# OpenRouter 402: Insufficient Credits

TL;DR: OpenRouter 402 is a billing or credits problem. The model endpoint may be healthy, but your account cannot pay for the request.

Target query: OpenRouter insufficient credits
Likely fault area: your key or account
Run diagnosis: https://llmping.app/#diagnose

## What this error means

OpenRouter 402 means the request cannot be billed because the account lacks credits, has a payment issue, or is blocked by spend controls.

## Is it code, key, rate limit, or server-side?

Category: billing
Likely fault area: your key or account

## Immediate checklist

- Check OpenRouter account credits and payment status.
- Verify the API key belongs to the account you funded.
- Confirm the selected model price fits your remaining balance.
- Look for app-level spend caps or budget guards in your own code.

## cURL test command

```bash
curl https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENROUTER_API_KEY"
```

## Common fixes

- Add credits or switch to a cheaper model for background jobs.
- Use a preflight account/balance check before starting expensive batch work.
- Keep billing errors separate from retryable provider errors.
- Alert on 402 immediately because retries will not fix missing credits.

## Related errors

- https://llmping.app/errors/openai/429/
- https://llmping.app/status/openai/
- https://llmping.app/errors/openai/401/