Vercel credits and your actual hosting bill.
A modern application can spend money on hosting, functions, storage, and models at the same time. A useful credit plan makes each meter visible.
Check the startup program
Use Vercel's official startup program to review current eligibility and the covered benefits. Confirm the award and terms before adding it to your runway calculation. The advertised benefit is not an automatic entitlement.
Map the bill
Track hosting, function execution, data transfer, storage, and external model usage separately. Identify which product each balance covers. A hosting credit does not automatically fund every model provider your application calls.
Prepare for ordinary usage
Set alerts and test the cost of production traffic, including spikes. Document expiry and excluded services. Check provider conditions before assuming an unused balance can be transferred to another team.