Skip to main content

Billing & Wallet

Understand billing and manage your prepaid wallet.

Billing Model​

Substrate AI Cloud uses a prepaid wallet with hourly billing.

How it works:

  1. Add funds to wallet before launching resources
  2. First hour is charged immediately when instance launches
  3. Resources billed every hour while active
  4. Balance deducted automatically

What is billed:

  • GPU instances (hourly rate)
  • Storage volumes (per GB per hour)
  • Both bill from creation until deletion

First Hour Charge​

When launching an instance, the first hour cost is deducted immediately.

If insufficient balance:

  • Launch is blocked
  • Modal shows required amount
  • Add funds to proceed

Why charge upfront:

  • Ensures funds available
  • Prevents service interruption
  • Simplifies billing

Wallet Balance​

View current balance on the Wallet page.

Balance updates:

  • After adding funds
  • After each hourly billing cycle
  • After instance/volume deletion
  • After refunds

Adding Funds​

  1. Go to Wallet page
  2. Click "Add Funds"
  3. Complete payment via Stripe
  4. Funds appear instantly

Payment methods:

  • Credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
  • Minimum deposit: €10

Transaction receipt sent via email from Stripe.

Pricing​

Instances​

Pricing varies by:

  • GPU type (A100, H100, L4, etc.)
  • GPU count (1x, 2x, 4x, 8x)
  • Region
  • Special features

Example rates:

  • CPU Small: €0.10/hour
  • L4 (1x): €0.75/hour
  • A100 80GB (1x): €3.25/hour
  • H100 (1x): €4.50/hour

Check current prices in the marketplace.

Volumes​

Approximately €0.0001 per GB per hour (varies by region).

Examples:

  • 100 GB: €0.01/hour
  • 500 GB: €0.05/hour
  • 1 TB: €0.10/hour

Combined Cost Example​

Instance: A100 80GB at €3.25/hour
Volume: 500 GB at €0.05/hour
Duration: 24 hours

Instance: €3.25 × 24 = €78.00
Volume: €0.05 × 24 = €1.20
Total: €79.20

Transaction History​

View all transactions on the Wallet page.

Transaction types:

Credit (money in):

  • Wallet recharge
  • Refunds (failed instances)
  • Promotional credits
  • Coupon codes

Debit (money out):

  • Instance hourly charges
  • Volume hourly charges
  • First hour upfront charges

Filter by type (credit/debit) and date.

Suspension​

When wallet balance falls below the hourly cost, resources are suspended.

During suspension:

  • Status changes to suspended
  • Billing paused
  • Network access disabled
  • Data preserved (not deleted)

To resume:

  1. Add funds to wallet
  2. Instance automatically resumes
  3. Status returns to active
  4. Billing restarts

Refunds​

Automatic refunds:

  • Failed instance launches (first hour returned)
  • Provider errors (prorated)

Manual refund requests:

Non-refundable:

  • Used compute time
  • Voluntary terminations

Coupon Codes​

Apply on the Wallet page.

  1. Enter coupon code
  2. Click Apply
  3. Credit added if valid

Coupons are one-time use and may have expiration dates.

Cost Optimization​

Reduce spending:

  • Terminate instances when not in use
  • Delete unused volumes
  • Right-size GPU selection (don't over-provision)
  • Use startup scripts to auto-shutdown after jobs
  • Batch workloads to minimize instance churn

Monitor costs:

  • Check Resources page regularly
  • Review transaction history weekly
  • Set budget limits manually

Troubleshooting​

Balance not updating:

  • Wait 60 seconds
  • Check email for payment confirmation

Payment failed:

  • Try different card
  • Verify billing address matches card
  • Contact your bank
  • Ensure international payments enabled

Unexpected charges:

  • Check Resources page for active instances
  • Review Volumes tab for unattached volumes
  • Check transaction history for details

Missing refund:

  • Automatic refunds are instant
  • Manual requests take 5-7 business days
  • Contact support@substrate.ai with transaction ID

Support​