Perplexity Credits in 2026: Computer Credits vs API Credits, How to Add Credits and Whether Gift Cards Exist

Searches for “Perplexity credits”, “Perplexity add credits” and “Perplexity gift card” mix together several different things, which is why the answers online often contradict each other. In 2026 Perplexity uses the word credits for at least two separate systems: usage credits for the Computer agent that come with Pro and Max subscriptions, and pay-as-you-go credits for the developer API. There are also gift subscriptions, but not a general-purpose gift card for adding balance. This guide separates the pieces, explains how to add credits where that is possible, and shows how to avoid paying twice or buying from unofficial sellers. The information reflects official help pages and plan pages in October 2026, so check the current terms before you spend money. For a full plan comparison, see our Perplexity pricing guide.

The three things people call Perplexity credits

The first is the included usage allowance for Perplexity Computer, the agent that performs multi-step tasks. Pro includes expanded Computer access with 4,000 bonus credits, and Max includes maximum Computer usage, 10,000 monthly credits and a 35,000-credit bonus. The second is API credit, a prepaid balance that developers use to call the Perplexity API. It is separate from subscriptions and from Computer credits. The third is a gift subscription, which gives someone months of Pro rather than a balance. Knowing which one you mean is the first step.

Current plan prices

Perplexity Pro costs 20 USD per month, or 17 USD per month when billed annually. Max costs 200 USD per month, or 167 USD per month when billed annually. Plans can include trials, student offers or partner promotions that change by country, so read the checkout screen. The free plan remains available with limits on advanced features.

Type	Where it applies	Expiry note
Computer credits	Perplexity Computer agent tasks	Monthly credits reset by plan
Bonus credits	Pro and Max starting bonus	Check the terms for expiry
API credits	Developer API usage	Purchased credits do not expire
Signup credit	New API accounts, sometimes	Expires after 60 days

How to add credits for the API

API credits are available on a pay-as-you-go basis, and a Pro subscription is not required. Open the API console, go to the Billing tab, add a payment method and choose Buy more credits. You can also enable Automatic Top Up, which replenishes the balance when it falls below a small threshold, currently 2 USD. Credits you buy do not expire. Some new accounts receive a one-time signup credit, which expires 60 days after it is added and is spent before purchased credits. For companies, invoicing and purchase orders are available through the sales team.

Sign in to the Perplexity API console with your account.
Open the Billing section from the sidebar.
Add a card or another supported payment method.
Click Buy more credits and select an amount.
Decide whether to enable Automatic Top Up, and set it conservatively.
Confirm the payment and keep the receipt.
Watch the usage dashboard to see how each request spends credits.

How to get more Computer credits

Computer credits are tied to your plan. Free users can upgrade to Pro, and Pro users who need more can move to Max. Monthly credits refresh with the billing cycle, and unused monthly credits do not carry over. Perplexity may offer top-ups or promotions inside the product, and you should only use the options that appear in your own account settings. There is no reliable way to buy credits from outside sellers, and any seller who promises cheap credits is risking your account.

Gift subscriptions and gift cards

Perplexity has offered Pro gift subscriptions in terms of one, three, six or twelve months through its official shop. The recipient redeems the gift and gets Pro for that period. These are not a balance that you can split between API usage and subscriptions. Check that the shop address is the official one, because fake gift card sites target popular AI brands. Gift subscriptions can have regional limits, and a recipient who already has a paid plan may not be able to redeem one. If a website offers a Perplexity gift card for a very low price, treat it as a scam.

Refunds and unused credits

For API purchases, Perplexity states that a refund can be processed if you report the issue within 14 days of the purchase and the credits have not been used. Used credits are not refundable. Subscription refunds follow the terms for the plan and the platform where you subscribed, such as the web, the Apple App Store or Google Play. If you subscribed through an app store, cancel and request refunds there.

Controlling costs

Set a conservative top-up amount, review usage weekly and create separate API keys for separate projects so you can see which one spends the most. Test with a small budget before connecting an application to real users. If you use the agent features, watch how many credits a task consumes before you queue many tasks. Remember that monthly credits expire, so do not upgrade to a bigger plan unless you will use the allowance.

Checklist before adding Perplexity credits

Avoiding scams

Be careful with sites that sell discounted credits, shared Pro accounts or lifetime upgrades. The risks include stolen cards, accounts that are suspended without notice and no refund. Do not share your login, one-time codes or API keys. Rotate an API key immediately if it was exposed, and delete keys you no longer use. Use the official domains, and check receipts in the email associated with your account.

Which option should you choose

If you want better answers and deep research for personal use, Pro is usually enough, and annual billing lowers the monthly cost. If you run heavy agent workflows, compare Max against your actual need before paying the higher price. If you build software, use API credits with a small initial balance and automatic top-up off until you understand your usage. If you want to gift someone Perplexity, use the official gift subscription and tell the recipient how to redeem it.

Recognizing scams and fake offers

Scammers often imitate well-known brands such as Perplexity. Typical signs are urgent messages, requests for passwords or verification codes, links to look-alike websites, promises of free upgrades or guaranteed results, and payment requests through unusual channels. Always type the official address yourself or use a saved bookmark, check the sender of every email and never pay through a link sent by a stranger. If you think you were tricked, change your password, review recent activity, contact your bank if money was involved and report the message to the platform.

