Billing
Understand Thunder Compute’s usage-based billing, payment methods, free credits, billing alerts, current rates, and tips for saving on GPU cloud costs.
Payment Method Requirement
We require a payment method on file for every Thunder Compute account. This helps us verify users and prevent fraud while still giving you $20 in free credit to try things out. You won’t be charged unless you exceed that free credit.
Billing Alerts
- Instance reminders: We’ll email you about any running instances so you’re never caught off guard.
- Threshold charges: As your usage grows, we’ll bill your card at preset checkpoints (which rise over time) to prevent runaway bills.
Our rates
All compute resources are billed per minute only while your instances run. Storage incurs charges even when instances are stopped. For current rates, see our pricing page.
Credit terms
Credit can be revoked at our discretion. We have a strict one-account-per-person policy.
Money-Saving Tips
While Thunder Compute is already the cheapest GPU cloud platform, there are a few strategies we recommend to reduce your bill:
- Turn off instances when you’re done.
- Right‑size with
tnr modifyto match your workload. - Delete instances you no longer need.
- Use snapshots to compress long‑term data.
We think this balances a smooth experience with strong verification—but if you have feedback or questions, please hop into our Discord. We’re always happy to improve!