Last updated: October 2026
X API free credits: the $20 card credit and the $50 recharge match
Yes, the X API has free credits. Since October 2, 2026 X gives pay-per-use developers two one-time credits: $20 when the account saves its first eligible payment card, and a match of the first successful auto-recharge up to $50. Credits expire 3 months after they are granted.
Below: how to claim each one, who qualifies, the expiry detail that catches people, and exactly what $70 buys at the current per-endpoint prices. Rules and prices are taken from the X free credits page and the X API pricing page.
The two X API free credits at a glance
Both credits are one time only, both are tied to a payment card, and a new account can earn both for $70 in total. They are not a free tier. They are a starting balance on the same pay-per-use meter everyone else pays.
How to claim the $20 card credit
- Open the X developer console on a pay-per-use account that has never made a successful payment.
- Go to Billing and choose Add payment method. Alternatively, buy credits while saving the card, which does not disqualify you. The card must be the first payment method on the account.
- Use a credit or debit card. Prepaid cards are excluded, and a card that has already earned the credit on another account will not earn it again.
- The $20 lands as soon as the card is saved, under Billing, Credits, Free credits. No purchase is required for this one.
How to claim the auto-recharge match
- Turn on auto-recharge in Billing. Turning it on does not grant anything by itself.
- Keep using the API until your balance triggers the first automatic recharge.
- When that recharge actually charges your card successfully, X adds free credits equal to the recharge amount, capped at $50.
The match costs real money first
The $20 is free for saving a card. The match is not free in the same way: it only arrives after X has charged your card for a recharge. A failed charge earns nothing, and the match is capped at $50 however large the recharge is.The expiry trap
Free credits from both incentives expire 3 months after they are granted. Two details make that tighter than it sounds.
- The clock starts at the grant, not at your first call. The $20 is granted the moment you save the card. If you add a card while exploring and only start building weeks later, part of the window is already gone.
- The two credits expire on different dates. The match is granted later, when the first auto-recharge succeeds, so it runs on its own 3-month clock.
- Free credits are spent first. X consumes free credits before purchased credits, which helps you use them before they lapse. They have no cash value and cannot be withdrawn, refunded or moved to another account.
Practical rule: save the card on the day you are ready to start sending real traffic, not the day you open the console.
What $20, $50 and $70 actually buy
The X API pricing page lists Post: Create at $0.015 per request, Post: Create (with URL) at $0.200 per request, and Posts: Read at $0.005 per resource. Reads bill for every post returned, not once per request. The table divides each credit amount by those rates and rounds down.
The math for the full $70: 70 / 0.015 = 4,666 plain posts, 70 / 0.20 = 350 link posts, 70 / 0.005 = 14,000 posts read. Spread over the 3-month expiry window, 350 link posts is under 4 a day.
The link column is the one to watch. A post that contains a URL bills more than thirteen times a plain post, so a bot that shares articles burns the whole $70 more than ten times faster than one that posts plain text. The background is in the X API link post fee, and you can model your own mix in the X API cost calculator.
Not the same as the xAI credit back
The October credits are separate from the offer that came with the pay-per-use launch on February 6, 2026, which gives up to 20% back in xAI (Grok) API credits on X API purchases. The pricing page lists 10% back on cumulative spend of $200 to $499, 15% on $500 to $999 and 20% on $1,000 or more, and you have to link an xAI team to your X developer account to receive it. Those credits are for the xAI API, not for X API calls, so they do not pay for posts or reads. Check the X developer changelog for the current terms of either offer.
Neither offer brings back a free tier. For what is and is not free to call now, see is the X API free in 2026. Once the credits run out you are on the normal meter, and the controls that bound it are covered in does X API pay-per-use have a spend cap and X API pay-per-use explained.
The alternative: no credits to track
Free credits are a good way to test the X API. For ongoing posting, a flat plan removes the balance, the expiry dates and the per-post fee. OpenTweet holds the X connection for you, so you do not create a developer app or put a card on X billing.
Pro is $11.99 a month with no per-post fee. Link posts are included on Advanced ($29, 10 a day) and Agency ($49, 20 a day); Pro covers plain posts, with link credits as an add-on. Full details are on pricing, and the posting endpoint is in the API reference. For a fuller cost comparison, read X API cost in 2026.
When the X API credits are the right call
If you need search, streaming or reads of other people's posts, you need the X API, and the $70 is a useful head start. The flat-fee route is for writing to X: posting, threads and scheduling.7-day free trial with a few limits, or pay now for full limits.
Frequently asked questions
Does the X API give free credits?
Yes. Since October 2, 2026 X gives pay-per-use developers two one-time credits: $20 when the account saves its first eligible payment card, and a match of the first successful auto-recharge up to $50. A new account can earn both, for $70 in total. Credits expire 3 months after they are granted.
How do I claim the $20 X API credit?
In the X developer console, go to Billing and choose Add payment method to save a credit or debit card, or buy credits while saving the card. The $20 is added as soon as the card is saved. It only applies if this is the first payment method on the account and the account has never made a successful payment.
How does the X API auto-recharge match work?
Turn on auto-recharge. When your first automatic recharge actually charges your card successfully, X adds free credits matching that recharge, capped at $50. If the recharge never runs, or the charge fails, there is no match. It is limited to one grant per account, and one per physical card across all accounts.
Do prepaid cards qualify for X API free credits?
No. The docs say a credit or debit card is required and prepaid cards are excluded. Each physical card can earn the $20 credit once, across all accounts, so adding the same card to a second developer account does not earn it again.
When do X API free credits expire?
Three months after they are granted. The $20 is granted when the card is saved and the match is granted when the first auto-recharge succeeds, so the two credits can have different expiry dates. Free credits are spent before purchased credits, and they cannot be withdrawn, refunded or transferred.
How many posts does $70 of X API credit buy?
At the published rates of $0.015 per post created and $0.20 per post created with a URL, $70 covers about 4,666 plain posts or 350 link posts. As post reads at $0.005 per resource, it covers 14,000 posts returned.
Is there a way to post to X without prepaid credits at all?
Yes. OpenTweet posts to X through its own connection on a flat monthly plan, starting at $11.99 on Pro, with no per-post fee and no prepaid balance. Link posts are included on Advanced ($29, 10 a day) and Agency ($49, 20 a day). Pro covers plain posts, with link credits as an add-on.
Keep exploring
X API pricing, caps and the flat-fee way to post.
Is the X API free in 2026?
What closed, what replaced the free tier, and what is still free to call.
X API pricing
Every pay-per-use endpoint price in one place.
X API cost calculator
Enter your monthly posts and link share and see the pay-per-use bill.
Does X API pay-per-use have a spend cap?
The per-cycle cap, auto-recharge, and what they do not protect you from.
X API pay-per-use explained
How the meter works per endpoint, with worked examples.
X API cost in 2026
What you pay per post at your volume, and the flat-fee alternative.
The X API link post fee
Why a post with a URL bills at $0.20 and how to avoid it.
No balance to top up, nothing to expire
Post and schedule on X for a flat $11.99 a month, or $29 with link posts included. One bearer key, one REST endpoint, no X developer app.
7-day free trial with a few limits, or pay now for full limits.