Credit Policy

This Credit Policy explains how credits work within The Story Maker platform, including how they are earned, consumed, expire, and how your balance is maintained. Credits are the currency of AI-powered features on our platform. This policy supplements the Paid Service Terms.

1.0 Credit System Overview

1.1 What Are Credits

Credits are a virtual unit of account used to access AI-powered generation features. Each AI operation (story beat generation, character creation, screenplay writing, etc.) has a defined credit cost based on the complexity of the operation and the AI tier selected.

1.2 Balance & Transparency

Your current credit balance is displayed in the application header at all times. Before any AI generation, the estimated credit cost is shown, allowing you to make an informed decision before consuming credits.

2.0 Earning Credits

New users receive 2,500 credits upon email verification. These credits are intended to let you explore the platform's capabilities and expire 365 days after account creation.

One free signup grant per person or device; duplicate accounts may lose free credits.

Signup credits are one grant per person. An account created from a browser that has already been used to create another Story Maker account starts with 0 free credits, and referral rewards are not paid for such accounts. Unused signup credits received by one person on more than one account may be removed from the additional accounts; content is never affected. See Terms of Service §1.4.

2.2 Purchased Credits

You may purchase additional credit packs at any time. Purchased credits are valid for 365 days from the date of purchase. Each purchase creates a distinct "credit batch" with its own expiry date.

Exports unlock after your first credit purchase. Generating and reading your work on screen is free on the signup grant. Downloading a file — PDF, Word, Excel, FDX or Fountain — requires at least one credit purchase on your account; after that, exporting stays unlocked for good.

2.3 Bonus Credits

Bonus credits may be earned through the referral program, promotional campaigns, or special offers. Bonus credits are valid for 365 days from issuance and are consumed before purchased credits.

2.3.1 Referral Bonus

When a referred user makes their first purchase, the referee receives bonus credits on that purchase. The referrer's bonus starts at 10% and increases with their referral streak — 15% at a streak of 3–4, and 20% from a streak of 5 onward (plus an "Executive Producer" badge). A streak is maintained by converting at least one new paid referee every 30 days. See the Help Centre for the full breakdown.

If a purchase is refunded, the bonus credits it earned are removed with it. For a referred user's first purchase this includes both referral bonuses — the referee's and the referrer's — and the referral can pay out again on a later purchase. See the Refund Policy.

3.0 AI Quality Tiers & Credit Cost

The Service offers three AI quality tiers — Fast, Standard, and Premium — each consuming a different amount of credits depending on the feature. Higher tiers cost more credits in exchange for higher-quality output.

The actual credit cost for each feature and tier is configured on our side and displayed to you before each generation, so costs can be adjusted from time to time (e.g. as AI model pricing evolves) without this policy going stale. There are no fixed multipliers published here — always check the confirmation dialog for the exact cost.

4.0 Credit Consumption

4.1 When Credits Are Deducted

Credits are reserved when you start a generation and deducted only once it completes successfully. Failed or interrupted generations are refunded in full, automatically — whether the failure is a system error, a timeout, or a generation that is interrupted or blocked by content filtering. You are never left partially charged for a generation you did not receive.

4.2 Batch Deduction Priority (FIFO)

Credits are deducted using a First-In, First-Out (FIFO) algorithm. The system always consumes credits from the oldest batch first.

4.2.1 Example

If you have 1,000 bonus credits issued first and 5,000 purchased credits bought later, a 200-credit generation will consume from the older bonus batch first, leaving you with 800 bonus credits and 5,000 purchased credits.

4.3 Insufficient Credits

If your balance is insufficient for a requested generation, the operation will not proceed. You will be prompted to purchase additional credits or select a lower-cost AI tier.

5.0 Credit Expiration

5.1 Expiration Rules

Signup Credits: Expire 365 days after account creation
Purchased Credits: Expire 365 days after purchase
Bonus Credits: Expire 365 days after issuance

5.2 Expiration Notices

We will send email reminders when credit batches are approaching expiration:

30 days before expiry
7 days before expiry
On the day of expiry

5.3 Effect of Expiration

Expired credits are permanently removed from your balance. They cannot be recovered, reinstated, or refunded. We recommend monitoring your credit batches and expiration dates in your account dashboard.

6.0 Content Locking & Credits

6.1 What Is Locking

Certain features allow you to "lock" generated content (e.g., story beats, character profiles) to prevent accidental regeneration. Locked content is retained in your project and excluded from subsequent generation cycles.

6.2 Credit Implications

Locking content does not consume additional credits. Regenerating content that isnot locked will consume credits as a new generation. We recommend locking content you are satisfied with before regenerating other sections.

7.0 Credit Disputes

7.1 Reporting Discrepancies

If you believe credits were incorrectly deducted, please contact support@thestorymaker.app within 30 days of the disputed transaction, providing:

Your account email
The approximate date and time of the generation
The feature used and AI tier selected
A description of the issue (e.g., generation failed but credits were deducted)

7.2 Resolution

We will investigate within 5 business days. If a system error caused incorrect deduction, credits will be restored to your account. All credit transactions are logged in an immutable audit trail for transparency.

8.0 Credits Upon Account Closure

If you close your account, all remaining credits (regardless of type) are permanently forfeited. Credits cannot be transferred to another user or converted to a refund. We recommend consuming your credits before initiating account deletion.

9.0 Changes to Credit Policy

We may update this Credit Policy from time to time. Changes to credit costs, expiration rules, or consumption logic will be communicated via in-app notification at least 30 days before taking effect. Existing credit batches will retain their original terms unless a change is explicitly made retroactive (which we will clearly disclose).

10.0 Contact

Email: support@thestorymaker.app