📌 Overview
Many customers are surprised when their UC (usage credits) balance drops by more than expected after generating AI Premium articles. For example, a customer who generated 10 articles and expected about 700 UC each (7,000 total) saw about 21,000 UC deducted, which works out to roughly 2,100 UC per article. This article explains what can affect UC consumption and how to review your own usage.
🧮 How UC Consumption Works
UC consumption for AI Premium articles is based on the quota units required for generation multiplied by your account's Universal Credits exchange rate, rather than variable processing estimates.
When you compare your usage to an expected number, keep in mind that the number you remember may apply to a different content type, a different article length, or a different feature than the one you used.
🔍 Common Reasons Usage Is Higher Than Expected
- Content type: AI Premium articles use more advanced generation than standard AI articles, so they typically cost more UC.
- Article length and depth: Articles consume a set per-article quota regardless of length or depth.
- Additional options: Article generation uses a fixed per-article quota rather than adding variable surcharges for standard generation sections or research.
- Regenerations and rewrites: Regenerating an article or a section may be counted as additional usage.
- Retries and drafts: If a generation was started more than once, each attempt may appear separately in your usage.
- Multiple articles in one batch: Bulk generation displays the total quota points and equivalent Universal Credits calculated from the number of AI articles generated in the batch.
🧾 How to Work Out Your Per-Article Cost
You can estimate how much UC each article used with a quick calculation.
- Note your UC balance before you start generating.
- Note your UC balance after generation is complete.
- Subtract the second number from the first to get the total UC used.
- Divide that total by the number of articles you generated.
In the example above, 21,000 UC divided by 10 articles equals 2,100 UC per article. If this is higher than the amount you expected, compare it against the factors listed in the previous section.
✅ How to Check Your Usage
- Open your account and go to the area where your UC balance and usage are displayed.
- Review the entries from the time you generated your articles.
- Check whether any articles appear more than once, which can happen with regenerations or retries.
- Confirm that the quota name or product shown in your quota log corresponds to the generation feature you intended to use.
💡 Tips to Manage UC Usage
- Check your balance before and after small test batches so you can see the cost per article before running a large batch.
- Avoid starting the same generation multiple times while one is still processing.
- Review your settings and optional features before you generate, and turn off anything you do not need.
- Use a standard article type when you do not need the extra depth of AI Premium.
🛠️ When to Contact Support
If your UC usage still looks incorrect after reviewing the steps above, our team can look at your account and provide a detailed breakdown. Please have the following information ready:
- The approximate date and time you generated the articles
- The number of articles you generated
- Your UC balance before and after generation
- The article type and any options you selected
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be instantly connected with a member of our team.