Ling Billing Service Upgrade Guide
To provide you with a more timely and transparent cost management experience, we are planning to upgrade the billing service and launch a standalone Ling billing platform. After the upgrade, new API consumption will no longer rely on the Alipay Mini Program Cloud platform, and all newly generated top-ups, consumption records, bills, invoices, and withdrawal capabilities will be centralized within the Ling Console.
1. What’s New in This Upgrade
1. Real-Time Consumption Tracking
The new platform supports real-time metering and billing, allowing you to view consumption amounts and details more quickly after each request, without waiting for delayed settlement.
2. Cache Hit Discount Pricing
When a model request hits the cache, it can be priced at a more favorable rate, helping you reduce the cost of repeated content calls. Actual pricing is subject to the model pricing rules published in real time on the official Ling platform.
3. Clearer Fund and Bill Management
You can top up your new wallet, and view post-upgrade fund records, consumption details, and bills — all within the Ling Console, without navigating to the Mini Program Cloud.
Identity verification information from your historical account will be synced to the new platform during the account upgrade, and re-verification is generally not required. If the page prompts you to supplement or verify information, please follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Exclusive Upgrade Benefits
After a historical billing account completes the upgrade, each account will immediately receive a one-time ¥20 Token voucher:
- Applicable to all models;
- Valid for 60 days from the date of receipt;
- Can only be used to offset model call charges; non-withdrawable and non-transferable.
The voucher may take some time to be issued. The issuance progress will not affect your use of the new Ling billing platform.
5. Free Tier Upgrade
Before the upgrade, Ling provided a daily 500,000-token free quota, without distinguishing between input tokens, output tokens, or cache hits. After the upgrade, the free tier will be adjusted to a monthly issuance: on the 1st of each month, the system will issue one ¥10 Token voucher to each billing account using the new Ling billing platform. Higher value, more tasks to accomplish!
2. How Different Users Will Complete the Upgrade
New Users
New users will directly use the new Ling billing platform and new wallet, with no additional migration steps required.
Existing Users with Zero Mini Program Cloud Wallet Balance
The system will automatically complete the upgrade for you. Subsequent requests will directly use the new Ling wallet — no manual action is needed.
Existing Users with Remaining Mini Program Cloud Wallet Balance
After the new platform launches, you will directly enter the new Ling Console. However, if you still have a balance in your Mini Program Cloud wallet, the system will continue to prioritize consuming that balance. Once the old balance is exhausted, the system will automatically switch to the new Ling wallet — no manual action is needed.
All new top-ups made during the migration period will go into the new Ling wallet. You can top up the new wallet in advance before the old balance runs out. Once the old balance is depleted and the switch is complete, subsequent new requests will continue using the new wallet balance.
Important: The Mini Program Cloud wallet and the new Ling wallet are two independent wallets, and balances will not be transferred between them. If you have continuously running API services, we recommend topping up the new Ling wallet before the old balance runs out to avoid API call failures due to insufficient new wallet balance after the switch.
3. How to Handle Mini Program Cloud Wallet Balance
This upgrade will not transfer your Mini Program Cloud wallet balance to the new Ling wallet, nor will it clear that balance. You can choose from the following options:
-
Continue using and wait for automatic upgrade
No additional action required. The system will prioritize using your Mini Program Cloud wallet balance and automatically switch to the new Ling wallet once it’s depleted.
You can also visit the Mini Program Cloud Withdrawal page to request a withdrawal of your historical balance. Once the withdrawal is complete and your Mini Program Cloud wallet balance reaches zero, the system will automatically complete the upgrade. -
Actively switch to the new Ling wallet
After the new platform launches, “Upgrade Now” will be supported, allowing you to switch immediately. After switching, the remaining funds in your Mini Program Cloud wallet will immediately stop being used for Ling model services, will not be automatically transferred to the new wallet, and you will not be able to revert to the old billing method. Remaining funds will stay in the Mini Program Cloud and can continue to be used or withdrawn under its existing rules.
We recommend topping up the new Ling wallet before performing the immediate upgrade.
4. Please Monitor Your New Wallet Balance Before the Unified Switch
Ling will perform a unified switch for all historical billing accounts that have not yet completed the upgrade by October 31, 2026, 23:59:59 (Beijing Time).
After the unified switch:
- Subsequent Ling API consumption will use the new Ling wallet. If the new Ling wallet balance is insufficient, subsequent API calls may fail.
- Mini Program Cloud wallet remaining funds will not be transferred or cleared, but will no longer be used for Ling model services. You can still view them on the Mini Program Cloud and use or withdraw them under the Mini Program Cloud’s existing rules.
If you have continuously running API services, please make sure to check your new Ling wallet balance before the unified switch and top up in advance based on your actual usage.
