OpenRouter · OpenRouter Terms of Service · View original document ↗

Credit Expiration and Auto Recharge

Medium severity High confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Unique · 0 of 343 platforms
Share 𝕏 Share in Share 🔒 PDF
Recent governance activity OpenRouter recorded 4 documented changes in the last 30 days.
Start monitoring updates
Monitor governance changes for OpenRouter Create a free account to receive the weekly governance digest and monitor one platform for governance changes.
Create free account No credit card required.
Document Record

What it is

The agreement reserves the right to expire unused Credits 365 days after purchase. An optional Auto Recharge feature automatically charges the user's payment method when their Credit balance falls below a user-defined threshold; this feature can be cancelled at any time through the account page.

This analysis describes what OpenRouter's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This provision establishes that pre-paid Credits have a finite shelf life of 365 days, which creates a financial forfeiture risk for infrequent users who accumulate credits. The Auto Recharge authorization, once enabled, permits recurring automated charges to the user's payment method until explicitly cancelled.

Change history

modified May 24, 2026

Two separate provisions (Credit Expiration and Auto-Recharge Recurring Payment Authorization) were consolidated into a single combined provision.

View full change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Under this clause, unused Credits expire 365 days after purchase. If Auto Recharge is enabled, OpenRouter is authorized to automatically charge the user's designated payment method whenever the account balance falls below the user-set threshold; this authorization remains active until the user cancels it through the account page.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Cancel Subscription
    Navigate to your account page at https://openrouter.ai/settings and locate the Auto Recharge settings to update the threshold or cancel the automatic recharge feature.

How other platforms handle this

Teachable Medium

You are solely responsible for determining what, if any, taxes apply to the payments you receive through the Services, and it is your responsibility to collect, report, and remit the correct tax to the appropriate tax authority. Teachable is not responsible for determining whether taxes apply to you...

Skillshare Medium

Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of each subscription period unless you cancel your subscription before the renewal date. You authorize Skillshare to charge your payment method on a recurring basis for the subscription fee.

eBay Medium

eBay charges sellers for using many of our Services. In some cases, eBay may charge buyers for using certain of our Services. We may change our fees at any time by posting the changes on our Seller Center and, if applicable, informing you via email or through My eBay. eBay may, in its discretion, ch...

See all platforms with this clause type →

Monitoring

OpenRouter has changed this document before.

Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 25 platforms.

Start Monitor free trial Or create a free account →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
OpenRouter reserves the right to expire unused credits three hundred sixty-five (365) days after purchase. When purchasing Credits, you will have the option to automatically add Credits to your account by charging the payment method of your choosing when your available Credits are below a threshold amount you have set on your account ("Auto Recharge"). If you elect the Auto Recharge option, you authorize OpenRouter to automatically charge payments to your account. You may update or cancel Auto Recharge at any time through your account page.

— Excerpt from OpenRouter's OpenRouter Terms of Service

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The Auto Recharge feature constitutes a recurring payment authorization and may engage applicable state automatic renewal laws, including California's Automatic Renewal Law, which imposes specific disclosure and cancellation requirements. The FTC's Negative Option Rule and related regulations may also apply to automatic payment features in digital services. Credit expiration provisions may interact with state unclaimed property or escheatment laws in certain jurisdictions. 2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The combination of automatic recurring charges and a 365-day credit expiration creates ongoing financial obligations for users who do not actively monitor their account. The terms authorize OpenRouter to charge the designated payment method automatically, which requires affirmative setup by the user but may result in unintended charges if threshold settings are not reviewed periodically. 3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: California's Automatic Renewal Law imposes disclosure, consent, and cancellation requirements for automatically renewing or charging subscriptions. Organizations operating in California should assess whether the Auto Recharge feature's disclosure and cancellation mechanism satisfies these requirements. Other states with automatic renewal statutes may also be relevant. 4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Enterprise procurement teams should confirm that Auto Recharge settings are reviewed and appropriate thresholds are set to prevent unintended large charges. The 365-day expiration should be tracked for bulk credit purchases to avoid forfeiture of unused credits. 5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Finance and accounts payable teams should monitor Auto Recharge configurations and credit expiration dates, particularly for organizational accounts where multiple administrators may have configured different thresholds.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

Track 1 platform — free Try Monitor free for 14 days

Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Monitor: 25 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has authority over automatic payment and negative option practices in consumer digital services, including disclosure and cancellation requirements for recurring charge features.
    File a complaint →
  • State AG
    State attorneys general, particularly in California, may have jurisdiction over automatic renewal and recurring charge practices under state automatic renewal laws.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
OpenRouter Terms of Service
Entity
OpenRouter
Document last updated
May 12, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 21, 2026
Last verified
May 21, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-012768
Document ID
CA-D-00810
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
d22aa40bd1da8ba43c39e2622b935e1df3d8acb5d7abfae7670c288b44c0e544
Analysis generated
May 21, 2026 01:17 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: OpenRouter
Document: OpenRouter Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-012768
Captured: 2026-05-21 01:17:28 UTC
SHA-256: d22aa40bd1da8ba4…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/openrouter/openrouter-terms-of-service/credit-expiration-and-auto-recharge/
Accessed: June 8, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

Other risks in this policy

Compliance Governance Intelligence

Need to monitor specific governance provisions?

Compliance includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.

Arbitration clauses AI governance Data rights Indemnification Retention policies
Start Compliance free trial

Or start with Monitor →

Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does OpenRouter's Credit Expiration and Auto Recharge clause do?

This provision establishes that pre-paid Credits have a finite shelf life of 365 days, which creates a financial forfeiture risk for infrequent users who accumulate credits. The Auto Recharge authorization, once enabled, permits recurring automated charges to the user's payment method until explicitly cancelled.

How does this clause affect you?

Under this clause, unused Credits expire 365 days after purchase. If Auto Recharge is enabled, OpenRouter is authorized to automatically charge the user's designated payment method whenever the account balance falls below the user-set threshold; this authorization remains active until the user cancels it through the account page.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with OpenRouter?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OpenRouter.