Understanding AI Credits

What AI credits are

Credits (shown as "CR" in the app) are the currency VidMints uses to run its AI generation tools. Anything that spends real GPU or provider time — generating a video, swapping a face, cloning a voice, upscaling an image, transcribing audio — deducts a set number of credits from your balance when you run it.

Not every tool costs credits. Basic editing (trim, crop, merge, add captions layout, adjust audio) and platform downloads are handled separately and don't draw down your credit balance. The heavier the AI work, the more credits it costs: lightweight text tasks like an AI summary or caption pass are inexpensive, while full AI video generation and multi-scene Director Mode are the most expensive because they use the most compute.

• Lighter tasks (captions, transcription, summaries, thumbnail suggestions) cost only a few credits each.
• Mid-weight AI effects (background removal, reframe, color grade, dubbing) sit in the middle.
• Heavy generation (AI video, Face Swap, Talking Avatar, Lip Sync, Director Mode) costs the most.

Seeing the cost before you run a tool

VidMints always shows the exact credit cost on each tool's button or card before you commit. That number is pulled live from the server, so what you see is exactly what will be charged — the displayed price can never drift from the real one.

Credits are deducted when you start a generation, and your remaining balance updates immediately. If you don't have enough credits for the action you're trying to run, VidMints won't start it — instead a top-up prompt appears telling you how many more credits you need.

Your monthly credits and top-ups

Each paid plan includes a monthly credit grant that refreshes on your billing cycle. Your current balance and the next refresh date are always shown on your Billing page, so you know exactly when more credits arrive.

There are two kinds of credits, and they behave differently. Your monthly plan allowance resets to the plan amount at each renewal — unused monthly credits don't roll over into the next cycle. Credits you buy separately as a top-up pack are added on top of your balance and are preserved: they don't reset at your monthly refresh and aren't removed if your subscription lapses. Purchased credits stay until you spend them. By default, credits are not put on a time-based expiry clock.

When your window refreshes, the balance is topped up to at least your plan's grant, so a refresh never leaves you with fewer credits than the grant amount.

When a generation fails

You only pay for successful renders. If a generation fails for any reason — a provider error, a timeout, or an internal issue — the credits spent on that job are automatically refunded to your balance. You do not need to request this; the refund is applied for you, and it's protected against being applied twice.

If you see credits come back shortly after a job errored out, that's the automatic refund working as intended. If a render appears stuck and credits were not returned after it clearly failed, contact support with the approximate time and the tool you used so the team can check the ledger.

Downloads are billed separately

Downloading a video or audio track from a platform is not an AI generation, so it generally does not cost credits. Downloads are metered on their own: the free plan includes a limited number of downloads per day, while paid plans get unlimited, higher-quality downloads. Your download allowance resets on its own schedule, independent of your credit balance.

Only download content you own or have the rights to use. VidMints is a tool for saving and repurposing your own material and content you're licensed to use — it is not a way to take content that isn't yours.

Running out of credits and troubleshooting

If you run out before your refresh date, you have two options from the Billing page: buy a one-time top-up pack (which is added immediately and doesn't expire), or upgrade your plan for a larger monthly grant. VidMints also sends a low-balance email reminder as you approach empty, and an out-of-credits notice once the balance is used up.

Some AI tools also require a minimum plan in addition to credits — for example, features like Face Swap, Talking Avatar and Lip Sync need a paid plan, and Director Mode is a Business-tier feature. If a tool is locked, the card shows the plan you'd need rather than a credit price.

A separate issue you may hit on downloads: certain platforms such as YouTube and Instagram periodically change how they gate access, which can require the operator to refresh cookies or proxy configuration on the server. When that happens, some downloads may temporarily fail even though your credits and plan are fine. This is a platform-side/operator configuration issue, not a problem with your balance — retry later, and if it persists, let support know which URL failed.

Frequently asked questions