5. Where to View Historical Records and Invoices
Top-up, consumption, refund, bill, and invoice records generated before the billing platform switch will remain in the Mini Program Cloud and will not be copied to the new Ling billing platform. You can access and manage them via the “Mini Program Cloud Historical Records” entry in the Ling Console.
New top-up, consumption, bill, withdrawal, and invoice records generated after the switch will be viewed and managed in the new Ling billing platform.
6. What You Need to Do
Most users do not need to take any additional action for the upgrade. We recommend checking the following based on your situation:
- Users with continuously running API services: Check your new Ling wallet balance in advance, and top up if insufficient.
- Users with remaining Mini Program Cloud wallet balance: You can continue consuming and wait for automatic upgrade, or request a withdrawal under Mini Program Cloud rules.
- Users needing to view historical bills or invoices: Please access them via the Mini Program Cloud historical records entry in the Ling Console.
- Users planning to upgrade immediately: Please confirm that your new wallet balance is sufficient and that you understand you cannot revert to the old billing method after switching.
- Users using the free tier: Please note that the original daily 500,000-token free quota will no longer be issued daily. After upgrading, you will receive a ¥20 upgrade gift package and a monthly ¥10 Token voucher on the 1st of each month.
7. FAQ
1. Will my Mini Program Cloud wallet balance be transferred to the new Ling wallet?
No. The two wallets are independent, and the Mini Program Cloud wallet balance will not be automatically transferred to the new Ling wallet.
2. Will the upgrade clear my Mini Program Cloud wallet balance?
No. Remaining funds will stay in the Mini Program Cloud. However, after you actively upgrade or after the system unified switch, that balance will no longer be used for Ling model services and can be used or withdrawn under the Mini Program Cloud’s existing rules.
3. Do I have to request a withdrawal immediately?
No. Before the unified switch, you can continue using your Mini Program Cloud wallet balance, and the system will automatically complete the upgrade once it’s depleted.
4. Why am I still using the Mini Program Cloud wallet even though I’ve topped up the new Ling wallet?
If you have a balance in your Mini Program Cloud wallet and have not manually switched via “Upgrade Now,” the system will continue to prioritize consuming the Mini Program Cloud wallet balance during the migration period, and will automatically switch to the new wallet once the old balance is exhausted. After the new platform launches, you can use the “Upgrade Now” button to switch to the new billing flow with one click.
5. Will ongoing API requests be affected during the switch?
The system will do its best to ensure that requests at the switch boundary are settled in full, without splitting a single request across two wallets. New requests initiated after the switch takes effect will use the new Ling wallet.
6. Will historical records from the old and new platforms be merged?
No. Historical records and invoices from before the switch will still be viewable in the Mini Program Cloud, while records after the switch will be viewable in the new Ling billing platform. The Ling Console will retain an entry point to access historical records in the Mini Program Cloud.
7. How do I withdraw funds from the new wallet?
The new Ling wallet and the Mini Program Cloud historical wallet use different withdrawal processes. For the new Ling wallet, users who have completed identity verification can apply on the “Account Top-Up” page to withdraw cash principal topped up via Alipay within the last 12 months that has not yet been used. Funds will be returned via the original top-up channel. Token vouchers, already consumed amounts, and funds that do not meet the page rules are non-withdrawable. Mini Program Cloud wallet balances must be processed through the Mini Program Cloud.
8. Will new users also receive the ¥20 Token voucher?
Yes, new users will receive a ¥20 Token voucher immediately after registering their account.
9. Will there still be a daily 500,000-token free quota after the upgrade?
No, it will no longer be issued daily in the original manner. After the upgrade, the original daily 500,000-token free quota will be adjusted to a monthly Token voucher. On the 1st of each month, the system will issue one ¥10 Token voucher to each billing account using the new Ling billing platform.
Please note that the original benefit was calculated by token count, while the new benefit is offset by actual billing amount — the two cannot be directly converted. The actual call volume that can be offset will be affected by factors such as model pricing, input and output token usage, and whether cache hits occur. However, under normal circumstances, due to price differences across models and the possibility of cache hits, the new free tier will support a higher volume of API calls.
10. If I complete the upgrade after the 1st of the month, will I still receive the voucher for that month?
No. If you complete the upgrade after the 1st of the month, the monthly Token voucher will not be retroactively issued for that month. The system will issue it on the 1st of the following month. However, upon upgrading, you will immediately receive a ¥20 voucher for use in the current month.
11. How long is the monthly ¥10 Token voucher valid?
The voucher is only valid for the month of issuance. Any unused amount will expire at the end of the month and will not roll over to the next month.
12. How can I get help if I encounter issues?
If you have questions about wallet balances, billing switches, top-ups, withdrawals, or invoices, please contact us .