Credits and refunds
How much a generation costs, what happens if it fails, and how your credits refill each month.
What credits are
Credits are the internal unit AreaCacao uses to measure consumption of AI features. Every AI operation (generating a filling, importing a recipe, enriching an ingredient) consumes a defined number of credits.
You have a monthly quota tied to your plan. The quota refills at the start of each billing period, and any leftover credits partially carry over or reset depending on the plan (check your subscription).
How much a filling generation costs
- 12 credits per generation (Quick mode, the only mode available today).
- If the generation produces a valid recipe (a score of 70 or higher), the 12 credits are deducted. The 70–79 band is charged too, because the recipe is delivered (with the Experimental combination notice).
- If after three attempts the engine doesn't reach the minimum quality (a score below 70), the 12 credits are refunded automatically. You don't have to ask for anything.
- If you choose a combination the engine doesn't cover and the screen responds "not available," no credits are deducted either.
Two score thresholds: 80 and 70
It's worth keeping them straight:
- 80 is the commercial promise. During generation, the app announces "We guarantee a validation score ≥ 80 or we tell you explicitly." A score of 80 or higher is what counts as fully balanced.
- 70 is the refund threshold. It's the minimum deliverable quality. Below 70 (after three attempts) the recipe is not delivered and the 12 credits are refunded. Between 70 and 79 the recipe is delivered with the Experimental combination notice and charged regardless.
Why there's an automatic refund
Because the formulator's promise is to deliver valid results. If the engine doesn't reach the minimum quality (a score below 70), you'll see the We're perfecting this combination screen: you're not getting value — so you're not charged.
What happens if you don't have enough credits
The Generate formula button is always active: it isn't disabled preventively. If your balance is below 12 credits and you press Generate formula, instead of generating, the You're out of credits modal opens. Nothing is deducted. The modal offers you two paths:
- Buy a credit pack. You choose from the available packs; each one shows how many credits it includes, its approximate equivalence in recipes (≈ N recipes, at 12 credits per recipe) and, where applicable, a Save N% badge. Payment is completed right in the modal and, when it's done, you see the Credits added! screen and continue the generation. Purchased credits never expire.
- Upgrade your plan. If you use the formulator often, this takes you to the plans page to get more credits each month at a better per-credit price.
After buying a pack or upgrading the plan, the generation resumes automatically with the same inputs.
If your subscription has a pending payment, the modal switches to Payment pending with a Manage payment button to update your payment method before you keep generating.
Where you see your quota
- On the Dashboard, the AI credits card (for example
9,364 / 10,219). - On the Import recipes screen, next to the main CTA.
- In Settings → Subscription, with the plan details.