Good question, I’ll answer step by step. The confirmed order is:
Grok Bot weekly allowance → referral or usage credits → paid On-Demand
So it’s the first option from your message. Once the Grok Bot weekly pool is used up, further usage will first spend referral or promo credits, and only then move to paid On-Demand if it’s enabled. This matches what teammates confirmed in a nearby thread: Grok Bot draining Cursor credit pool
About the wording in the email saying it’s separate from your Cursor usage. Grok Bot does have its own separate weekly pool, but that separation only applies until the pool runs out. Once it’s depleted, usage spills over into your main Cursor balance, first credits, then On-Demand.
One correction to what I said earlier about the On-Demand limit. Setting the limit to 0 dollars only stops paid On-Demand charges, but it does not stop referral or promo credits from being spent. Those get used before On-Demand. Sorry for the earlier mistake. Right now the only reliable way to prevent spillover from using your balance is to watch the Grok Bot weekly meter and pause the bot when it’s close to 100%.
If you want us to check your specific account and see exactly which credits were used, email [email protected] and the team can verify the exact credit entries.