> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. For a complete documentation index, see https://ibee.ai/docs/llms.txt (full text of every page: https://ibee.ai/docs/llms-full.txt). For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://ibee.ai/docs/_mcp/server. # Verify a payment method > Why Object Storage asks organizations billed in India to verify a payment method, how to pay the ₹1 that unlocks it, what the free 25 GB covers before your first top-up, and how to fix every message you can see. **Payment verification** is a one-time ₹1 payment that unlocks Object Storage for an organization billed in India. You pay **₹1** by UPI, card or netbanking before your first bucket. The ₹1 isn't a fee: it is added to your wallet as balance you can spend. Once the payment method is verified, your organization gets Object Storage's **free 25 GB** of storage. If the ₹1 is the only payment your organization has made, you can store up to those 25 GB from the portal. To create S3 access keys or store more than 25 GB, top up your wallet with at least **₹2,000**. ## When to use this: who must verify | Your organization… | Payment verification | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | Is billed in India (INR) and has never paid a top-up or an invoice | **Needed.** Pay ₹1 to unlock Object Storage. | | Is billed in India and has already paid a top-up or an invoice | **Not needed.** It counts as verified. | | Already had buckets, files or an active S3 access key when this check started | **Not needed.** It keeps Object Storage as before. | | Is billed outside India (USD) | **Not needed.** | Identity verification (KYC) always comes first. On the **Object Storage** page, the button where **Create Bucket** would be shows the next thing to do: 1. **Verify Identity**, until identity verification is complete. See [Verify your identity](/docs/getting-started/account-setup/verify-your-identity). 2. **Verify payment method**, until the payment method is verified (this page). 3. **Create Bucket**, once both are done. ## How it works 1. **You pay ₹1** through the usual IBEE checkout (Razorpay), with UPI, a card or netbanking. 2. **Billing confirms the payment**, usually within moments. Until then the portal shows *Waiting for your payment to confirm*. 3. **The ₹1 is added to your wallet** as balance. It isn't a top-up, so it doesn't count toward the ₹2,000 minimum first top-up. 4. **Your organization is verified.** You can create buckets, and the free 25 GB of storage applies to your bill. 5. **If the ₹1 is your organization's only payment** and it is prepaid, it stays on the free plan until its first top-up: | | Verified by the ₹1 only (prepaid) | After a top-up of ₹2,000 or more | | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Create buckets and upload in the portal | Yes, up to 25 GB stored | Yes | | Create S3 access keys (AWS CLI, SDKs, rclone) | **No.** *Top up ₹2,000 to create S3 access keys.* | Yes | | Storage | Up to **25 GB**, free | No limit. Use above the free allowance is billed at the [Pricing](/docs/infrastructure/object-storage/pricing) rates. | A top-up made any way (Razorpay or bank transfer) lifts these limits. A postpaid organization verified by the ₹1 isn't limited. ## Before you begin * **Identity verification** completed for your organization. * To pay the ₹1, an **organization admin or billing member** role. Other members see *Ask an organization admin or billing member to verify a payment method.* * A UPI app, a card, or netbanking for an Indian bank. ## Pay the ₹1 You can pay from the Object Storage page or from the billing pages; both open the same checkout. ### Open the payment Choose one: * **From Object Storage:** open **Object Storage** in your workspace. Under *Pay ₹1 (added to your wallet) to unlock Object Storage.*, click **Verify payment method**. * **From Billing:** in the sidebar, open **Billing → Payment Method**. On the **Verify your payment method** card, click **Pay ₹1**. ### Pay in the checkout The Razorpay checkout opens for **₹1**. Pay with UPI, a card or netbanking, the same way as a wallet top-up. ### Wait for confirmation The portal shows *Waiting for your payment to confirm*. It updates by itself when billing confirms the payment. You don't need to pay again. ### Check that it worked * **Object Storage** now shows **Create Bucket**. * **Billing → Payment Method** shows **Payment method** with a **Verified** badge and *Verified on* followed by the date. If the ₹1 is your only payment, it also shows *Free 25 GB of Object Storage. Top up ₹2,000 to create S3 access keys and store more.* and how much you use, for example *Using 3.2 of 25 GB*. * Your wallet balance is ₹1 higher. If your organization was verified by an earlier payment, the card says *Verified by your top-up on* or *Verified by a paid invoice on*, followed by the date, and you don't need to pay. ## After the free 25 GB While your organization is verified only by the ₹1, IBEE checks how much you store: * **Under 25 GB:** you can create buckets and upload as usual. * **At 25 GB or more:** you can't create buckets or upload files. The portal shows **Top up ₹2,000** with *You've used your free 25 GB.* Uploads stop with *You've used your free 25 GB of Object Storage. Top up ₹2,000 to keep uploading.