The Kimi API uses a prepaid model: you can only call it when the account has a balance, and an insufficient balance may return 403 or 429. Topping up is not complicated in itself. What actually goes wrong is usually one of three things: topping up the wrong site, paying from the wrong entity, or assuming the invoice will be issued under a different basis than it is.
This article separates official top-ups from gateway top-ups, covering identity verification, payment methods, settlement time, invoices, balance monitoring, and procurement reimbursement. Specific prices and available models follow the in-site model pricing page.
Note: Moonshot and Kimi are trademarks of their respective owners. This article is for technical and procurement process discussion only. Top-up rules, invoice policies, and refund terms may change; before acting, defer to the official top-up agreement and the current page prompts.
1. Confirm Which Account You Are Topping Up
| Account type | Entry point | Settlement currency | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimi open platform, China site | platform.kimi.com | RMB | Mainland entities, domestic business |
| Kimi open platform, international site | platform.kimi.ai | Per the billing page | Overseas entities, overseas business |
| ZSQH AI Gateway | In-site console | RMB | Multi-model unified top-up and invoicing |
China-site and international-site balances are not interoperable, and neither are their keys. If you top up the China site but call with an international-site key, the balance will not apply. A gateway account is yet another system: the money goes into the gateway balance, not the official Kimi balance.
Before paying, check the account name and site on the billing page. Enterprise procurement should verify the entity in particular; refunds after topping up the wrong account are usually much slower than the top-up itself.
2. Official Top-Up Process
- Sign in at platform.kimi.com and open the user center.
- Complete individual identity verification; for enterprise use, complete enterprise verification first.
- Open the top-up page and choose an amount.
- Individuals can scan a WeChat or Alipay QR code to pay.
- Enterprises can also scan to pay, or use the dedicated account provided by the platform for corporate transfer.
- Corporate transfer must originate from a bank account matching the verified entity; otherwise the payment may not be credited.
- After the funds arrive, confirm the balance on the billing page and set a balance alert.
- Open the console and send a minimal request to confirm that the key and balance both work.
Corporate transfers typically take one to five business days to clear, and the platform usually credits the account about ten minutes after the bank receives the funds. Leave buffer time for cross-month procurement; do not wait until the quota runs out on the same day to initiate the transfer.
3. Payment Methods and Settlement Time
Individual top-ups are mainly QR payments and usually credit quickly. Enterprise top-ups add a corporate transfer path, which suits teams that need contracts, reimbursement, and invoices.
A few details are easy to overlook:
- Payer entity: it must match the verified entity. Payments from subsidiaries or affiliates may be returned.
- Settlement notification: corporate transfers do not arrive instantly; someone needs to follow up after finance confirms, rather than waiting for an SMS.
- Top-up tier: the platform assigns user tiers based on cumulative top-up amount, and the tier affects concurrency and rate limits; vouchers usually do not count toward cumulative top-up.
- Exchange rates and fees: the international site settles in the currency shown on the billing page, and cross-border payments may incur currency conversion fees; for RMB-denominated gateway billing, whether conversion applies follows the payment page.
- Minimum amount: whether a minimum top-up and per-transaction cap exist follows the top-up page prompts; this article does not hard-code numbers.
If your workload has explicit concurrency requirements, check the current tier and limits before topping up, so you do not end up with "the money arrived but concurrency is still insufficient". Rate-limit rules follow the official documentation.
4. How to Issue Invoices
Official invoices can be requested online from the invoice management page. Two common bases are available:
| Invoice basis | Suitable scenario | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| By top-up amount | Top up first, consume later, reimbursing in advance | The unconsumed portion is also invoiced, which complicates refunds |
| By consumption amount | Settle against actual usage | Requires periodic requests; suits monthly reconciliation |
Individual-verified users can issue invoices under a personal or company header; enterprise-verified users can only issue invoices under the verified enterprise entity. Invoice content is usually "technical service fee"; the exact item name, tax rate, and remarks follow the invoicing page.
Confirm three things before invoicing: whether the header and tax ID match finance requirements, whether the basis is top-up or consumption, and whether the invoice type meets reimbursement requirements. Discovering a wrong header afterwards means a red-letter reversal and reissue, both of which take time.
