AI credits, packs and pay as you go

AI credits pay for AirQR's AI features: the AI waiter that chats with guests, AI menu import from photos and files, AI dish photos, Write with AI dish descriptions and AI translations. Each question to the Ask AirQR help assistant uses 1 AI credit. Find everything under Settings → Billing → AI credits.

What costs how many credits?

For example, 1,000 credits are about 1,000 guest messages, or 100 menu photo pages, or 8,000 menu items translated, or 40 Standard dish photos. See AI dish photos.

A very large job (a dense menu page, or a very long AI waiter answer) can use a few extra credits. Your usage log shows them on the same line, for example "Menu import, 12 pages: 120 credits + 10 for a large job". Credits are given back if the AI fails.

You can cancel any AI job, and only pay for what finished. Menu photos are read and charged page by page, translations batch by batch and dish photos one by one. Press Cancel on the progress bar and the job stops at once: the part in progress is refunded, finished pages, batches and photos are kept and the rest cost nothing. You see a summary like "Stopped. 4 of 10 done, 32 credits used, nothing charged for the rest."

How many credits does my plan include?

Plan credits reset on the 1st of each month (UTC) and don't carry over.

How do I buy more credits?

1. Open Settings → Billing and scroll to AI credits → Buy credits.
2. Pick a pack and click Buy. You see the price, 18% GST (in India) and the total.
3. Pay the total to the details shown (or we email them): UPI or bank transfer in India, international bank transfer outside India. Add your payment reference if you have it, then click Send request.
4. As soon as AirQR confirms your payment, the credits are added and you get a receipt with an invoice by email (a GST invoice in India). The request shows under Waiting for your payment to be confirmed until then; you can Withdraw it.

Prices are in your business's billing currency: rupees in India, UAE dirhams in the Gulf and US dollars elsewhere. Outside India no GST is added.

Packs are valid for 12 months from the day the payment is confirmed. Unused pack credits carry over from month to month until then.

What is pay as you go?

Pay as you go keeps AI running after your plan credits and packs are used, at ₹0.60 a credit + GST in India ($0.01 a credit, or AED 0.04 in the Gulf, with no GST), billed at the end of the month for what you used.

• Turn it on under AI credits → Pay as you go and set a monthly limit in your billing currency (₹1,000, $15 or AED 55 by default). AI stops when the limit is reached and starts again on the 1st.
• You can change the limit or turn it off any time.
• If AirQR set up AI billing for you (a custom agreement), the switch shows that and can't be changed; message us to change it.

In what order are credits used?

1. Your plan's monthly credits.
2. Credit packs, the one that expires soonest first.
3. Pay as you go, if it's on, up to your monthly limit.
4. Then AI pauses until the 1st or until you add credits.

When AI pauses, the AI waiter button stays on the menu but tells guests it's taking a break and offers to browse the menu or call a waiter; ordering from the menu always keeps working. AI menu tools show "You've used X of Y AI credits this month".

Will I be warned before credits run out?

Yes. Owners get an email, and see a banner on the dashboard, when 80% and when 100% of the month's plan credits and packs are used, and 14 days before a pack with credits left expires. The emails can be switched off by AirQR under automatic emails.

Where do I see what used my credits?

Click Usage details on the AI credits card (or open Settings → Billing → AI credits → Usage). You see:

• credits used this month, split into plan credits, packs and pay as you go;
• a chart of credits per day, and credits by feature and by outlet;
• the busiest AI waiter chats (open one to read it);
• a forecast: "At this rate your credits last until …";
• Every charge: one line per use with date, what it was, outlet, where it was paid from and the credits. Filter by dates, feature, outlet or Paid from, and click Download CSV to open it in Excel.

To keep guest chat from using everything, set a Monthly credit cap per outlet in AI waiter → Setup. See AI waiter.

Troubleshooting