your API token.