> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nebulablock.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nebulablock.com/getting-started/get-started/spending-limits.md).

# Spending Limits

Every account has an hourly spending limit for GPU and CPU instances. What it is, how it grows on its own, and how to ask for more.

Every account has an **hourly spending limit**: the most your running instances can cost per hour, added together. It exists so that a compromised card or account cannot spin up a wall of GPUs before anyone notices — and it is sized so that a real customer rarely meets it.

The limit governs **scale**, not access. Which products you can use is decided by your [tier](/account/tiers-and-limits.md); how much of them you can run at once is decided by this limit. A brand-new account can launch any single-GPU machine in the catalogue on day one — the starting limit is set above the dearest one we sell.

## How it works

When you deploy an instance, the console adds its hourly price to what your other instances already cost per hour. If the total would exceed your limit, the deploy is declined with a message that says so — nothing is charged, and your running instances are not affected.

* The limit is per **billing account**. Instances launched by team members count against the **team owner**, who is the account that pays for them.
* Prices are compared in **$/h as listed** on the deploy page, before any coupon.
* Stopped instances that still hold hardware count; deleted instances do not.

You can see your current limit, how much of it is in use, and the ladder below under [**Billing → Hourly Spending Limit**](https://console.nebulablock.com/billing). The deploy page also shows it next to the price, and marks configurations that would take you past it.

## How it grows

The limit rises on its own as your account builds a payment history — there is nothing to apply for:

| Stage       | Limit           | How you get there                                                          |
| ----------- | --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| New account | **$5 / hour**   | Sign up. Covers every single-GPU configuration we offer.                   |
| Settled     | **$20 / hour**  | A card payment on the account is 7 days old with no dispute.               |
| Trusted     | **$100 / hour** | $200 of settled payments (each 7 days old, undisputed) are on the account. |

"Settled" means the payment is old enough that it is very unlikely to be reversed. A payment that ends in a chargeback stops the automatic increases on that account — if that happens and you believe it is a mistake, [contact support](/resources/contact.md) and we will set your limit by hand.

Accounts that were already running instances when this limit was introduced were placed above anything they had ever run, so nothing changed for them.

## Asking for more

If you need a larger machine before your history gets you there — an 8-GPU node in your first week, say — request an increase from [**Billing → Hourly Spending Limit**](https://console.nebulablock.com/billing):

1. Enter the limit you need and a sentence or two on what you plan to run.
2. Submit. You can have one request open at a time.
3. Most requests are reviewed within a few hours; you will get a console notification with the outcome.

A limit granted this way is never lowered by the automatic ladder, and it can still rise on its own once your payment history earns a higher rung.

For team deployments, the **team owner** requests the increase, since the limit is theirs.

## Top-up security checks

Separately from the spending limit, the console may ask for **3-D Secure** (the verification step run by your card's bank) on a credit purchase, and may briefly pause additional card top-ups on an account that has just been created or has switched cards several times in a day. These checks protect you and us from stolen-card use; they do not affect credit you already hold. If a pause gets in the way of legitimate use, [contact support](/resources/contact.md) and we will lift it.

## See also

* [Billing](/getting-started/get-started/billing.md)
* [Tiers and Rate Limits](/account/tiers-and-limits.md)
* [GPU Cloud](/products/gpu-cloud.md)