> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://pingbusiness.gitbook.io/pingbusiness/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://pingbusiness.gitbook.io/pingbusiness/use-case/by-use-case/usage-based-and-api-billing-for-ai-agents.md).

# Usage-Based & API Billing for AI Agents

**Can I bill by usage instead of a flat subscription?**

Yes. PingBusiness supports usage-based billing - meter an action (an API call, a generation, a query) and charge per unit rather than a flat recurring fee.

**Who this fits:**

* Developer tools and APIs billing per call or per request
* AI-native products charging per generation, per token, or per task
* Infrastructure and data services with variable, usage-driven costs
* Builders experimenting with pricing before committing to a flat-rate plan

This is also where PingBusiness connects to the broader agentic-payments picture - as AI agents increasingly transact on a user's behalf, usage-based billing is the natural pricing model for that traffic, not a flat human-facing subscription.


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# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://pingbusiness.gitbook.io/pingbusiness/use-case/by-use-case/usage-based-and-api-billing-for-ai-agents.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

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Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.