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

# Billing information

> How credits, charges, and payments work for Compute with Hivenet.

Compute with Hivenet uses prepaid credits. You add funds first, then we deduct usage in real time while your instances run. You can see your **balance** and your **current spend rate (EUR/h)** at any time in **Billing** .

<Note>
  Charges apply only while an instance is running. Stopping or terminating an instance stops compute charges.
</Note>

## Find billing in the app

From the left sidebar, select **Billing**. You’ll see:

* **Balance** (EUR)
* **Current spend rate** (EUR/h)
* **Add funds** cards
* **Auto top-up** controls
* **Billing details** *(opens Stripe — coming soon in-app)*
* **Transaction history** *(coming soon)*

## Add funds

1. Go to **Billing → Add funds**.
2. Enter a custom amount or choose one of the presets (e.g., **€20**, **€50**, **€100**, **€500**).
3. Click **Complete payment** and finish checkout in Stripe.
4. Your **Balance** updates as soon as the payment clears.

<Tip>
  If a prepaid card fails repeatedly, try a single larger top-up rather than several small ones.
</Tip>

## Turn on auto top-up

Auto top-up helps you avoid interruptions.

1. After your first successful top-up, go to **Billing → Auto top-up**.
2. Toggle **Enable auto top-up**.
3. Set a **balance threshold** and a **reload amount**. We’ll add credits automatically when your balance drops below the threshold.

<Note>
  Auto top-up appears only after you’ve added credits at least once.
</Note>

## How charging works

* **Granularity:** per-second billing; no hourly minimums.
* [**Start/stop**](/documentation/essentials/start-stop-instances)**:** charging starts when an instance is **Running** and stops when it’s **Stopped** or **Terminated**.
* **Low/zero balance:** Instances won’t start without enough credit. If your balance gets too low while an instance is running, Compute may terminate it to prevent negative charges (usually with a short pre-emptive window). Add credits and start again.

<Info>
  **Example**\
  If an instance runs for 12 minutes 20 seconds, you’re billed for **740 seconds** at that GPU’s active price.
</Info>

## Payment methods, receipts, and taxes

* **Payment methods:** Major credit/debit cards via Stripe (availability varies by country).
* **Receipts:** Stripe emails a receipt for every successful top-up.
* **Taxes/VAT:** Applied where required based on your billing details in Stripe.
* **Currency:** Balances and prices are shown in **EUR**. You can pay in your local currency through Stripe, which handles the conversion automatically.

<Note>
  **Billing details** and **Transaction history** are labeled *Coming soon* in the Billing page. Until then, use Stripe receipts for your records. If you need a consolidated statement, contact Support.
</Note>

## Troubleshooting payments

* **Card declined:** Check funds, complete any 3-D Secure prompt, or try another card.
* **Prepaid cards blocked:** Your bank may block online/international payments by default. A single larger top-up often works better.
* **Charged but not credited:** Refresh the page after a minute. If it’s still missing, contact Support with the date, amount, and the last four digits of your card.

<Warning>
  **Compute credits are NOT refundable.**\
  Credits are final once purchased. They are added to your account and used automatically as you run workloads. Refunds aren’t available, even if you stop using Compute or still have unused credits.

  If a payment issue or a clear technical fault led to an incorrect charge, our support team can review the case and help where possible.
</Warning>