Step 1: Top Up Your SwiftRelay Balance Before You Share Anything
SwiftRelay runs on a simple rhythm: top up a balance, then let each API call deduct only what it actually used. There is no monthly fee and nothing to subscribe to, so you are not committing to a fixed package before you even know how much you will spend. You choose the top-up amount that suits you, and your working balance is ready when your first request goes out.
The available top-up amounts are $1.39, $6.94, $13.89, $27.78, $69.44, and $138.89. Start small if you want a quick first lap, or move up the ladder if you already know which models you will lean on. New accounts also receive a $0.22 sign-up gift credit, which gives you a little runway to try the relay before you commit to anything larger.
- Top up $1.39 for a small first test run.
- Top up $6.94 or $13.89 for steady everyday use.
- Top up $27.78, $69.44, or $138.89 when you want more room to work with.
Once the balance is live, the dashboard becomes your pit board. Usage lists the tokens and the cost per call, so you can see where your balance is going instead of guessing. Your account can hold up to 20 live API keys, which is useful when you want separate keys for separate projects or separate working habits. Nothing here requires a plan purchase; the balance is the whole arrangement, and the referral reward sits on top of it.
Step 2: Invite Your First Person and Trigger the 14% Layer
Here is the first gear of the SwiftRelay two-level referral reward. When someone you invited tops up, you earn 14% of that top-up. The reward is calculated from the amount they actually add, so the bigger their top-up, the more your referral balance grows. There is no separate ticket to file and no waiting on a monthly cycle; the reward attaches to the top-up event itself.
Think about how this works in practice. Example: if your invitee tops up $27.78, the 14% layer gives you $3.8892 in referral reward. If a second invitee tops up $6.94, that adds $0.9716. Two ordinary top-ups from your own invitations can already carry you past the payout threshold, which is a good reason to share the service with people who genuinely plan to use it rather than with people who will only browse.
The same rules apply to every invitation you send, and every top-up from those invited accounts keeps feeding the 14% layer. Because SwiftRelay charges per token with no monthly fee, your invitees can top up in small increments and still generate referral reward each time they do. A single large sign-up is not the only path; a stream of modest top-ups is a perfectly workable way to build the reward balance.
Two details make this straightforward. First, the reward is tracked on your account rather than held in a separate product you have to manage. Second, you decide what to do with it later, either withdraw it or push it straight into your working balance. For now, keep inviting, and watch the numbers appear.
Step 3: Let Your Invitee Invite Their Own Circle for the 3% Layer
The second gear is the part that makes this a genuine two-level structure. When the people you invited go on to invite their own people, you also earn 3% of the top-ups made by that second level. You do not need to chase down those second-level invitees yourself, and you do not need a separate campaign for them. The chain runs on its own once your first invitees start bringing in their own users.
Example: if one of your invitees brings in a new user who tops up $13.89, that top-up contributes $0.4167 at the 3% layer. Add that to the $3.8892 and $0.9716 from the first layer, and your running referral total reaches $5.2775. Two levels of ordinary activity, and the reward balance is comfortably above the point where you can take it out.
Two levels are the whole design, and that is a useful thing to know when you explain SwiftRelay to a friend. Invite a person, earn 14% of what they top up. When they invite their own people, keep earning 3% of what those people top up. The structure stays shallow and readable, which is exactly what you want when you are asking someone to try a pay-per-token API relay for the first time.
Because there is no monthly fee on SwiftRelay, there is also no awkward moment where an unused subscription has to be justified. Your invitees top up what they are ready to use, and every one of those top-ups contributes to the reward chain. The faster your circle starts working with the relay, the more the two-level reward has to say for itself.
Step 4: Decide Whether to Withdraw or Move the Reward Into Your Balance
Referral reward on SwiftRelay is not decorative. It can be withdrawn once it reaches $4.86, or it can be moved into your balance and used for API calls straight away. That choice is entirely yours, and it changes the character of the reward depending on what you are trying to do.
Example: the $3.8892 and $0.9716 from your first-level invitees, plus $0.4167 from the second level, total $5.2775. That clears the $4.86 minimum, so you could withdraw it, or you could move it into your balance and cover calls without another top-up. Moving it into the balance is the tidier option if you are mid-project; withdrawing it makes more sense if you would rather keep the reward as cash and leave your working balance untouched.
Because the reward can be moved into the balance, you can put referral income straight back into work. Top up $6.94, invite a few colleagues who are already experimenting with models such as DeepSeek, and let the 14% and 3% layers quietly rebuild the balance you just spent. The relay keeps charging per token, and the referral reward keeps arriving from top-ups rather than from a plan you would have had to buy anyway.
One more practical note: support on SwiftRelay runs through Messages in the dashboard, which requires a login. There is no support email to hunt for, so if a reward entry looks off or you want to confirm a top-up, open Messages and ask. Keeping every question in one place is part of the same no-subscription, no-hassle approach.
Step 5: Connect in Minutes, Track Every Call, and Keep the Refund Window Open
Once your balance and referral chain are running, the technical part of SwiftRelay is a short sprint. The service is built to be connected in minutes: copy three lines and run. The API host is https://api.fastapirelay.com, and your key is what you paste into the configuration for your client. There is no monthly fee, no subscription to activate, and no long onboarding checklist standing between you and your first call.
After the first request goes out, the dashboard shows you the tokens and the cost per call, so you can follow exactly how the balance moves. With up to 20 live API keys available, you can keep projects and clients separated while still reading the usage numbers in one place. And if you top up and change your mind, unused credit can be refunded within 11 days of the top-up, minus what was used and the payment fee.
Put the whole picture together: top up from the amounts on offer, use the per-token billing that matches your actual usage, earn 14% from the people you invite and 3% from the people they invite, then withdraw at $4.86 or move the reward into your balance. The lap is short, the numbers are visible, and the reward structure does the heavy lifting for you. Sign up for SwiftRelay now, top up your balance, and start earning from your very first referral.