diff --git a/litellm/interactions/background_cost_polling.py b/litellm/interactions/background_cost_polling.py
index d1a3fccaac5..ce0774d6b8c 100644
--- a/litellm/interactions/background_cost_polling.py
+++ b/litellm/interactions/background_cost_polling.py
@@ -552,19 +552,16 @@ async def _fetch_before_delete(
 ) -> InteractionsAPIResponse | None:
     try:
         return await fetch_interaction(context)
-    except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001  # unfetchable pre-delete state settles by releasing the reservation
+    except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001  # the caller decides what an unfetchable pre-delete state means
         verbose_logger.debug(
-            "Could not fetch background interaction %s before delete, releasing its reservation: %s",
-            context.interaction_id,
-            e,
+            "Could not fetch background interaction %s before its delete: %s", context.interaction_id, e
         )
         return None
 
 
 async def _settle_before_delete(
-    context: BackgroundInteractionPollContext, fetch_interaction: FetchInteraction
+    context: BackgroundInteractionPollContext, response: InteractionsAPIResponse | None
 ) -> SettlementOutcome | None:
-    response: Final = await _fetch_before_delete(context, fetch_interaction)
     if not await _claim(context):
         return None
     if response is None:
@@ -581,7 +578,7 @@ async def maybe_settle_background_interaction_before_delete(
 ) -> SettlementOutcome | None:
     entry: Final = _ACTIVE_POLLS.get(interaction_id)
     if entry is not None:
-        return await _settle_before_delete(entry.context, fetch_interaction)
+        return await _settle_before_delete(entry.context, await _fetch_before_delete(entry.context, fetch_interaction))
     settlement_store: Final = store or _STORE.store
     pending: Final = await _pending(settlement_store, interaction_id)
     if pending is None:
@@ -596,7 +593,15 @@ async def maybe_settle_background_interaction_before_delete(
         api_base=api_base if isinstance(api_base, str) else None,
         store=settlement_store,
     )
-    return await _settle_before_delete(context, fetch_interaction)
+    response: Final = await _fetch_before_delete(context, fetch_interaction)
+    if response is None:
+        verbose_logger.debug(
+            "Leaving background interaction %s to the poll that created it: this process could not fetch it with "
+            "the delete's credentials, so the delete is about to fail the same way",
+            interaction_id,
+        )
+        return None
+    return await _settle_before_delete(context, response)
 
 
 async def _unclaimed(store: BackgroundSettlementStore) -> Sequence[PendingBackgroundInteraction]:
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/interactions/test_background_cost_polling.py b/tests/test_litellm/interactions/test_background_cost_polling.py
index 40d63090054..df80acfd7e6 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/interactions/test_background_cost_polling.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/interactions/test_background_cost_polling.py
@@ -695,6 +695,30 @@ async def test_delete_on_another_replica_releases_the_create_reservation():
     assert settled_metadata["user_api_key_budget_reservation"]["finalized"] is True
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_delete_on_another_replica_leaves_an_unfetchable_create_to_its_own_poll():
+    """
+    The settling replica fetches with the delete's credentials, never the
+    create's, so a fetch it cannot make (a key only the deployment carries)
+    says nothing about the interaction: the delete is about to fail the same
+    way, and the poll on the creating replica still owns the bill.
+    """
+    store = InMemoryBackgroundSettlementStore()
+    logging_obj = _logging_obj(litellm_params={"metadata": _create_metadata()})
+    await _create_on_a_replica_that_then_dies(logging_obj, store)
+    fetch, _ = _fetch_sequence(RuntimeError("Google API key is required"))
+
+    outcome = await maybe_settle_background_interaction_before_delete(
+        interaction_id="interactions/bg-abc", delete_kwargs={}, fetch_interaction=fetch, store=store
+    )
+
+    assert outcome is None
+    assert await store.is_claimed("interactions/bg-abc") is False
+    poll_fetch, _ = _fetch_sequence(_response("completed", with_usage=True))
+    await asyncio.wait_for(_register_poll(logging_obj, poll_fetch=poll_fetch, store=store), timeout=5)
+    assert logging_obj.model_call_details["response_cost"] > 0
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_delete_settles_once_however_many_replicas_try():
     store = InMemoryBackgroundSettlementStore()