Pay for Z.ai with Crypto: GLM Coding Plan and API (2026)
Pay for Z.ai's GLM Coding Plan or GLM API credits with crypto using a crypto-funded card. Prices, weekly quotas, the no-refund rule, and why payments fail.
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Verified on Virtual for AI & Ad Spend
SolCard customers have successfully paid Z.ai with the Virtual for AI & Ad Spend card (as of October 2026), through Z.ai's Stripe checkout. Top it up with USDT, USDC, USDG, EURC, ETH, BNB, POL, AVAX, HYPE, wBTC, wETH or SOL: $10 for the card, 5% per top-up. Get Virtual for AI & Ad Spend.
Z.ai doesn't take crypto. Its plan FAQ names a "bank card or PayPal" as the linked payment method, so the way to pay from a wallet is a card you top up with crypto. That covers the GLM Coding Plan and pay-as-you-go API credits for the GLM models.
Z.ai is the international platform for Zhipu's GLM models. Most people come for the GLM Coding Plan, a subscription that runs GLM inside coding tools such as Claude Code and OpenCode, or for the API. This guide covers prices, how the plan's quotas work, the strict refund rule, and how to keep a crypto-funded card paying on time.
- Get a crypto-funded card. Virtual for AI & Ad Spend is a prepaid virtual card you top up with stablecoins or other crypto.
- Sign in at z.ai and open the Coding Plan page, or the billing page for API credits.
- Pick a plan and billing cycle, then pay by card at checkout.
- Keep the card funded before renewal. Plans renew automatically.
Z.ai's Coding Plan overview says the plan starts "at just 18 USD per month", with Pro and Max tiers for heavier use. Z.ai's subscribe page loads the exact Pro and Max prices in the browser, so check them at checkout.
How usage is measured, per the Coding Plan FAQ:
- A weekly quota that starts counting when you place your order and resets every 7 days.
- A separate 5-hour quota inside that week.
- Usage is limited to supported tools. Z.ai says the plan "is strictly limited to use within officially supported tools and products."
- Quota Reset Cards are handed out in some campaigns and restore your quota early.
Since October 16, 2026, Z.ai manages API keys for the standard API and for the Coding Plan separately, per its API key notice. Use the right key for each.
The API is pay-as-you-go, billed in USD per million tokens. From Z.ai's pricing page, October 2026:
| Model | Input | Cached input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLM-5.3 | $1.40 | $0.26 | $4.40 |
| GLM-5.2 | $1.40 | $0.26 | $4.40 |
| GLM-5.3-FlashX | $0.37 | $0.075 | $1.25 |
| GLM-5.3-Flash | $0.15 | $0.03 | $0.50 |
Cached input storage is listed as free for a limited time on all four.
Z.ai is strict here. Its FAQ: "subscriptions are non-refundable once purchased. Even if you haven't used your full plan, the fees cannot be returned." The subscription terms add that paid subscriptions renew automatically, and that you must cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the term to avoid the next charge.
Two consequences for a crypto-funded card:
- Try the monthly plan before an annual or quarterly one. A wrong choice can't be undone.
- If you want to stop, cancel at least a day early. A funded card will be charged on renewal.
Upgrades work differently from cancellations. Moving to a higher tier takes effect immediately, and the unused value of your old plan turns into account balance on a pro-rated basis.
| What you buy | Card charge | SolCard fee at 5% |
|---|---|---|
| Coding Plan, entry tier, monthly | $18 | $0.90 |
| API credits | $20 | $1 |
| API credits | $100 | $5 |
Add the one-time $10 card fee in your first month. The 5% applies to each card top-up, not to Z.ai's charge.
Z.ai takes subscription fees from your Z.ai credits first, then your cash balance, and charges the linked card only for what's left. It applies a small minimum to card charges, so a tiny remainder is rounded up.
- Not enough on the card at renewal. Auto-renewal charges the full cycle.
- A prepaid card the checkout rejects. Many prepaid cards fail at AI checkouts. Virtual for AI & Ad Spend was built for them, and the Z.ai payments we've seen on it went through Stripe.
- Mismatched billing details. Use the name and address on your SolCard account.
- Repeated quick retries, which processors read as card testing. Wait before trying again.
- 3D Secure. Complete the 3D Secure prompt on the first payment if asked.
Z.ai's terms say it "is not liable for errors or issues caused by third-party payment processors," so a stuck payment usually has to be solved at the card or processor end.
SolCard built Virtual for AI & Ad Spend for AI tools, API credits and ad platforms. SolCard customers have paid Z.ai with it, covering both the Coding Plan and API credits from one crypto balance.
What it doesn't do: it doesn't change Z.ai's no-refund rule, and it's a virtual card only, with no Apple Pay or Google Pay. If you run GLM alongside other models, the same card works on Kimi, DeepSeek and OpenRouter.
No. Z.ai charges a linked bank card or PayPal. To pay from a wallet, use a crypto-funded card. SolCard customers have paid Z.ai with the Virtual for AI & Ad Spend card as of October 2026.
Z.ai says the GLM Coding Plan starts at $18 a month, with Pro and Max tiers for heavier use. Usage runs on a weekly quota that resets every 7 days, plus a 5-hour quota.
No. Z.ai says subscriptions are non-refundable once purchased, even if unused. Cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the term to stop auto-renewal; you keep access until the term ends.
GLM-5.3 costs $1.40 per million input tokens, $0.26 per million cached input tokens and $4.40 per million output tokens, per Z.ai's pricing page. GLM-5.3-Flash is $0.15 input and $0.50 output.
No. Since October 16, 2026, Z.ai manages Coding Plan keys and standard API keys separately, and the plan is limited to supported coding tools. API calls outside those tools need a standard API key and API credits.
Z.ai's Coding Plan is cheap to start and strict to leave: no refunds, automatic renewal, and a 24-hour cancellation window. Start monthly, and fund the card for exactly the plan you mean to keep. For the API, pay-as-you-go credits on a crypto-funded card are the more flexible route, since you only top up what you use.
- Z.ai: GLM Coding Plan overview
- Z.ai: GLM Coding Plan FAQ
- Z.ai: Subscriptions, fees and payment
- Z.ai: API key management
- Z.ai: Pricing
- SolCard payment data, Virtual for AI & Ad Spend card, as of October 2026
