Credits — pay-as-you-go API usage
Flexible API access with no monthly API commitment. Buy a pack, spend per call, and never expire — credits stack with any subscription tier.
Why credits?
Every account — Free, Gold, or Platinum — can call every dataset. There's no feature gating by plan; you just pay per call in credits, and larger packs give you a lower price per credit plus a higher rate limit and the full historical archive (Free is capped at the most recent 30 days).
Credits determine how much you call. New accounts start with free credits, so you can pull real data the moment you sign up — no subscription required.
How they work
- A data pull costs 2–5 credits by dataset tier (2 standard · 3 Gold · 5 Platinum)
- Gold datasets cost 3 credits per call
- Platinum datasets cost 5 credits per call
- New accounts receive 200 free credits on sign-up
- Credits never expire — use them whenever you need
- Top up anytime via the portal Credits section
Credit packs
| Pack | Credits | Price | Per credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 100 | $10 | $0.10 |
| Builder Best value | 600 | $50 | $0.083 |
| Pro | 1,300 | $100 | $0.077 |
| Scale | 7,500 | $500 | $0.067 |
Check your balance
Query your credit balance at any time via the API:
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
https://api.alpinedataworks.com/v1/account/creditsExpected response:
{
"balance": 985,
"tier": "free",
"low_balance_threshold": 100,
"grace_period_hours": 24
}What happens when you run out
When your credit balance reaches zero, calls to paid datasets return a 402 Payment Required response.
A 24-hour grace period applies to active sessions — you won't be cut off mid-workflow.
Free-tier rate-limited datasets remain accessible regardless of credit balance. To avoid interruption, top up via the portal or set a low-balance alert in your account settings.
Refund policy
Unused credit packs are refundable within 7 days of purchase. If you've consumed some credits from a pack, refunds are prorated to the unused portion. Email [email protected] with your account email and purchase reference.
Ready to get started?
Buy a credit pack or start free — no card required.