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

# Billing FAQs

> Get answers to the most common questions about billing including pricing plans, payment methods, upgrades, overages, and enterprise solutions

## Purchasing Plans

<Accordion title="What are the limitations of Helius's Free Plan?">
  The free plan includes limited credits and request rates suitable for development and testing. For production applications, consider a paid plan for higher limits, staked connections, and enhanced APIs. See our [pricing page](https://www.helius.dev/pricing) for detailed comparisons.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How can I pay for my subscription?">
  We accept both traditional payment methods (credit cards) and cryptocurrency (USDC on Solana). You can set up payment during plan selection or change payment methods in your [billing dashboard](https://dashboard.helius.dev/billing).
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Why hasn't my paid plan appeared in my dashboard yet?">
  Your plan activates once your payment is confirmed (for crypto, once the transaction is confirmed on-chain). If it doesn't appear shortly after, reach out to our [support](https://dashboard.helius.dev/support) team.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="What if I'm subscribed to a plan, but my payment method fails?">
  If payment fails, you'll receive notifications and have a grace period to update your payment method. Your service may be temporarily downgraded to free tier limits until payment is resolved. Update payment details in your [billing dashboard](https://dashboard.helius.dev/billing).
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How do I purchase Helius Shred Delivery?">
  Raw shreds are sold as seats in your Helius dashboard. These seats are separate from your plan's monthly credits.

  To subscribe to raw shreds, open the [Shreds tab](https://dashboard.helius.dev/shred-delivery-seats) in your dashboard, click **+ Add Seat**, choose a payment method, and enter your server's IP address.

  Each seat is **\$1,000/month per IP** on all plans (**\$800/month per IP** on Pro plans).

  Raw shreds do not consume credits. See our [plans and pricing](/billing/plans) and [How to Subscribe to Raw Shreds](/shred-delivery/raw-shreds) for full details.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How do I remove a shred seat or change its IP?">
  You can remove a seat or change the IP bound to a seat self-serve from the [Shreds tab](https://dashboard.helius.dev/shred-delivery-seats) in your Helius Dashboard.

  Seat removals are not refunded. The seat remains billed through the end of the current billing cycle, then is not renewed.

  Changing the IP address issues a new token for that seat. Use it to activate the new feed. The old feed is then canceled.
</Accordion>

## Paying with Crypto

<Accordion title="How do crypto payments work?">
  When a payment is due, you'll receive a payment link by email and in your [dashboard](https://dashboard.helius.dev/billing). Open the link, connect your wallet or scan the QR code, and complete the payment in USDC. Once the transaction is confirmed on-chain, your payment is applied and your subscription continues.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="What currency are crypto payments made in?">
  All crypto payments are made in **USDC** on Solana.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How can I change my payment method from credit card to crypto (or the other way around)?">
  You can change your payment method yourself on your [Billing](https://dashboard.helius.dev/billing) page. If you run into any issues, reach out to our [support](https://dashboard.helius.dev/support) team.
</Accordion>

## Upgrades

<Accordion title="How do I upgrade my plan?">
  You can upgrade your plan anytime from the [**Helius Dashboard**](https://dashboard.helius.dev/billing).
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Do you offer custom solutions?">
  Yes! We offer custom enterprise solutions with dedicated infrastructure, custom rate limits, and specialized support. [Contact our sales team](https://www.helius.dev/contact) for personalized options.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How do I upgrade to an Enterprise plan?">
  Enterprise plans are custom-built for your needs. [Contact our sales team](https://www.helius.dev/contact) to discuss your requirements and get a personalized quote.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="What does an Enterprise plan include?">
  Enterprise plans include custom request limits, dedicated infrastructure, priority support, custom billing terms, SLAs, and specialized features tailored to your organization's needs.
</Accordion>

## Downgrades

<Accordion title="How do I downgrade my plan?">
  You can downgrade your plan from the [billing dashboard](https://dashboard.helius.dev/billing).
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="If I downgrade my crypto subscription, when will it go into effect?">
  Crypto downgrades happen immediately. You'll receive a prorated credit as a discount on your next subscription billing cycle for the unused portion of your current plan.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How can I cancel my subscription?">
  You can cancel your subscription from the [billing dashboard](https://dashboard.helius.dev/billing). Your service will continue until the end of your current billing period, then revert to free tier limits.
</Accordion>

## Credits

<Accordion title="What happens if I run out of credits?">
  If you have consumed all of your credits, you won't be able to make new API requests until you have added more credits to your account through autoscaling or prepaid credits. Otherwise, a request will result in a 429 max usage reached error.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How do I buy more credits?">
  The method depends on your payment type:

  * **Fiat payments**: Credits are purchased through [autoscaling](/billing/additional-credits), which automatically adds credits as needed, up to a cap
  * **Crypto payments**: You'll need to [purchase prepaid credits](/billing/additional-credits#crypto-plans) manually
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="What is autoscaling?">
  Autoscaling is a credit management system that automatically purchases additional credits when you have used up your monthly allocation. This happens on-demand, meaning that credits are only purchased if they are needed to complete your requests. This ensures that your application continues running without interruption. Autoscaling is only available to fiat users. If you pay with crypto, you must purchase prepaid credits. See our [autoscaling guide](/billing/additional-credits) or guide on [buying prepaid credits](/billing/additional-credits#crypto-plans) for details.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How do I turn on autoscaling?">
  Enable autoscaling on your [Billing](https://dashboard.helius.dev/billing) page under the **Autoscaling** section. Autoscaling is only available to fiat users.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Why did I get an invoice for overages when I enabled autoscaling?">
  Autoscaling purchases additional credits when you exceed your plan’s limits, which appear as overages on your invoice. This is expected behavior — autoscaling prevents service interruption by automatically buying the credits you need.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="What are prepaid credits?">
  Unlike autoscaling, prepaid credits are credits you purchase in advance of their usage. You manually purchase a specific amount whenever you need to add credits to your account. This is only available to crypto users. Read this [guide on prepaid credits](/billing/additional-credits#crypto-plans) for more details.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How do I buy prepaid credits?">
  Go to your [Billing](https://dashboard.helius.dev/billing) page and click **Add credits**. Choose the amount you want to buy and complete the purchase in USDC. Prepaid credits are only available to crypto users. If you pay with fiat, please set up autoscaling.
</Accordion>

## Unexpected Usage

<Accordion title="Why is my project consuming credits even though I'm not using any Helius endpoints?">
  Check for active webhooks, automated scripts, or background processes that might be making API calls. Review your [usage dashboard](https://dashboard.helius.dev/usage) to identify the source of credit consumption.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Why is my usage increasing when I haven't changed anything?">
  Your API key may have been compromised, or a webhook might be running in the background. To resolve this:

  1. Delete the current API key and create a new one.
  2. Check your webhooks from the dashboard and disable any that shouldn't be active.
  3. If the issue persists, contact support for assistance.

  To help prevent key leaks in the future, consider setting up a proxy as described in [this guide](/rpc/protect-your-keys).
</Accordion>

## Refunds

<Accordion title="Can I get a refund if my plan was accidently auto-renewed?">
  We're unable to offer refunds on automated subscription renewals if you've already used the service. This follows the standard practice on most platforms.
</Accordion>

***

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