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Billing and Usage
XC AI Content Automation uses a virtual currency called XC Tokens (XCT) to track and bill for AI content generation. Every time you generate product descriptions, the platform calculates the cost in XCT and deducts it from your organization's balance. This guide explains how tokens work, how your balance is structured, and where to monitor your usage.
XCT Tokens Explained
XCT is the platform's usage currency. Rather than billing you directly for raw AI provider costs, the platform converts all usage into a single, unified unit -- the XC Token -- so that pricing remains simple and predictable regardless of which AI model you choose.
Each content generation request consumes tokens. The exact amount depends on two factors: the AI model used and the length of the content produced (measured in input and output tokens sent to and received from the AI provider). More capable models cost more XCT per generation. The platform groups models into four pricing tiers:
| Tier | Relative Cost | Example Models |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | Lowest | DeepSeek Chat, Gemini Flash |
| Standard | Moderate | Claude Haiku |
| Premium | High | Claude Sonnet, Gemini Pro |
| Ultimate | Highest | Claude Opus, DeepSeek Reasoner |
When selecting a model in your project's AI Settings, each option displays a visual cost indicator so you can quickly gauge the relative expense before generating content.
Balance Types
Your organization maintains two separate token balances, each with different rules for how they are replenished and when they expire.
Subscription Balance
Your subscription balance is a monthly token allocation determined by your plan tier. It is credited automatically at the start of each billing cycle. Unused subscription tokens do not roll over -- any remaining balance expires when the new cycle begins and a fresh allocation is applied.
Top-up Balance
Top-up tokens are additional XCT purchased separately, outside of your subscription. They are added to your account by an administrator after payment is received. Unlike subscription tokens, top-up tokens never expire and remain available until they are consumed.
Consumption Order
When you generate content, the platform always draws from your subscription balance first. Once your subscription tokens for the current cycle are fully consumed, the platform begins drawing from your top-up balance. This ensures that your expiring subscription tokens are used before your persistent top-up tokens.
Subscription Tiers
The platform offers several subscription tiers, each providing a different monthly XCT allocation:
| Tier | Monthly XCT | Intended For |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 50 XCT | Trial and testing |
| Starter | 500 XCT | Small shops and individuals |
| Pro | 2,000 XCT | Regular users and growing businesses |
| Business | 10,000 XCT | Agencies and high-volume users |
| Enterprise | Custom | Large clients with negotiated terms |
Paid plans are available in monthly and yearly billing periods. Yearly billing offers a discount compared to paying monthly.
Payment Methods
XC Scribe supports two payment methods:
Online Payment (Credit Card / PayPal)
Online payments are processed through Dodo Payments. When you upgrade from the Free plan, you are directed to a secure checkout page where you can pay by credit card or PayPal. Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each billing period.
You can also purchase XCT top-up packs (100 XCT each) through the same checkout flow. Top-up pricing varies by tier — higher tiers receive a lower per-token rate.
Bank Transfer
Organizations that prefer to pay by bank transfer can request an invoice through the platform. Contact support or your administrator to set up bank transfer billing. Bank transfer customers manage plan changes through support rather than the self-service UI.
Managing Your Subscription
Changing Plans
Organization administrators can change their subscription tier from the Usage & Billing page. Click Change Plan on the subscription card to see available tiers and billing periods.
- Upgrades (moving to a higher tier or switching from monthly to yearly) take effect immediately. Your new token allocation is added to your remaining balance right away.
- Downgrades (moving to a lower tier or switching from yearly to monthly) are scheduled for the end of the current billing period. You keep your current plan's benefits until the period ends, then the new plan takes effect at renewal.
A pending plan change is shown as a banner on the subscription card so you always know what is coming.
Canceling Your Subscription
Organization administrators can cancel their subscription from the Usage & Billing page by clicking Cancel Subscription on the subscription card.
- Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You retain full access to your plan's features and remaining token balance until then.
- After the billing period ends, your account is downgraded to the Free plan with its 50 XCT monthly allocation.
- Top-up tokens are not affected by cancellation — they remain in your account and can still be used on the Free plan.
Bank transfer customers should contact support to cancel their subscription.
Viewing Your Balance
Dashboard Token Widget
The main Dashboard includes a token widget that gives you a quick overview of your current balance. It displays:
- Your total available XCT (subscription plus top-up combined).
- A usage percentage showing how much of your subscription allocation you have consumed this cycle.
- A low-balance warning when more than 90% of your combined balance has been consumed.
This widget is visible to all users in the organization, so every team member can stay aware of remaining capacity.
Usage Page (Admin Only)
Administrators have access to a dedicated usage page with a more detailed breakdown of token consumption. This page includes the analytics and transaction history described in the sections below.
Usage Analytics
Note: Usage analytics are available to users with the Admin role only.
The usage analytics view provides a summary of your organization's token consumption over the last 30 days. It includes the following breakdowns:
- By model tier -- See which pricing tiers (Economy, Standard, Premium, Ultimate) consumed the most XCT. This helps you understand whether your team is favoring higher-cost models and whether shifting to a different tier could reduce spend.
- By provider -- View total XCT consumed per AI provider (Anthropic, DeepSeek, Google). This is useful for understanding which provider is driving the majority of your usage.
- Request counts -- See the total number of generation requests made within each model tier, giving you a sense of volume in addition to cost.
Use these analytics to make informed decisions about model selection, budget planning, and whether your current subscription tier is appropriately sized for your workload.
Transaction History
Note: Transaction history is available to users with the Admin role only.
The transaction history provides a complete, auditable record of every token movement in your organization's account. Each entry in the list includes:
- Date -- When the transaction occurred.
- Type -- The kind of transaction: usage (content generation debit), subscription allocation (monthly credit), top-up (manually added tokens), expiration (unused subscription tokens expired at cycle end), or adjustment (manual correction by an administrator).
- Description -- A short explanation of the transaction.
- Balance bucket -- Whether the transaction affected the subscription balance or the top-up balance.
- Amount -- The number of XCT credited or debited (positive for credits, negative for debits).
You can filter by transaction type to isolate specific kinds of activity -- for example, viewing only usage debits to understand consumption patterns, or only top-ups to review purchase history. The list is paginated, so you can navigate through your full history without loading everything at once.
Usage Alerts
The platform proactively monitors your organization's token consumption and notifies administrators when usage reaches critical thresholds.
Dashboard Warning
When your organization's combined balance (subscription plus top-up) is more than 90% consumed, a warning banner appears on the Dashboard. This alert is visible to all users and is designed to give your team advance notice so you can arrange a top-up or adjust your usage before running out of tokens entirely.
Proactive Notifications
In addition to the dashboard banner, the platform sends proactive alerts to the organization administrator at two thresholds:
- 80% usage warning -- When 80% of your monthly subscription XCT has been consumed, the admin receives an in-app notification and an email with the remaining balance and a link to the usage page.
- 100% depleted alert -- When your subscription balance reaches zero, the admin receives a second notification alerting them that top-up tokens are now being consumed (or that generation will fail if no top-up balance remains).
Each alert is sent once per billing cycle. When your subscription resets at the start of a new cycle, the alert counters reset as well.
Depleted Balance
If your balance reaches zero XCT and no top-up tokens remain, content generation requests will fail with an insufficient balance error. To resume generating content, your administrator will need to either add a top-up or wait for the next billing cycle to receive a fresh subscription allocation.