# What GitHub Copilot's Usage-Based Billing Means for Zed Users

> Source: <https://zed.dev/blog/github-copilot-usage-based-billing>
> Published: 2026-06-01 00:00:00+00:00

GitHub is changing Copilot Chat from request-based billing to token-based billing on Monday. If you use [Copilot Chat in Zed](https://github.blog/changelog/2026-02-19-github-copilot-support-in-zed-generally-available/), your usage will be metered by GitHub AI Credits instead of the old Premium Request Unit system. Copilot edit predictions, which GitHub calls code completions and Next Edit suggestions, will not.

This applies anywhere you choose a Copilot Chat model in Zed. Agent turns, inline assists, commit-message generation, tool calls, and subagent work all count when they use a Copilot Chat model. If you use Copilot Chat heavily, especially with agents, you should expect this to cost more.

[Check your billing preview](#check-your-billing-preview)

GitHub lets you preview what your recent Copilot usage would have cost under the new pricing. Download the [usage report](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/manage-and-track-spending/prepare-for-your-move-to-usage-based-billing) and look for `aic_quantity`

and `aic_gross_amount`

. If you manage Copilot for a team, use [GitHub's organization and enterprise docs](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/billing/usage-based-billing-for-organizations-and-enterprises) to set budgets before overages start.

[What you can do in Zed](#what-you-can-do-in-zed)

If the new pricing works for you, you can keep using Copilot Chat in Zed without changing anything. You can also switch the Agent Panel to another model provider. Zed supports hosted models, subscription-based options like [ChatGPT](/blog/chatgpt-subscription-in-zed) and OpenCode, your own API keys, and [local models](/blog/local-ai-in-zed).

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