Bridge by Wekoya / Guides / How to pay for the OpenAI, Claude and Gemini APIs from Nigeria

How to pay for the OpenAI, Claude and Gemini APIs from Nigeria

In short: OpenAI, Anthropic and Google sell API credit in dollars and expect a card that clears international charges, which many Nigerian cards do not. The simplest way around it is Bridge by Wekoya: one OpenAI-compatible API for GPT, Claude, Gemini and 90+ other models, topped up in naira by bank transfer.

Updated

What each provider asks for

ProviderHow you payWhat gets in the way
OpenAI APIPrepaid credit in dollars, from $5Standard credit or debit cards only; prepaid cards are refused, and the card must come from a bank in a supported country.
Claude API (Anthropic)Prepaid usage creditCredit and debit cards; invoices only for accounts arranged with their sales team.
Gemini API (Google)A free tier with limits, then a Cloud Billing account, prepaid from $5The paid tier needs a Google Cloud billing account and a payment method.
Bridge by WekoyaA naira balance, by bank transferNothing extra. A card works too, but it is not needed.

Checked on 8 November 2026 against each provider's own billing pages, linked above. They change their rules from time to time; the linked pages are the authority.

Why Nigerian cards are declined

Provider billing charges in dollars. Many Nigerian naira cards are blocked for international charges or have small dollar limits, and prepaid or virtual cards are refused outright by some providers. A card that works one month can be declined the next when a bank changes its limits, and the API stops when the credit runs out.

Pay in naira instead

Bridge is an API that serves GPT, Claude, Gemini and open-source models through one key. You pay Bridge in naira, and Bridge pays the providers. Every request shows its cost in naira, nothing recurs, and your balance never goes negative.

  1. Create a free account with your email.
  2. Open Billing in the console and top up your naira balance by bank transfer to your own account number.
  3. Create a key under API keys. It starts with wk_live_ and is shown once, so keep it somewhere safe.
  4. Point the OpenAI SDK at Bridge and pick any model:
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(api_key="wk_live_...", base_url="https://wekoya-api.wekoya.tech/v1")
reply = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-5-5",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}],
)
print(reply.choices[0].message.content)

Change claude-sonnet-5-5 to gpt-6-luna or gemini-3.5-flash-lite and the same code calls GPT or Gemini, from the same balance. The models page lists every model with its naira price.

Create a free account

Common questions

Can I pay for the OpenAI API with a Nigerian naira card?

Sometimes, but it often fails: OpenAI bills in dollars, accepts only standard credit or debit cards, and refuses prepaid cards. Through Bridge you can use GPT models and pay in naira by bank transfer instead.

Do virtual dollar cards work for AI APIs?

Some do and some are refused. OpenAI says prepaid cards cannot buy API credit. A naira balance on Bridge avoids the question: you pay by bank transfer.

Is there a minimum top-up on Bridge?

There is no subscription and no minimum spend. You pay per request from your balance.

Can a company pay for the whole team's AI use?

Yes. A company account on Bridge has one balance funded by bank transfer, roles for each person, and a naira limit per person and per key.

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