Help Center> ImageSearch> Service Overview> Billing
Updated on 2023-12-13 GMT+08:00
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Billing

Billing Modes

ImageSearch provides two billing modes: pay-per-use and yearly/monthly package.

You can use the price calculator provided by ImageSearch to quickly calculate the price of required resources. For details, see Product Pricing Details.

  • Pay-per-use

ImageSearch adopts tiered pricing based on the number of API calls. The tiered API calls are accumulated by calendar month. After a calendar month ends, the API calls are cleared. During the promotion period, each user can make API calls free of charge for different services each month. For details about the pricing, see Product Pricing Details.

  • Only successful API calls are counted for billing. The quota of free API calls at the end of the month does not roll over to subsequent months.
  • Billing rule: tiered pricing based on the number of API calls. The tiered API calls are accumulated by calendar month and settled by the end of each month. After a calendar month ends, the API calls are cleared.
  • Billing cycle: hourly. Bills are generally issued within 1 hour after each billing period ends, depending on how fast the system can process them.
  • Yearly/Monthly

You can also purchase a discount resource package for a better price. However, if your usage exceeds the package quota, subsequently used resources will be billed on a pay-per-use basis. For details about the pricing, see Product Pricing Details.

Compared with the pay-per-use mode, this mode provides a larger discount. You can enjoy higher discounts for longer use. Yearly/Monthly packages are recommended for long-term users.

  • After you determine the required duration and API calls, ImageSearch automatically calculates the fees to pay. Packages are paid in full, take effect immediately upon payment, and become unavailable upon expiration. You cannot specify the date when the package takes effect. For example, if you purchase a one-year discount package on January 1, the package automatically expires on January 1 in the next year. The validity period will not be extended and the fees cannot be refunded even though you have not made any API calls in the year.
  • Packages can be subscribed to multiple times and can be used together.
  • The fees for API calls can be deducted from the discount package quota only when the API calls are made within the validity period of the discount package. The excess part is billed on a pay-per-use basis.

    The fees for API calls beyond the discount package quota are settled in pay-per-use mode according to tiered pricing.

Overdue Payment

In pay-per-use mode, API fees are deducted every hour. If your account balance is insufficient to pay for the expense occurred in the last hour, your account will be in arrears and enter the grace period and retention period.

If you top up your account within the retention period, the APIs will be available and billed from the original expiration date.

If your account is in arrears, some operations will be restricted. You can top up your account as soon as possible. The restricted operations are as follows:

  • APIs in pay-per-use mode cannot be called.
  • Remaining API calls in a discount package can still be used, but the package cannot be subscribed again or renewed.
  • Services cannot be subscribed.

Renewal

You can renew a resource package upon its expiration, or you can set auto-renewal rules for a resource package. For more information about renewing resource packages, see Renewal Management.

Expiration

  • After a yearly/monthly package expires, you will be billed for subsequently used resources on a pay-per-use basis.
  • If the account is not topped up or the resource package is not renewed before the retention period expires, your data will be deleted and cannot be recovered.