* To continue, either: * **top up** your wallet with at least ₹2,000 (see [Add billing](/docs/getting-started/account-setup/add-billing)); the limit is lifted at once; or * **delete files** you no longer need, to get back under 25 GB. ## Limits and timing | Item | Value | | ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Verification payment | ₹1, added to your wallet | | Free storage while verified by the ₹1 only | 25 GB (25 GiB, 26,843,545,600 bytes) | | Minimum first top-up that lifts the limits | ₹2,000 | | Payment attempts | 10 per organization in 24 hours | | Clicking **Pay ₹1** again within 30 minutes | Reopens the same checkout instead of starting a new payment | | A paid ₹1 the portal hasn't confirmed yet | Billing re-checks unconfirmed payments every 30 minutes | | Free storage in the month you verify | Verifying on any day gives you the free storage for that whole month | ## Use the API > **Warning** > > **Temporarily paused:** managing Object Storage and Container Registry through the API, SDKs, CLI and Terraform. Until it resumes, these calls answer `404` with an empty body. That doesn't mean your resource was deleted. The portal, S3 file traffic, registry pushes and pulls, and your existing resources keep working. The API, CLI and Terraform steps for these products apply once it resumes. If you use Terraform, [read this first](/docs/api-reference/terraform#paused-object-storage-and-container-registry). The [IBEE API](/docs/api-reference/introduction) applies the same rule to requests made with an API token. **Creating a bucket or an S3 credential** (`POST /object-storage/buckets`, `POST /object-storage/credentials`) is refused with `402`, `error: billing_denied`, and one of these `billing_reason` values: | `billing_reason` | Meaning | What to do | | ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | | `payment_verification_required` | The payment method isn't verified yet | Pay ₹1 in the portal | | `access_keys_require_topup` | Verified by the ₹1 only: S3 credentials need a top-up | Top up at least ₹2,000 | | `free_storage_limit_reached` | Verified by the ₹1 only, and 25 GB is already stored | Top up, or delete files | **Uploading** (an object `PUT`, creating a presigned upload link, a copy, or starting a multipart upload) by an organization verified by the ₹1 only, with 25 GB stored, is refused with `403` and `error: free_storage_limit_reached`. The body also carries `"message": "You've used your free 25 GB of Object Storage. Top up ₹2,000 to keep uploading."`. The API has no payment operations: pay the ₹1 or top up in the portal, then send the request again. See [Billing refusals](/docs/api-reference/introduction#billing-refusals) for the full `402` format. ## Troubleshooting | You see | What it means | What to do | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Verify payment method** instead of **Create Bucket**, with *Pay ₹1 (added to your wallet) to unlock Object Storage.* | Your organization hasn't verified a payment method | Click **Verify payment method** and pay ₹1. | | *Verify a payment method to use Object Storage: pay ₹1 on the Payment Method page. The ₹1 is added to your wallet.* | A bucket or access key was refused for the same reason | Pay ₹1 from **Billing → Payment Method**, then try again. | | *Ask an organization admin or billing member to verify a payment method.* | Your role can't pay for the organization | Ask an organization admin or a billing member to pay the ₹1. | | *Waiting for your payment to confirm* for a long time | Billing hasn't received the payment confirmation yet | Wait and refresh. Billing re-checks every 30 minutes. Don't pay again: the button stays disabled while a payment is being confirmed. | | *Your last payment is still being confirmed. Check again in a minute.* | A ₹1 payment is still being confirmed | Wait a minute, then refresh the page. | | *The payment did not go through. Try again.* | The payment failed or was cancelled; no money was taken | Click **Pay ₹1** again, or use another payment method. | | *Too many verification attempts today. Please try again tomorrow or contact support.* | 10 payment attempts were started in the last 24 hours | Try again after 24 hours, or [contact support](/docs/support/contact-support). | | *This organisation's payment method is already verified.* | Nothing more is needed | Go back to **Object Storage** and click **Create Bucket**. | | *Payment verification is available for organisations billed in India only.* | Your organization is billed outside India and doesn't need it | Create buckets as usual. | | *Payment verification can't be reached right now. Please try again in a moment.* | Billing didn't answer | Wait a moment and try again. | | **Top up ₹2,000** on the S3 credentials tab, with *Top up ₹2,000 to create S3 access keys.* | Verified by the ₹1 only | Top up at least ₹2,000, then create the credential. | | **Top up ₹2,000** with *You've used your free 25 GB.* | Verified by the ₹1 only, and 25 GB is stored | Top up, or delete files to get under 25 GB. | ## Related pages * [Upload your first object](/docs/infrastructure/object-storage/upload-your-first-object) * [API Credentials](/docs/infrastructure/object-storage/api-tokens): S3 access keys * [Pricing](/docs/infrastructure/object-storage/pricing): the free allowance and rates * [Add billing](/docs/getting-started/account-setup/add-billing): top up your wallet * [Verify your identity](/docs/getting-started/account-setup/verify-your-identity)