> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.thundercompute.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Billing

> Understand Thunder Compute's usage-based billing, payment methods, billing alerts, current rates, and tips for saving on GPU cloud costs.

## Payment Options

There are **two ways to pay** for Thunder Compute:

### Option 1: Auto-Pay

Set up auto-pay by saving a credit card. Go to [console.thundercompute.com/settings/billing](https://console.thundercompute.com/settings/billing) and click "Manage saved payment method" (or "Add card to enable auto-pay" if no card is on file).

### Option 2: Preload Credit

Add credit directly to your account as an alternative to auto-pay. This credit never expires and will be used before any saved payment method.

**Order of payment**

1. Any preloaded credit you've added
2. Charges to your saved payment method

You can switch between options or use both—set up auto-pay anytime, even if you started with preloaded 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. Rates and promotions are subject to change without notice. For current rates, see our [pricing page](https://www.thundercompute.com/pricing).

## Credit Terms

* **Preloaded credit** does not expire and will be used before charging your saved card.
* **Promotional credit** can be revoked at our discretion.
* **Refunds:** Credit is non-refundable.

## Money-Saving Tips

While Thunder Compute is already the cheapest GPU cloud platform, there are a few strategies we recommend to reduce your bill:

* Delete instances when you're done with them to stop billing.
* Right‑size new workloads with `tnr create --gpu`, `--vcpus`, and related flags so you only pay for what you use.

We think this balances a smooth experience with strong verification—but if you have feedback or questions, please hop into our [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/nwuETS9jJK). We're always happy to improve!