In-depth analysis · About 4 min read
Z.ai separates new Coding Plan and standard API keys: why billing type matters
The October 16 guide distinguishes newly typed keys from older Compatible keys, whose billing can still depend on the endpoint.
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Z.ai’s October 16 API Key Management Guide separates new standard API credentials from GLM Coding Plan credentials. Existing key values do not need replacement merely because of the update. The practical question is whether a request uses a new typed key or a previously issued Compatible key: those cases follow different billing logic.
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At a glance
- For keys created from October 16, a Standard API Key uses account balance or applicable usage bundles; Personal and Team Coding Plan keys use their corresponding plans across supported endpoints.
- Older Compatible keys retain previous rules: the standard API endpoint uses standard billing, while plan endpoints depend on the account’s Coding Plan history. An expired plan does not automatically become pay-as-you-go.
New keys make billing an explicit choice
The guide gives three creation paths. Standard API Keys are for pay-as-you-go requests or usage bundles. Individual subscribers obtain a key under API Keys → Personal Coding Plan; team members obtain a Team Plan Key under Team Coding Plan → My Plan, where seat rules apply. For Standard and Coding Plan keys created from October 16, the key type determines billing across supported endpoints. Changing a Base URL does not turn a Standard key into subscription credit. This matters when a developer copies a working configuration from another tool: the request may be valid while drawing from an unintended balance. The notice does not say a subscription becomes an unrestricted general-purpose API entitlement, and it does not publish new prices or higher limits.
Old keys are classified without changing their values
Keys created before October 16 are treated differently. A key belonging to a Team Plan project becomes a Team Plan Key. Outside such a project, a key from an account that has ever purchased or held an active Coding Plan becomes Compatible. An account that has never had a Coding Plan receives standard classification. “Ever” is important: classification is based on history, not merely whether the subscription is active today. The guide says key values remain unchanged and this classification update does not require existing tools to be reconfigured. Certain dedicated enterprise or partner-channel keys keep earlier compatibility behavior; their console classification and service agreement remain the relevant evidence. A blanket instruction to rotate every key would therefore misrepresent this update.
Compatible keys keep an endpoint-sensitive boundary
For an existing Compatible key, the standard OpenAI Chat Completions endpoint, https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4, uses account balance or applicable usage bundles rather than Coding Plan quota. At the Coding Plan Chat Completions endpoint, https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4, an account that has ever had a Coding Plan uses plan quota and calls stop when that plan expires. Without that history, the guide describes standard billing. Its table also covers the general Anthropic Messages and OpenAI Responses routes under the compatibility rules. The guide’s example is concrete: the same key can draw plan quota at the coding endpoint and charge API balance at the standard endpoint even while subscription quota remains. This is the old-key case; it should not be generalized to newly typed keys.
Check classification before changing a paid configuration
AISubHub analysis: first identify the credential category shown in the console, then compare the configured endpoint with the intended funding source and check whether the plan is still active. Do not infer the answer from the key’s presence in a particular list, a subscription receipt or a successful completion. The notice specifically says an expired plan does not automatically fall back to pay-as-you-go for Compatible keys on plan routes. To continue on standard billing, it instructs users to create and configure a Standard API Key and have available balance or applicable bundles; the endpoint may remain unchanged. Team on-demand overage, if enabled, continues under its existing settings. These are documented paths, not tests we performed. Keep complete credentials out of screenshots and troubleshooting reports.
Why it matters
AISubHub analysis: a subscription and an API balance can coexist without a request choosing the cheaper pool. Configuration review should identify key classification, endpoint and plan state together. A successful response alone does not identify the funding source.
Limits and availability
We read the complete official guide, without creating keys, signing in, inspecting bills or making calls. This is a billing-management update, not a new GLM model or a published price reduction. Eligible tools, plan limits and any service agreement still matter.
Sources and evidence
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AI-assisted editorial articles checked against linked primary sources. Vendor claims are attributed; inclusion is not endorsement.