--- title: "Buying credits: how the +20% first top-up bonus works | PaidChatPlatform" url: https://paidchatplatform.com/blog/first-top-up-bonus-credits-explained/ language: en publisher: Premiums Only LLC (the company behind hello.fan) --- # Buying credits: how the +20% first top-up bonus works [For fans](https://paidchatplatform.com/blog/topic/for-fans/) By the PaidChatPlatform team October 13, 2026 6 min read On hello.fan, the first time you buy credits you get 20% extra on top, automatically. Buy 2,500 credits and 3,000 land in your wallet; buy 1,000 and you get 1,200. It's a launch offer, once per account, and the bonus credits work exactly like the rest: for calls, booked sessions, gifts and Icebreakers. After that first purchase, credits are simply 100 = $1. Key takeaways - Your first credit purchase gets 20% extra credits, automatically, once per account. - Example: buy 2,500 credits and 3,000 land in your wallet. - Bonus credits work like any others: calls, bookings, gifts and Icebreakers. - Buy what you'll use in the next few weeks; the bonus is the same 20% at any size. Disclosure: this site is published by the team behind hello.fan. The bonus is a limited-time launch offer; while it runs, your wallet shows it. ## How does the first top-up bonus work? - **It's for your first purchase only.** The very first time you buy credits on your account, 20% more is added. - **It's automatic.** No code, no form; the bonus appears in your wallet as its own line next to the credits you bought. - **It's once per account.** A second purchase is charged and credited normally. - **It's a launch offer.** It's there to make your first call easy to try, and it won't run forever. ## What does +20% look like in practice? At 100 credits = $1, here's what a first top-up becomes. These are examples; the amounts you can choose are shown in your wallet. | You buy | Bonus (+20%) | In your wallet | | --- | --- | --- | | 1,000 credits ($10) | 200 | 1,200 credits | | 2,500 credits ($25) | 500 | 3,000 credits | | 5,000 credits ($50) | 1,000 | 6,000 credits | | 10,000 credits ($100) | 2,000 | 12,000 credits | Prices in an app store are set through the store and can differ from the website; the bonus is the same 20% of the credits. ## What can bonus credits buy? (examples) Each creator sets their own per-minute prices, so think in minutes rather than dollars. Here is what 1,200 credits, the example above, could cover: | If you spend 1,200 credits on… | That's about… | | --- | --- | | A video call at 200 credits a minute | 6 minutes | | A voice call at 100 credits a minute | 12 minutes | | A chat call at 60 credits a minute | 20 minutes | | Icebreakers at 10 credits each | 120 hellos (one waiting per creator at a time) | Calls are charged per started 15 seconds, only while you're both connected, and ringing is free, so you pay for close to the time you actually talk. The full rules are in [how paid chat works for fans](https://paidchatplatform.com/blog/how-paid-chat-works-for-fans/). ## How much should you buy the first time? The bonus is the same 20% whatever you buy, so there's no trick to it: buy what you expect to use in the next few weeks. A good way to estimate: - **Pick the creators you'd like to talk to** and note their prices for the kind of call you want. - **Guess the minutes.** A first call is often five to fifteen minutes. - **Multiply.** Two 10-minute voice calls at 150 credits a minute are 3,000 credits. - **Choose the top-up that covers it**, and let the bonus be your margin. If you're still exploring, start small. Credits you don't use stay in your balance for next time. ## Where do you see the bonus before you pay? On the website, the wallet shows the offer while your account is eligible, and each amount you can choose shows its bonus next to it, so you know exactly what will land in your balance before you pay. After the purchase, the bonus appears in your wallet's activity as its own line, separate from the credits you bought. ## Why does hello.fan give a bonus at all? Because the first call is the hardest one to make. Paying to talk to someone is new for many people, and a little extra makes it easier to try a creator or two and see what a good call feels like. Creators are paid the same for a call either way: bonus credits spend exactly like bought ones. ## Does the bonus work in the app too? Yes. It applies to your first credit purchase whether you buy on the website or in the Android app; the iOS app is on its way. What counts is that it's the first purchase on your account. ## What about an automatic top-up plan? hello.fan also offers optional automatic top-ups that add credits on a schedule. If your very first purchase is such a plan, its first payment gets the bonus. It's still one bonus per account: if you've already bought credits once, a plan you start later doesn't get a second one. ## What if the first purchase is refunded? Then the bonus goes with it. The extra credits belong to that purchase, so if the purchase is reversed, the bonus is taken back too. ## What can you spend the bonus on? Everything credits pay for. Bonus credits are indistinguishable from bought ones once they're in your balance: - Instant video, voice and chat calls. - Booked sessions and weekly sessions. - Gifts and Super Hellos (a gift with a private note). - Icebreakers, the 10-credit one-line hello. ## How do you keep your spending in check? - **Your balance is your limit.** Calls are paid from prepaid credits, so you can't spend more than you hold. - **Watch the meter.** The running time and cost are on screen during a call. - **Pick the kind of call.** Chat and voice usually cost less than video. - **Book a fixed session** when you want to know the total in advance. ## The short version Your first top-up gets 20% more credits, automatically and once. Buy what you'll use soon, spend it on whatever you like, and keep an eye on the meter. Then find someone [who's online now](https://hello.fan/creators?online=1&utm_source=paidchatplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog-first-top-up-bonus-credits-explained&utm_content=inline), or read [how to make your first call](https://paidchatplatform.com/blog/how-to-video-call-a-creator-you-follow/). **Written by the PaidChatPlatform team** PaidChatPlatform is published by Premiums Only LLC, the company behind hello.fan. We recommend hello.fan, describe other services fairly from their public information, and don't publish ratings, reviews or testimonials we can't stand behind. [How we compare →](https://paidchatplatform.com/about/)[hello.fan facts →](https://paidchatplatform.com/hello-fan/) ## Keep reading [For fans · 7 min read ### How to video call a creator you follow: a step-by-step guide Find their hello.fan link, join free, add credits and tap Call while they're online. Ringing is free; you pay per started 15 seconds once you're connected.](https://paidchatplatform.com/blog/how-to-video-call-a-creator-you-follow/)[For fans · 7 min read ### How paid chat works for fans: credits and 15-second billing Credits, per-minute prices and 15-second billing explained for fans, with worked examples. Ringing is free and you never spend more than your balance.](https://paidchatplatform.com/blog/how-paid-chat-works-for-fans/)[For fans · 6 min read ### Speaking practice with a native speaker, paid by the minute Short, regular calls with a native speaker are the quickest way to start speaking. How to find one, plan a 10-minute session and use subtitles as support.](https://paidchatplatform.com/blog/language-speaking-practice-with-native-speakers/) [More in For fans →](https://paidchatplatform.com/blog/topic/for-fans/) ## Talk to someone right now See who's online on hello.fan and call by video, voice or chat. Ringing is free — you only pay once you're connected. [See who's online](https://hello.fan/creators?online=1&utm_source=paidchatplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog-first-top-up-bonus-credits-explained&utm_content=blog-first-top-up-bonus-credits-explained-final-fan)[How paid chat works for fans](https://paidchatplatform.com/fans/)