OpenRouter

AcceptedHalocard is accepted

Halocard is accepted at OpenRouter. OpenRouter accepts major credit and debit cards, AliPay and USDC stablecoin, and is still working on PayPal. You prepay credits on the Credits page, from $5 to $25,000 per purchase, with a 5.5% fee added. Card payments are charged in dollars through Stripe.

Halocard has processed 500+ transactions for OpenRouter

What payment methods does OpenRouter accept?

Accepted

AcceptedHalocard
AcceptedCredit Cards
AcceptedDebit Cards
Accepted with conditionsStablecoinsUSDC only, through a Coinbase checkout on the Credits page.

Not accepted

Not acceptedPrepaid Cards
Not acceptedApple Pay
Not acceptedGoogle Pay
Not acceptedPayPal
Not acceptedBank Transfer (ACH)
Not acceptedCryptocurrency

What merchant category (MCC) is OpenRouter?

5734Computer software stores

What is Halocard?

A US-issued Visa credit card that works like a debit card, with a separate virtual card for each merchant you pay. Lock a card to pause a subscription, or cancel it so the merchant can no longer charge that number.

Pay OpenRouter from its own card and stop the renewals whenever you choose.

Get Your Halocard

Halocard on a phone, with Halocard metal cards fanned behind it

How to pay for OpenRouter with Halocard

Create a card for OpenRouter in Halocard

In your Halocard dashboard, create a new card, name it OpenRouter and set a limit that covers what you are about to pay.

Open Settings, then Credits, and click Add Credits

Sign in on openrouter.ai, go to Settings, then Credits, and click Add Credits. If you have not saved a card before, enter your billing address first, then the card details. Saved cards show as tiles at the top of the dialog, and the one with the green check is charged.

Enter the amount and confirm

Enter an amount between $5 and $25,000, review the fee shown before you pay, and confirm. Credits usually appear on the Credits page within 15 minutes.

Optional: turn on Auto Top-Up

On the Credits page, turn on Enable auto top up. Set When credits are below and Purchase this amount, pick the card to charge and any backups, and save. It charges without a prompt, so set the amounts with care.

Official payment guidance from OpenRouter

Payment methods and fees FAQ: https://openrouter.ai/docs/faq
Fix common payment problems: https://openrouter.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/41976886293403-Payment-Issues-Common-Fixes
Add or change your saved card: https://openrouter.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/51678788838299-How-do-I-remove-or-change-my-saved-card

Get Your Halocard for OpenRouter

Tips for successful payments at OpenRouter

AcceptedHave your billing address ready. OpenRouter asks for it before it will save your first card.
AcceptedBuy between $5 and $25,000 per purchase. Amounts outside that range are not accepted.
AcceptedIn an organization, only an admin can buy credits or manage payment methods, so switch to the organization with the organization switcher before you pay.
AcceptedFor Auto Top-Up, add a backup card in the Auto Top-Up section. OpenRouter tries the backups in order if the main card fails.

Why do OpenRouter payments decline?

Card declined during payment: Ask your bank whether international transaction rules, fraud protection or a merchant restriction stopped the charge. Enable international payments on the card if needed, or try a different card.
Credits did not appear after paying: Allow up to an hour. If there is no Stripe receipt email and no charge, the card was likely declined, so try again with another card or method. If you were charged, email support@openrouter.ai with the purchase details.
Auto Top-Up switched itself off: A top-up charge was declined. Read the email OpenRouter sent with the card issuer's reason, fix or replace the card on the Credits page, then turn Enable auto top up back on.

OpenRouter payment FAQ

Does OpenRouter accept PayPal?

Not yet. OpenRouter's FAQ says it is working on integrating PayPal and asks anyone who wants another payment method to say so on its Discord. For now you can pay with major credit and debit cards, AliPay or USDC.

What fees does OpenRouter charge?

On a standard pay-as-you-go account, a 5.5% fee with a $0.80 minimum is charged when you buy credits. The Business plan fee is 8%. Crypto payments carry a 5% fee. Model prices are passed through from the providers without markup, and the fee applies to the credit purchase, not to each request.

How do OpenRouter credits work?

Credits are a prepaid balance in dollars. Each API or chat request deducts its cost, and the Activity page shows your usage. You top up by hand or with Auto Top-Up. A standard account has no recurring subscription. OpenRouter may expire unused credits 365 days after purchase.

Can I get a refund from OpenRouter?

Only for unused credits, within 24 hours of buying them. On the Credits page, find the purchase under Recent Transactions and click Refund. The platform fee is not refunded, and crypto payments are never refundable. The money should reach your card within 5 to 10 business days.

Can I pay OpenRouter with crypto?

Yes, in USDC. Use the credits purchase flow on the Credits page, which runs through a Coinbase checkout paid from your crypto wallet. Crypto purchases carry a 5% fee and cannot be refunded. The older Coinbase credits API has been removed.

About OpenRouter

OpenRouter is an AI model marketplace and API gateway that gives developers one interface to more than 400 models from labs such as Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, xAI and DeepSeek. Customers prepay credits in dollars and pay each provider's own per-token price. OpenRouter, Inc. was founded in 2023, is based in New York and agreed in August 2026 to be acquired by Stripe.

Website: openrouter.ai
Support: openrouter.ai/support
Billed by: OpenRouter, Inc.
Billing region: United States ($USD)
Products: Pay-as-you-go Credits, Business Plan, Auto Top-Up
Users: Over 10 million developers and companies, 2026