What Are API Credits in Enrichment Products?
What are API credits in enrichment products? Units of prepaid find capacity – and why found-only Credit B beats per-request or seat-tax models.

API credits in enrichment products are prepaid units that unlock find calls. The important question is not the metaphor – it is when a unit spends. Vendors disagree. Invenitor's rule is explicit Credit B. Connecting people; a lookup API, not a sales cloud.
PAYG frame: Pay-As-You-Go Contact APIs. Seat contrast: Seat Subscriptions vs Pay-Per-Lookup Credits.
Credits vs seats vs "unlimited"
| Model | You pay for | Failure mode |
|---|---|---|
| Seats | Access per user/month | Quiet weeks still bill |
Free-plan traps: The Hidden Cost of "Free Plan" Enrichment Tools. No-monthly spoke: No Monthly Plan Contact Enrichment.
What a credit should represent
A credit should map to a found outcome: email, phone, or both. Timeouts and errors should not spend. Soft mesh coverage varies – we do not publish hit-rate percentages – so sample your shortlist instead of believing a brochure %.
Category: What a Contact Lookup API Actually Does.
How Invenitor packs work commercially
New accounts get 25 free credits. Then prepaid INR packs with 30-day expiry via Razorpay/UPI. Live tiles: /pricing. Sizing: 25 to 1,000 Credits: Choosing an INR Pack Size. Feel: INR Credit Packs. Buy path: UPI to API Key. Global INR rail: US Price Arbitrage.
Credits in product and agent paths
REST and MCP share one pool. Builders: REST Enrichment Inside a Hiring Product, Adding Contact Lookup to an ATS, Webhook-Free Enrichment. Agents: /mcp.md, Agent-Readable Docs: Why MCP.md Matters, Claude / Cursor Agents.
Desk language for juniors
Paste person URL. Call find. If fields return, you spent a credit. Hub: LinkedIn or GitHub Profile URL → Contact Lookup API. Definition: What Is a LinkedIn Profile URL Lookup?. GitHub: GitHub Profile URL Contact Lookup.
Procurement questions to ask any vendor
- When does a credit spend – found only, or every request?
- Are?
- Do timeouts/errors spend?
- Currency and checkout you can actually use?
Trust: Trust Checklist Before You Buy Any Contact API. Layer pick: Contact Lookup API vs CRM vs Sequencer.
What should you do next?
Read Credit B aloud into your order note. Run the free signup credits on real URLs via /docs. Size a pack on /pricing. Recruiter plain English: Contact Enrichment Explained for Recruiters. India desks: India Boutique IT Staffing, WhatsApp-First Recruiters.
Spreadsheet model in one line
Cost ≈ (found outcomes) × (effective INR per credit) inside the pack window – not (URLs pasted) × list price. Screening: Screening Calls Faster. Agency: Agency Desk Playbook. Freelance: Freelance Recruiter Workflow.
Teaching finance what a credit is
Under Credit B a credit is a found contact outcome – not every HTTP call. Timeouts and errors do not spend. Trust: Trust Checklist Before You Buy Any Contact API. Packs: 25 to 1,000 Credits. No-monthly: No Monthly Plan Contact Enrichment. Agents: /mcp.md. Builders: Webhook-Free Enrichment. /docs · /pricing. Credit B: 1 credit only when we return an email, a phone, or both. Timeouts and errors do not spend.
Credits across REST and MCP
One pool. One rule. Parent: MCP for Recruiting Agents.
Questions
What are API credits in enrichment products?
Prepaid units for find capacity. Under Credit B they spend only when email, phone, or both return.
When does an Invenitor credit spend?
1 credit only when we return an email, a phone, or both. Timeouts and errors do not spend.
Do timeouts or errors spend credits?
No. Timeouts and errors do not spend.
Are credits the same as seats?
No. Seats tax access per user; credits meter found outcomes.
Do MCP and REST share credits?
Yes – one workspace pool. See /mcp.md and /docs.
Where do I buy packs?
/pricing – Razorpay/UPI for India; see INR pack sizing post.
More in this cluster

"When We Have Them": Writing Honest Marketing for Contact APIs
"When we have them": writing honest marketing for contact APIs – soft mesh claims, empty means not found, and Credit B without vanity hit-rate percentages.
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What Is Pay-Per-Lookup Pricing?
What is pay-per-lookup pricing?
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Trust Checklist Before You Buy Any Contact API
Trust checklist before you buy any contact API – found-only credits, written billing.
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