How Pay-As-You-Go Works

HourlyGameServer.com uses prepaid Credits instead of a recurring subscription. Running servers use Credits from your Credit Balance at the hourly rate shown in your Wallet Currency.

How charging works

  1. Creating a funded server charges its first full hour upfront.
  2. Starting a server with no Banked Hour also charges a full hour upfront.
  3. While the server runs, it is charged for another full hour whenever its Banked Hour reaches zero.
  4. Stopping the server pauses billing and saves the unused part of its paid hour.
  5. Starting it again uses that saved Banked Hour before another hourly charge is due.

Charges purchase full hours, not minute-by-minute refunds. For example, if a completed stop leaves 40 minutes of a paid hour unused, that time stays with the same server for its next start; it is not returned to the wallet as Credits.

Each server has its own Banked Hour and hourly rate. Multiple servers draw from the same Credit Balance independently. Closing the website or leaving the game does not stop a server: use Stop and verify Stopped.

What sets the hourly rate

The rate depends on the game, region, Server tier, and Server size you select. Review the exact rate before creating a server or saving Server Settings. A running configuration change can affect the current paid window; see Server Settings before changing it.

When Credits are low

Your Credit Balance cannot go below zero. If it cannot cover a required charge:

  • A new server remains Stopped until you buy enough Credits and select Start.
  • A running server stops when its next hourly charge cannot be paid.
  • An increase to a higher-cost configuration is not applied until the required Credits are available.

Insufficient credit does not itself delete the server. Top-ups are not automatic: buy Credits and start the stopped server when you are ready. Do not assume a completed payment also restarted it.

Next steps