Billing & tokens

Understanding Your Billing & Token Usage

Learn how tokens work, how to read your billing statement, and what each operation costs.

How tokens work

Pay only for AI operations you use.

CV Refinery uses a token-based billing system. Instead of monthly subscriptions, you only pay for the AI-powered operations you actually use:

  • No recurring fees: Pay once, use tokens at your own pace. No expiration dates.
  • Predictable costs: Each operation has a fixed token price (see rate card below).
  • Transparent usage: Your wallet shows real-time balance and every transaction.
  • Top up anytime: Buy more tokens when you need them—no commitment, no penalties.
Free signup grant
New users receive free tokens to try the full platform. Check your wallet for your starting balance.

Current rate card

Token costs per operation.

Each AI operation consumes a specific number of tokens. Rates are updated periodically based on underlying AI model costs:

Loading rate card...
Token value
Check the Buy Tokens page for current token pricing and bulk purchase offers.

Reading your billing statement

Understand every transaction in your wallet.

Your billing statement (accessible from Billing in the sidebar) shows:

  • Current balance: Your available tokens and any cash balance.
  • Transaction history: Every token purchase, deduction, and adjustment with timestamps.
  • Operation breakdown: See which operations consumed tokens and when.
  • Running balance: Track your balance after each transaction.

Transaction Types

  • Token Purchase: You bought tokens (debit to cash, credit to tokens).
  • Token Deduction: An AI operation consumed tokens.
  • Adjustment: Admin correction or refund (includes memo explaining why).
  • Signup Grant: Free tokens credited when you created your account.

Managing your token balance

Buy, monitor, and optimize usage.

Buying Tokens

  1. Navigate to Buy Tokens from the sidebar.
  2. Choose a token package (larger packages often include bonus tokens).
  3. Complete payment via Stripe (credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay supported).
  4. Tokens are added to your wallet immediately upon successful payment.

Monitoring Usage

  • Check your balance in the top-right corner of any page (or in the Billing page).
  • Review transaction history to see which operations are consuming the most tokens.
  • Set up low-balance alerts (coming soon) to get notified before you run out.
Optimize token usage
Refine your resume once, then tailor it for multiple jobs. Each tailoring operation costs tokens, but starting from a strong baseline reduces iterations.

Common workflow costs

Estimate tokens needed for typical scenarios.

Here are typical token costs for common workflows:

Upload & Analyze One Resume

~5 tokens

Parse resume (2 tokens) + Analyze against one job (3 tokens)

Tailor Resume for One Job

~4 tokens

Generate tailored resume content based on analysis

Complete Job Application Package

~10-12 tokens

Parse resume + AI job import + Analyze + Tailor + Generate cover letter

Apply to 10 Jobs

~40-50 tokens

One resume parse + tailoring and cover letters for 10 different jobs

Starter package recommendation
Most users find 100 tokens sufficient for their first job search cycle (10-20 applications with tailored resumes and cover letters).

Complete rate card

All operations and their token costs.

Loading current rates...
Rates subject to change
Token costs may be adjusted as underlying AI model pricing changes. We'll notify users before any rate increases and grandfather existing balances at old rates for 30 days.

Viewing your billing statement

Step-by-step transaction review.

  1. Navigate to Billing from the left sidebar.
  2. Your current token and cash balances appear at the top.
  3. Scroll down to see the transaction ledger with all activity.
  4. Each row shows: date, operation type, tokens consumed/added, and running balance.
  5. Click on any transaction to see detailed metadata (job name, resume used, etc.).

Billing FAQ & troubleshooting

What happens if I run out of tokens?

Operations requiring tokens will be disabled until you purchase more. Your existing resumes, jobs, and data remain accessible—you just can't run new AI operations.

Do tokens expire?

No. Tokens never expire. Buy once and use them over weeks, months, or years at your own pace.

Can I get a refund?

Unused tokens are refundable within 30 days of purchase if you haven't consumed more than 10% of the purchased amount. Contact support with your transaction ID.

Why was I charged for a failed operation?

Tokens are only deducted for successfully completed operations. If an operation fails due to an error, tokens are not consumed. Check your transaction history—you should see only successful operations listed.

Can I share tokens with teammates?

Tokens are tied to individual user accounts and cannot be transferred. For team/enterprise usage, contact us for volume pricing and shared wallet options.

Suspicious activity
If you see unexpected token deductions, change your password immediately and review recent activity in Settings. Contact support if you suspect unauthorized access.

Token management tips

Start with a strong base resume
Upload your best, most current resume first. A well-structured starting point requires fewer iterations and saves tokens.
Batch similar jobs
If applying to multiple similar roles, tailor once for the most representative job, then make minor manual edits for variants. Saves tokens versus tailoring each individually.
Free operations
These actions don't consume tokens: uploading resumes, viewing analysis results, editing job details, managing your facts database, exporting PDFs you've already generated.
Need more tokens? View token packages →