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

# Credits and billing

> How credits work, what costs a credit, and how plans change the price per card.

Paperjoy is prepaid. One credit pays for one live postcard: the card, the handwriting, the envelope, and postage.

## What uses a credit

| Action | Cost |
| - | - |
| Create a live postcard (editor, Zapier, MCP, or API) | 1 credit |
| Save, edit, preview, or delete a [draft](https://docs.paperjoy.co/en/postcards/drafts.md) | Free |
| Submit a live draft | 1 credit |
| Create a test postcard | Free |
| Preview a card | Free |
| List, retrieve, or check your balance | Free |
| A postcard rejected by the content check | Refunded automatically |
| Retry with the same `Idempotency-Key` | Free, returns the original postcard |

The credit is taken at the moment the postcard is ordered: when you create it without `draft`, or when you submit a draft. Drafts never use a credit.

## Check your balance

Your balance shows in the top bar of the editor and on the [Billing](https://paperjoy.co/billing) page. In code, use `GET /api/user` or the MCP tool `get-account-status`:

```json theme={null}
{
  "data": {
    "id": "user_abc123",
    "name": "Marta Nowak",
    "email": "marta@example.com",
    "available_credit_balance": 48
  }
}
```

Test postcards never change `available_credit_balance`.

## Buy credits

Open [**Rozliczenia**](https://paperjoy.co/billing) (Billing) and click **Kup kredyty** (Buy credits). You can buy between 5 and 1,000 credits at a time. You pay securely through Stripe. Invoices use your organization's company details.

![The Billing page with the current credit balance, the Start, Pro, and Business plans, and the credit purchase history.](https://mintcdn.com/paperjoy/F1MJj4Vyrx0MCZIR/images/app/billing.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=F1MJj4Vyrx0MCZIR\&q=85\&s=75c684fa5a81a2b484d13423e969e9de)

## Plans

A plan lowers the price of every credit and unlocks extra features. The current prices are always on the [Billing](https://paperjoy.co/billing) page.

| | Start | Pro | Business |
| - | - | - | - |
| Monthly fee | None | Yes | Yes |
| Price per credit | Standard | Lower | Lowest |
| Editor, Zapier, MCP, and API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| [Custom signatures](https://docs.paperjoy.co/en/postcards/custom-signatures.md) | — | 1 | Up to 3 |
| Priority support | — | Yes | Yes |
| Your cards written first | — | — | Yes |
| Help connecting your system | — | — | Yes |

Change or cancel your plan from the Billing page. After you subscribe, the new plan can take a moment to appear while the payment is confirmed.

## Out of credits

Live postcards fail when your balance is below one credit:

| Method | What you see |
| - | - |
| API | `402 Payment Required` with `"You need at least 1 credit to create a postcard."` |
| MCP | The tool returns the same message as an error. |
| Zapier | The run fails. Top up, then run the Zap again. |
| Editor | The send button is disabled until you add credits. |

Submitting a draft without credits also returns `402`, and the postcard stays a draft, so nothing is lost.

After you add credits, resend the postcard. You can reuse the same `Idempotency-Key`: Paperjoy doesn't store the `402` response, so the retry creates the postcard.


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