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

# Credits & Billing

> How the credit system works for sending letters.

# Credits & Billing

The Postal Company uses a prepaid credit system. You top up your balance, then each letter sent deducts from it.

## Pricing

| Item                                                                           | Cost  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----- |
| Standard letter (The Postal Company branding, black and white) via Checkout    | €2.50 |
| Standard letter (The Postal Company branding, black and white) via API credits | €2.25 |

More letter options and configurations will be added soon.

## Topping up

Top up your balance from the [Balance](https://thepostalcompany.com/balance) page in the dashboard.
Payments are processed securely via Stripe.

## How credits are deducted

When you send a standard letter (The Postal Company branding, black and white), the flow is:

1. Your balance is checked
2. If sufficient, €2.25 is deducted atomically for API sends
3. The letter is queued for printing and delivery
4. If insufficient balance, the API returns a `402` error with your current balance

## Checking your balance

Your current balance is shown on the [Balance](https://thepostalcompany.com/balance) page. The API also returns your remaining `balance_cents` in every successful send response.

## Transaction history

All top-ups and letter sends are logged in your transaction history, visible on the Balance page in the dashboard.