In our latest release, ArcBlock's Payment Kit introduces two major enhancements designed to give businesses greater flexibility in billing and payment processing:
- Credit-Based Billing System: Enables prepaid and usage-based pricing with real-time credit tracking and automatic service control.
- Flexible Wallet Payments: Allows payments using any existing or newly created wallet with sufficient funds.
These updates strengthen Payment Kit for both developers and end-users, streamlining billing operations and minimizing friction in the payment experience.
New Features#
- Credit-Based Billing System
The Credit system is built around three key components:
- Meter – Defines what is being measured (e.g., listening time, storage space, API calls).
- Credit Grant – Represents the prepaid credits a user has purchased.
- Credit Transaction – Tracks how and when credits are consumed.
This system empowers businesses to offer prepaid and usage-based services without relying on traditional invoicing. Credits are deducted in real time as users consume services, and access can be automatically paused when credits run out.
Quick Overview of the Process
The Credit system is built around three key components
- Meter – Defines what is being measured (e.g., listening time, storage space, API calls).
- Create a Credit Package – Provide flexible prepaid options.
- Basic Packages – e.g., $0.01 per minute or per 10 minutes.
- Bundled Packages – One-time purchase of fixed credits (e.g., 1000 minutes for $10).
- Subscription Packages – Recurring monthly credits (e.g., 300 minutes per month).
- Users Purchase Credits – Credits are added to their account as Credit Grants.
- Service Usage – Credits are consumed instantly as the service is used.
- Notifications & Actions – The system alerts users when credits are low or depleted and can pause service automatically.
Example use cases:
- Media Streaming – Charge by minutes watched or listened.
- API Metering – Bill developers based on request volume.
- Cloud Storage – Charge by storage size or usage duration.
- Trial or Free Tier Services – Offer limited free credits to attract new users.
Compared to Stripe Credit, Payment Kit’s system offers immediate credit consumption, automatic service pausing, and flexible tokenized credits—making it ideal for prepaid, usage-gated experiences.
- Flexible Wallet Payments
Users can now complete payments, subscriptions, and service activations using any wallet—existing or newly created—as long as it has sufficient funds.
This added flexibility reduces setup requirements and makes it easier for users to get started without switching accounts or performing extra configuration steps.
User Experience Improvements#
- Redesigned billing page for improved clarity and usability across desktop and mobile.
- Enhanced product creation form for better guidance and ease of use.
- Simplified payment forms by hiding unnecessary fields when user details are already complete.
What's Next#
The ArcBlock team is continuing to expand wallet integration options and will build advanced billing analytics on top of the Credit system. These improvements will support even more flexible and transparent billing models. As always, future updates will be guided by user feedback.
Resources#
For more information on Payment Kit and to explore the full documentation, visit the following resources: