Pay with crypto

Pay for an LLM API with USDTand other crypto.

RouterPlex accepts 200+ coins, including USDT, USDC, BTC and ETH, through a NOWPayments invoice. The minimum is $15, and RouterPlex adds no top-up fee. You get the full invoice amount as credit for 72 models at vendor list price. The balance stops at $0, credit never expires, and every API key can have a hard spending cap.

Checked · $15 minimum · 72 models

Fact sheet

Crypto top-ups on RouterPlex

Processor
NOWPayments hosted invoice
Coins
200+ coins, including USDT, USDC, BTC and ETH. Pick one on the invoice page
Minimum top-up
$15. A few niche coins have a higher minimum, which the invoice shows
Maximum top-up
$50,000 per invoice
RouterPlex top-up fee
$0. RouterPlex pays the NOWPayments service fee
Network fee
Paid by the sender to the blockchain, as with any transfer
What you get
The full USD amount of the invoice, credited once the payment is confirmed
Token prices
Vendor list price, 0% markup, 72 models
At $0
Requests stop. The balance never goes negative
Per-key limit
Every key can carry a hard lifetime USD cap
Expiry
Credit never expires
Refunds
Top-ups are final, except where the law requires a refund

How it works

From USDT to your first API call

  1. 01

    Create an account

    Sign up and verify your email. Checkout opens only for verified accounts.

  2. 02

    Top up with crypto

    Open Billing, choose Crypto, and enter $15 or more. The NOWPayments invoice lets you pick the coin and shows the exact amount and address.

  3. 03

    Create a key with a cap

    Create an API key and set a lifetime budget in USD. The key stops at that number even if the wallet holds more.

  4. 04

    Call the API

    Point any OpenAI SDK at https://api.routerplex.com/v1, or an Anthropic SDK at https://api.routerplex.com.

curl https://api.routerplex.com/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ROUTERPLEX_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "qwen3.6-plus",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Say hello in five words."}]
  }'

Full setup for each SDK is in the quickstart. Pick any model from the catalog.

Compare

LLM APIs you can pay for with crypto

RouterPlex publishes this page and sells the prepaid wallet in the first row. Competitor cells quote each vendor's own page. Checked 3 Nov 2026.

APICoins and networksMinimum top-upTop-up feeToken pricesCredit expiry
RouterPlex200+ coins, including USDT, USDC, BTC and ETH$15$0Vendor list price, 0% markupNever
OpenRouterUSDC$5 per purchase5% on crypto purchases (5.5% by card, $0.80 minimum)Provider list price, no markupMay expire 365 days after purchase. Crypto is never refundable
MixRouteUSDT on 6 networks, USDC, PYUSD, BTC (incl. Lightning), ETH$100% platform feeProvider price, 0% markupNever
RuAPIUSDT on TRC20, BEP20, TON, Polygon; USDC. Not ERC20 or Solana$5Not statedNot statedBalance does not expire
Router OneUSDT and USDC on six chains (Base named)Not statedNot stated; channel fees are non-refundablePosted per-model ratesNever

Where others win: OpenRouter and RuAPI start at $5 (OpenRouter then adds its 5% crypto fee) and MixRoute at $10, below our $15 crypto minimum. MixRoute documents its networks per coin on one page, including Lightning. Our card top-up starts at $5.

Card fees across gateways are in the sourced gateway fee table. The OpenRouter detail is on RouterPlex vs OpenRouter and OpenRouter top-up fees. Paying from Egypt? Paymob takes local cards and wallets from $5.

Questions

Fair questions. Straight answers.

01Can I pay for an LLM API with USDT?+

Yes. RouterPlex takes USDT, USDC and 200+ other coins through a NOWPayments invoice. The minimum crypto top-up is $15 and RouterPlex charges no top-up fee, so a $50 invoice adds $50 of credit. The credit works on all 72 models at vendor list price, through OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic-compatible endpoints.

02Why is the crypto minimum $15 when cards start at $5?+

NOWPayments sets a minimum for each coin that moves with network fees. On 24 Sep 2026 USDT on TRC20 needed about $11.60 and BTC about $13.70. A $15 floor keeps every mainstream coin payable. Card and Paymob top-ups still start at $5.

03What happens if I send the wrong amount or use the wrong network?+

Send the exact coin, network and amount the invoice shows. RouterPlex credits an invoice when NOWPayments marks it finished. An underpaid invoice is not credited automatically. Email [email protected] with the invoice ID and we will look it up with NOWPayments.

04Do crypto credits expire?+

No. RouterPlex credit never expires, whether it came from crypto, a card or Paymob. The balance also never goes negative: requests stop at $0 and resume after the next top-up.

05Can I get a refund on a crypto top-up?+

Top-ups are final under the RouterPlex terms, except where the law requires a refund. Start with a small invoice and a key budget if you want to test before a larger payment.

Start routing

Top up with USDT. Call any of 72 models.

Add $5, cap the key, and verify the result with your own workload. No subscription, and credit never expires — a first top-up of $25+ is matched with $25 extra.

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