Then how do they spend those tokens?
Once Chinese consumers purchase a token package from a telecom carrier, "spending" tokens is an automatic process. You don't actively do anything—the AI application deducts tokens from your balance every time it performs a task for you -1-2.
The best way to understand this is to think of tokens exactly like mobile data. You buy a 10GB data plan, then your phone automatically uses up that data when you watch videos or browse the web. The only difference is that tokens are the "fuel" for AI tasks, not internet browsing.
🔄 The "Set It and Forget It" Workflow
Here is the exact process of how tokens are spent once a consumer buys a package:
- Account Binding (The Link): After purchasing the token package (e.g., via the China Mobile or China Telecom app), the user links their phone number to an AI application. This is done either by entering the phone number directly in the app or by configuring an "API Key" (a unique code provided by the carrier) in advanced software -2-6.
- Task Execution (The Burn): When you ask an AI to do something complex—such as "generate a PowerPoint presentation" or "summarize this 100-page document"—the app automatically deducts tokens from your balance. This happens invisibly in the background, just like data being used when you load a webpage -1-7.
📊 What Does "Spending" Look Like? (Usage Table)
To visualize how fast these tokens go, here is the breakdown of token costs for different tasks using the carrier packages -2-5-7:
| Task | Approximate Token Cost | Cost with Pay-As-You-Go | Cost with Token Package |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generate a 1-minute AI Video | ~1 Million Tokens | ~7.00−7.00 - 7.00−8.00 USD (¥50-60) | ~$0.14 USD (¥1)-2-5 |
| Professional Coding or Data Analysis | Tens of thousands per hour | Expensive per API call | Very cheap (bulk rate) -2-6 |
| Simple Chat (e.g., "What's the weather?") | ~50 - 200 Tokens | Free (usually) | Free (wrapped into the bundle) -6 |
🛒 Where Do They Spend Them? (The "App Store" for AI)
You don't just spend tokens in one place. The carrier packages function like a "universal adapter" that works across hundreds of different applications -3-6.
- The "Super App" Ecosystem: Once you buy a China Mobile package, your tokens are valid in apps like Tencent WorkBuddy (work collaboration), OpenClaw (AI agents), and TeleClaw (Chinese telecom's agent system). You use the same "balance" across all of them -2.
- The "Token Supermarket" Model: The carrier acts as a middleman. You pay the carrier, and the carrier pays the specific AI model provider (like DeepSeek or Zhipu) behind the scenes every time you use their service -3-6.
📈 The "Heavy User" Scenario
While casual users chat for free, "spending" tokens becomes essential for "Heavy Users" (Prosumers/Businesses).
- The Automation Leap: Users are now deploying "AI Agents" (like OpenClaw) that can work autonomously for hours to complete tasks like cleaning data or booking travel. These agents "burn" millions of tokens automatically in a single night -7.
- The Cost Math: Without a package, running a complex AI agent could cost a fortune. With a package, a task that cost ~7.00(¥50)nowcostsroughly 7.00 (¥50) now costs roughly ~7.00(¥50)nowcostsroughly0.14 (¥1) -2.
In short, once you buy the package, spending tokens is automatic: The AI works, the math happens in the cloud, and your token balance drops silently in the background—just like your phone data.