Frequently Asked Questions

Credits are Syntact's internal currency for API usage. When you send a message through Syntact, credits are deducted based on the AI model used and the number of tokens processed.

Credits are available in preset tiers: Starter, Plus, Pro, and Business. You can also enter a custom amount. Higher amounts provide a slightly better rate per credit due to fixed processing fees being spread over a larger purchase. Visit the pricing page for details.

Each purchase involves processing fees including payment processing, a platform fee for maintaining the service, and API access fees. The remaining value after these fees is converted to credits.

The Business tier offers the most credits per purchase because fixed fees have less impact on larger purchases. However, all tiers use the same fee formula, so the difference is modest.

Credits are deducted after each API request based on the actual tokens used. Before sending a request, Syntact estimates the cost and checks your balance. After the response is received, the actual cost is calculated and deducted.

If your credit balance is too low for an estimated request, you'll see an "Insufficient credits" message. You won't be charged for requests that fail due to low balance. A low-balance warning appears when your balance drops below 1,000 credits.

Yes. Model costs vary significantly. Smaller models like GPT-5 Nano or Llama 3.1 8B cost fractions of a credit per message, while large models like Claude Opus 4.6 or o1 can cost considerably more. See the model cost reference for details.

Yes. Your dashboard shows your current credit balance, a detailed usage history of recent API calls (with model, tokens, and credits used), and a transaction history of past purchases.

All payments are processed through Stripe, which supports major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) and additional methods depending on your region.

No. All credit purchases are one-time payments. You buy credits when you need them, and they remain in your account until used. There are no recurring charges.

Unused credits may be eligible for a refund within 14 days of purchase, minus processing fees. See our refund policy for full details.

Credits expire 12 months after purchase if unused. This aligns with the underlying API provider's credit expiration terms. You'll receive a notification before credits expire.

Syntact never stores your card details. All payment processing is handled by Stripe, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. Your card information is transmitted directly to Stripe's servers.

Unused credits are forfeited upon account deletion. If you have a significant balance, contact support before deleting your account.