Gateway top-ups follow the gateway's own invoicing rules. For unified multi-model procurement, one invoice covering several models simplifies reconciliation, but confirm the currency, invoicing entity, and item name before payment.
5. Balance, Alerts, and Usage Reconciliation
The official balance query endpoint can be wired into your own monitoring:
curl "https://api.moonshot.cn/v1/users/me/balance" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $MOONSHOT_API_KEY"
Base your logic on the available-balance field in the actual response. Do not rely only on the console page; the business system should have an independent balance alarm.
Four layers of monitoring are worth building:
- Balance threshold alert: notify by SMS or enterprise chat when the balance drops below a preset amount.
- Daily consumption spike alert: trigger when a single day's consumption exceeds the seven-day average by a set multiple.
- Project-level reconciliation: break down billing by key, project, and model to find the fastest-growing calls.
- Failed-request monitoring: distinguish insufficient balance, rate limiting, and server errors; do not treat every 429 as a balance problem.
Balance alerts only prevent a sudden cutoff; they do not replace budget management. Setting a monthly cap per project is more controllable than topping up after the account hits zero.
6. Refunds, Vouchers, and Validity
Read the top-up agreement before paying. Whether refunds are supported, the conditions, and the settlement cycle follow the agreement and customer support responses; do not assume that "unused money can always be refunded".
Three things to note about vouchers:
- Vouchers usually have a scope of use, and some models may not be eligible.
- Vouchers generally do not count toward cumulative top-up and do not raise rate-limit tiers.
- Whether a voucher expires or can be stacked follows the voucher terms.
Enterprise procurement should not count vouchers as budget. Build the budget on cash top-ups and treat vouchers only as a buffer.
7. Official Top-Up vs Gateway Top-Up
The gateway top-up flow is usually shorter: sign in to the gateway console, choose an amount, pay online, and confirm the balance on the balance page afterwards. Payment channels, minimum amounts, and invoicing rules follow the gateway's top-up page.
| Dimension | Official top-up | ZSQH AI Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Currency | RMB (China site) | RMB |
| Payment methods | WeChat, Alipay, corporate transfer | Per the gateway top-up page |
| Invoices | Requested from the official invoice page | Per gateway invoicing rules |
| Model coverage | Kimi series | Multi-model unified account |
| Balance query | Official endpoint and console | Gateway console |
| Best for | Kimi only, clear entity | Multiple models, unified procurement and reconciliation |
If you use a single model and your finance process is simple, an official top-up is the most direct route. If you use several providers and want one invoice covering multiple suppliers, a gateway is easier. The two can coexist: direct access for core workloads, gateway for testing and multi-model experiments.
8. Procurement and Reimbursement Checklist
- Confirm the entity, site, and account name.
- Confirm the top-up amount, currency, and payment path.
- Confirm the invoice header, tax ID, item name, and invoicing basis.
- Confirm settlement time and reserve business days for cross-month procurement.
- Confirm whether the rate-limit tier meets concurrency requirements.
- Confirm that balance alerts and monthly budgets are set.
- Keep top-up records, invoices, and bills for quarterly audits.
FAQ
Why has the balance not arrived after topping up?
QR payments usually credit quickly; corporate transfers depend on bank processing and generally take one to five business days, after which the platform credits the account. First check whether the payer entity matches the verified entity, then contact finance and platform support.
What if I topped up the wrong site?
China-site and international-site balances are not interoperable. Confirm the payment account and the receiving entity first, then follow platform support guidance. Do not keep topping up the original account, or the amount at stake will keep growing.
Should invoices be issued by top-up or by consumption?
Either is possible, depending on your reimbursement rhythm. Billing by top-up suits advance reimbursement, but the unconsumed portion is also invoiced; billing by consumption is closer to actual cost but requires periodic requests. Confirm the basis with finance before invoicing.
Can a Kimi API top-up be refunded?
This follows the top-up agreement and platform support. Conditions may differ by entity and payment method, so confirm before paying, especially for large corporate transfers.
Why was a voucher not applied?
Check the voucher's scope and validity first; some models may not be eligible. Vouchers also generally do not count toward cumulative top-up and do not raise the user tier or rate-limit quota.
Next Steps
Register on the ZSQH AI Gateway and review the top-up page to confirm the currency, invoicing, and available models before deciding between official direct access and a unified gateway top-up. Prices and billing rules follow the model pricing page.
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