Subscription and Credits FAQ

Answers to the most common questions about Alphio subscription tiers, Credits, payments, and billing.

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I upgraded but features are locked. Entitlements occasionally cache on the client for up to ~5 minutes after a successful upgrade. Try this in order:

• Log out and log back in to refresh the entitlements payload.
• If still locked after 5 minutes, force-quit the app or hard-refresh the browser.
• If still locked after 30 minutes, contact support with your order ID and the screen where the feature is locked.

How are Credits charged? Per chat or per task? Credits are consumed per action class, not per chat message. The main action classes are:

• Chat query — a single Alphio AI reply.
• Task creation — kicking off an asynchronous research or monitoring task.
• Signal access — opening a paid Signal entry that consumes a Credit unit.

warning

Exact Credit rates per action class are being finalized and may differ between tiers. Live rates are shown on the action's confirmation step before any Credits are spent.

I bought Custom Credits but balance didn't update. Payment processing typically completes within 1–15 minutes. If your balance hasn't updated after that:

• Wait up to 1 hour — IAP and card processors can occasionally delay settlement.
• After 1 hour, check the Credits ledger at /account/usage to see if the top-up landed under a different timestamp.
• If still missing, contact support with your order ID, the amount, and the payment method (Apple IAP / Google IAP / web card).

Can I pause or downgrade mid-cycle? Yes:

• Downgrade — takes effect at next renewal. Your current cycle continues at the tier you already paid for.
• Pause / cancel — stops auto-renewal. You keep the current tier until the cycle ends, then drop to Free.
• Any unused Monthly Credits from the current cycle are lost on cycle end (per the Credits expiry policy).

Refund policy?

warning

The formal refund policy is being finalized. As a general guideline: subscriptions are typically non-refundable once the cycle has started, but Custom Credits may be reversed within 24 hours of purchase if they have not been spent. Contact support with your order ID to request a review.

Apple / Google IAP vs web payment — any difference? Yes — there are price and feature implications:

• Apple IAP / Google IAP prices may be higher because the stores take a platform fee (typically 15–30%), which is reflected in the listed price.
• Web payment (via the Alphio site) avoids that platform fee and is preferred for cost-conscious users.
• All payment paths grant identical entitlements once paid.

Coupon codes / promo codes. Promo codes are entered at checkout on the subscription or top-up flow.

warning

Active promotions, when running, are listed on /account/subscription-and-billing. If no promotions are listed there, none are currently available.