---
title: Service fee on top-ups
description: Why CrossModel charges a flat 5.5% service fee when you add funds, how it's calculated, and what it does and doesn't cover.
---

# Service fee on top-ups

When you add funds to your CrossModel balance, a flat **5.5% service fee** is added to the amount you enter. It's shown as a separate line at checkout, so you always see it before you pay.

## Why we charge it

CrossModel does **not** mark up model prices. You pay the exact per-token rate listed in the [models catalog](/models) — the same rate you'd pay the provider directly.

That leaves the cost of moving money. Every top-up goes through Stripe, which charges us a processing fee on each payment — card fees, international-card surcharges, currency conversion, and the like. On a typical international card payment this can run close to 5–6% of the amount. The service fee exists solely to cover that cost so that recharges aren't a loss-making operation. We don't profit from it.

## How it's calculated

The fee is **5.5% of the amount you enter**, rounded to the nearest cent. There is **no minimum fee** — but the [minimum top-up](/console/billing) is $10.

| You enter | Service fee (5.5%) | Total charged | Lands in your balance |
|-----------|-------------------|---------------|-----------------------|
| $10       | $0.55             | $10.55        | **$10.00**            |
| $20       | $1.10             | $21.10        | **$20.00**            |
| $50       | $2.75             | $52.75        | **$50.00**            |
| $100      | $5.50             | $105.50       | **$100.00**           |

The amount you enter is exactly what lands in your balance. The fee is added **on top** — your card or Alipay is charged the total.