great post, I just put $100 in credits on open router to try different models, I think maybe using the "real" provider is the way forward once I've spent my credits and decided which one I want (for now).
Be sure to spend them! Another great feature of OpenRouter is that they will take your credits after a year. They just delete them. A ToS-legalized theft if you ask me. (Even if you are still actively using those credits.)
As of right now, they only expire credits if you don't use the account at all for a year. This is different from, say, OpenAI, where your credits expire unconditionally. That said, they do deserve the right to expire them regardless, so this could change in the future.
