Billing Explained

UMVC3247 currently uses an hour-block billing model.

Important values:

• Minimum start balance
• Session boot fee
• Minimum session charge
• Hourly renewal toll

What happens when I start a station?

To start a station, your balance must be at least the minimum start balance.

If the station is created successfully, the system immediately charges the boot fee.

That boot fee begins the session and counts toward the session’s total collected charges.

What is the minimum session charge?

Every session has a minimum total charge of.

If a session ends and the total charges collected for that session are still below the minimum, the system applies a final adjustment so the session reaches the minimum session charge.

This keeps session billing consistent even if a machine starts and stops quickly.

If this value is less than or equal to the session boot fee, it is moot and will never be applied.

How do hourly renewals work?

After the station has started, the next hourly renewal toll is charged each time the machine crosses into a new billed hour.

If your station crosses that boundary, the new hour has started and the toll for that hour is owed.

Will I get a warning before another hourly charge?

Yes.

Before the next hourly renewal window, the system emits a warning so connected clients, controllers, or bots can notify you that another toll is approaching.

That warning includes your current balance and the time of the next charge.

What if I do not want to pay for the next hour?

Terminate the station before the next billed hour begins.

The warning exists specifically so you have time to stop the machine before the next hourly toll is charged.

What if I cross the hour boundary with low balance?

If the station crosses into the next billed hour, that renewal toll is still charged.

This can temporarily push the balance negative, because that hour has already started and is considered owed.

If that happens, you still receive that paid hour. The system then uses the next pre-renewal window to determine whether the station can continue into another hour.

Do public and private stations use the same balance?

No.

• Public stations use the community balance
• Private stations use your personal balance

Why is there both a minimum start balance and a boot fee?

They serve different purposes:

• Minimum start balance controls whether you are allowed to begin a session at all.
• Boot fee is the actual charge applied when the session starts.

This prevents users from starting sessions without enough funds while still keeping the actual session charge rules explicit.

Summary

A station session works like this:

1. You must have at least the minimum start balance to start.
2. When the station starts successfully, the system charges the session boot fee.
3. Before the next billed hour, you receive a warning.
4. If the next billed hour begins, the system charges hourly block renewal fee.
5. When the session ends, if total collected charges are still below the minimum session charge, the system applies a final minimum-session adjustment.

Billing Events in Chat

The system announces billing activity directly in Twitch chat:

• Charge applied — @user provider charged $X.XX for Yh (charge_type). Balance: $Z.ZZ.
• Warning — @user warning: balance $X.XX. Renewal $Y.YY in N minutes (hour Z) at HH:MM UTC.
• Auto-stop — @user auto‑terminated: balance $X.XX insufficient for renewal $Y.YY. Will auto‑terminate instance before HH:MM UTC (hour Z).