# Pay for LLM APIs with USDT or USDC.

> Markdown mirror of https://router.one/pay-with-crypto for AI assistants and crawlers. Router One is an OpenAI-compatible LLM API gateway.
> Last updated: 2026-08-24

Stablecoin top-ups. No bank card required.

Router One accepts USDT and USDC stablecoin top-ups on six networks. Top up, get a wallet balance in USD, and call any of 40+ models through an OpenAI-compatible endpoint — built for developers whose local card flow is unreliable but whose stablecoin wallet already works.

## Supported networks

USDT and USDC on six chains. Pick the network that matches your wallet — Router One credits your balance in USD regardless of which chain you used.

| Network | Tokens | Typical confirmation | Gas economics |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tron (TRC-20) | USDT, USDC | ~30s | Cheapest — pick for small top-ups |
| BSC (BEP-20) | USDT, USDC | ~5s | Very cheap |
| Polygon | USDT, USDC | ~5s | Very cheap |
| Base | USDC | ~3s | Cheap |
| Arbitrum | USDT, USDC | ~1s | Cheap |
| Ethereum (ERC-20) | USDT, USDC | ~30s–3min | Most expensive — use only for top-ups over $500 |

## Billing scope and compliance

### Account records

For standard self-serve accounts: email (for receipts and password reset) and the payment-chain address you send from (publicly visible by nature of any on-chain transaction).

### Treasury workflow

Stablecoin top-ups are built for teams that prefer USDT/USDC treasury workflows or non-card billing. Enterprise contracts, invoicing, abuse reviews, or legal requirements may require additional information.

### Compliance boundary

A stablecoin top-up is not permission to bypass laws, sanctions, export controls, or upstream model-provider terms. You are responsible for using the service lawfully in your jurisdiction.

## How the wallet works

### Top up

From your dashboard, pick a network. Scan the QR or paste the deposit address. Send USDT or USDC from your wallet. Tron and BSC are cheapest on gas; Ethereum mainnet is slowest and most expensive.

### Settle

Tron, BSC, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum settle in seconds. Ethereum mainnet can take a few minutes. Once the network confirms, your balance updates.

### Wallet currency

Accepted stablecoin deposits are credited into a USD wallet balance at receipt time according to the checkout terms shown before payment. After credit, your balance is plain USD.

### Spend

Every API call deducts the per-model rate from your USD wallet at posted rates on /models. The same rate applies regardless of whether you topped up in RMB, USD, or stablecoin.

## Who actually uses this

### Developer in Istanbul

Local bank cards are unreliable for USD API credits. Tops up Router One with USDT on BSC and calls GPT-5.5 + Claude Opus 5 through one endpoint.

### Developer in Buenos Aires

Peso volatility makes prepaid USD budgeting painful. Pays Router One in USDC pay-as-you-go from a Polygon wallet and runs market-data analysis jobs on Claude Sonnet 4.6.

### Developer in Karachi

Cross-border card approvals are inconsistent for developer tools. Uses USDT on Tron via a local OTC desk and ships a customer support bot on Gemini 3.1 Pro.

## Minimums and fees

### Minimum top-up

Stablecoin top-ups and the hosted checkout that takes a card or Alipay usually start at $5 USD equivalent. The checkout page is the source of truth for the current minimum.

### Network fee

Network gas is paid by you to the chain. Any Router One or channel-side fees, if applicable, are shown before checkout. Pick Tron or BSC for small top-ups to keep gas low.

### Router One markup

API calls deduct from your USD wallet at the posted model rates. Pricing methodology and the revenue model are documented on /pricing-methodology.

## Why Router One specifically

### vs OpenAI / Anthropic direct

Direct provider billing may require a supported card or USD billing setup. Stablecoin top-ups are not part of their standard self-serve API billing flows.

### vs OpenRouter

OpenRouter supports cards, crypto, bank transfers, and enterprise invoicing. Router One's distinction is China-friendly routing plus one hosted checkout for a card or Alipay and six-chain USDT/USDC top-ups in the same gateway.

### vs informal API resellers

Cheap relay stations can obscure the actual model or provider serving a call. Router One publishes per-request traces showing the upstream provider and rate that served each call — see /routing-methodology and /security.

## FAQ

### Do I need a US credit card to use Router One?

No. Top up with USDT or USDC on any of six chains (Tron, BSC, Ethereum, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum). The resulting USD wallet works against every model on /models.

### Who is stablecoin billing for?

Stablecoin billing is for global teams and developers that prefer USDT/USDC treasury workflows or non-card billing. Enterprise contracts, invoicing, abuse reviews, or legal requirements may require additional information.

### Which chain is cheapest for a $50 top-up?

Tron (TRC-20) and BSC (BEP-20) have the cheapest gas — typically well under $1 per transaction. Ethereum mainnet only makes sense for top-ups over $500 where the gas is amortized.

### What happens if I send the wrong token or wrong chain?

Funds sent on a chain Router One does not list, or in a token not supported on that chain, may be unrecoverable. Always match the token and network shown on the deposit page exactly. This is a universal property of any on-chain deposit, not a Router One restriction.

### Can I withdraw my wallet balance back to stablecoins?

Unused base credits may be refundable within 14 days according to the Refund Policy. Consumed credits, bonus credits, and payment-channel fees are not refundable except where required by law. Wallet balance cannot be withdrawn back to stablecoins and never expires.

### Is my deposit address shared with anyone?

Your deposit address is unique to your account. The transaction itself is on-chain and publicly visible by nature of how blockchains work; Router One does not share or sell wallet associations.

## See also

- LLM API gateway for Web3 teams: https://router.one/crypto-llm-api
- Fund a team from a stablecoin treasury: https://router.one/pay-ai-api-with-crypto
- Alipay top-ups: https://router.one/alipay-llm-api
- Router One vs OpenRouter: https://router.one/openrouter-alternative
- Pricing methodology: https://router.one/pricing-methodology
- Security: https://router.one/security
- Data retention: https://router.one/data-retention
- Refund policy: https://router.one/refund
- Trust hub: https://router.one/trust
- Canonical page: https://router.one/pay-with-crypto
- Models and per-model token rates: https://router.one/models (markdown: https://router.one/models.md)
- Pricing: https://router.one/pricing
- API docs (markdown): https://router.one/docs.md
- Company facts: https://router.one/facts/company.md