Common mistakes to avoid with Perplexity

Most problems come from a handful of avoidable habits. People reuse the same password across several services, ignore security notices, click links in unexpected messages, install unofficial apps that promise extra features, or buy accounts and access from resellers. Others skip reading the terms, which leads to restrictions they did not expect, or forget to write down renewal dates and recovery details. Spend a few minutes reading the official help pages, keep your details up to date and treat anything that sounds too good to be true as a warning sign.

Helping family members and colleagues

If you are setting up Perplexity for someone else, such as a parent, a teenager or a coworker, guide them rather than doing everything silently. Explain why strong passwords and two-step verification matter, show them how to recognize suspicious messages and agree on who to ask before they click or pay for anything. For minors, follow age requirements and use the available parental or family controls. For teams, document who owns the account, who can approve spending and what to do when someone leaves.

Official sources versus unofficial offers

When you search for help with Perplexity, you will find both official pages and third-party offers. The comparison below shows why it pays to stay with official channels.

Aspect	Official source	Unofficial offer
Price	Clearly shown at checkout	Often unclear or too low
Support	Documented help channels	Unreliable or none
Account safety	Protected by the platform	Risk of bans and data theft
Refunds	Governed by published terms	Rarely honored
Updates	Always current	Outdated or wrong

Keeping up with changes

Features, prices and rules around Perplexity change more often than most people expect. Follow the official blog, release notes or help center, and read the emails you receive about policy updates instead of deleting them. When a guide such as this one gives a number or a menu name, treat it as a starting point and confirm it on the official site. If a change affects you negatively, you can usually adjust your plan, settings or usage, so act early rather than waiting for a problem.

Privacy and personal data

Before you enter personal information anywhere, ask what is really required. Use only the details that Perplexity needs, review the privacy settings after setup and limit who can see your profile, activity and contact information. Avoid posting documents, addresses, financial data or photos that reveal your location. Check which third-party apps are connected to your account and remove those you no longer use. If you work with client or company data, follow your organization’s policy and do not mix it with personal accounts.

Devices, apps and browsers

Use the latest version of the official app or a modern browser when working with Perplexity. Keep your operating system updated, install security patches and avoid rooted or modified devices, which weaken protection. Browser extensions can read pages you visit, so remove those you do not trust. On mobile, download apps only from official stores, review the permissions they ask for and turn off those that are not needed. Lock your device with a PIN or biometrics so that a lost phone does not become a lost account.

When to contact official support

Contact support when you have tried the basic fixes and the problem remains, when you see an unexpected charge, when you suspect your account was accessed by someone else or when you are locked out. Prepare the account email, the date and time of the problem, the exact message you saw and screenshots. Describe what you did step by step and what you expected to happen. Use only the contact methods listed on the official site and ignore anyone who offers to fix things for a fee through social media or private messages.

Troubleshooting checklist

If something does not work as expected with Perplexity, go through the basics in order before contacting anyone:

Check your internet connection and try again on a different network.
Update the app or refresh the page, then restart the device.
Clear the cache or try a private browser window without extensions.
Confirm that you are signed in with the correct account and email.
Look for the exact error message and search the official help center for it.
Wait a short time before repeating an action, since repeated attempts can trigger temporary limits.
If nothing helps, collect screenshots and contact official support.

A monthly review habit

Set a reminder once a month to review your Perplexity setup. Check your security settings, payment method, connected apps and notification preferences. If you pay for anything, compare the charge with what you actually used and decide whether to keep, change or cancel. Update your recovery details if you changed phone number or email. Delete old data you no longer need. Ten minutes a month prevents most surprises and keeps your costs and risks under control.

Quick recap checklist

Before you finish, confirm the essentials for Perplexity:

You are using the official website or app.
Your password is unique and two-step verification is on.
Recovery email and phone are current.
Privacy settings match what you are comfortable sharing.
You know the price, renewal date and how to cancel if money is involved.
You saved receipts, confirmation emails and backup codes in a safe place.
You know where to find the official help center.

Account security basics for Perplexity

Protect your Perplexity account before anything else. Use a long, unique password stored in a password manager, turn on two-step verification, and make sure the recovery email and phone number are ones you control. Review the list of devices and active sessions every few months and sign out of any you do not recognize. Never share one-time codes, even with someone who claims to work for support, because genuine support teams never ask for them. If you sign in on a shared or public computer, log out afterwards and avoid saving passwords in the browser.

Subscription versus pay-as-you-go: a simple comparison

A subscription gives you a predictable monthly cost and access to the apps, the research tools and the agent, with usage limits that reset each cycle. Pay-as-you-go API credits make sense when your usage is irregular or when you are building a product, because you pay only for what the application consumes and you do not carry unused allowances. Many users need both: a Pro plan for daily research and a small API balance for a side project. Keep them in separate accounts or at least separate budgets, so that a runaway script cannot drain money that you intended for something else.

Paying through an app store versus the website

If you subscribe in the iPhone or Android app, the charge goes through the store, and cancellation, refunds and prices follow the store rules. If you subscribe on the website, the payment goes through Perplexity’s processor, and you manage it in your account settings. Do not subscribe in both places by mistake, because the two subscriptions are separate and both will renew. Check the billing section of your account and the subscription list in your store to confirm that only one is active, and write down the renewal date in your calendar.

Teams and business accounts

Teams that need shared billing, security reviews or invoices should talk to the sales team instead of buying individual plans on personal cards. Business plans can offer admin controls, single sign-on and data policies that individual plans lack. Decide who owns the account, who can buy credits and who receives invoices, and document it. Rotate API keys when employees leave, and use separate keys for development and production.