OpenAI announced on October 28, 2026 that eligible ChatGPT Pro and Business subscribers can claim up to $500 a month in API credits. The benefit can help fund apps and workplace automations through OpenAI’s API—the interface software uses to access its models.
The credits fund one linked API organization, the account billed for that software’s usage. They do not increase ChatGPT or signed-in Codex limits.
How much credit is included?
OpenAI lists these full monthly allowances in US dollars:
Eligible plan or seat | API credit allowance |
|---|---|
Pro $100 tier | $100 |
Pro $200 tier | $200 |
Pro $500 tier | $500 |
Business Standard | $20 per paid seat |
Business Premium | $100 per paid seat |
Business contributions are pooled, with a $500 monthly workspace ceiling. Annually prepaid Business workspaces instead receive a year’s grant upfront, capped at $6,000, expiring at annual billing-cycle end.
The first grant is prorated to the time remaining in the billing cycle. Monthly credits expire at that cycle’s end without rollover. Eligible renewals trigger new grants automatically while the benefit remains available.
These are not subscription refunds. Pro’s published prices remain $100, $200 or $500 monthly; the Business figures above are credit contributions, not seat prices.
Who can claim, and how?
The paid subscription must be at least seven days old. Activation requires matching ChatGPT and API account emails, ownership of both the subscription or workspace and the receiving API organization, plus API billing-management permission.
Trials, complimentary subscriptions, Plus, Go and Free do not qualify. Enterprise is also excluded; its separate contract-pricing question is covered in our Enterprise pricing explainer.
Availability also depends on country and rollout group. OpenAI’s eligibility guidance does not list those markets or groups, so a qualifying plan alone does not guarantee immediate access.
Start in ChatGPT’s billing settings or API Platform billing, select the intended organization and confirm. Each subscription or workspace can link to only one organization; each organization can have only one active benefit link. Changing the destination requires Support.
After activation, check the receiving organization’s credit-grant record for the actual amount and expiry. Its Usage Dashboard reports activity separately.
What the credits can—and cannot—pay for
Covered API work includes text and code generation, image understanding and creation, voice, agents and associated tool or storage charges. Codex usage through API keys is excluded.
ChatGPT and API accounts retain separate billing systems and credit balances. Paying for a ChatGPT subscription is not the same as setting up paid API usage; check API billing before relying on purchased credits as a backup.
Illustrative budget: an existing subscriber receives a full $200 grant but runs only $80 of otherwise payable eligible API work. The offset is $80; $120 expires unused under the credit rules. This example assumes unchanged usage and no competing promotional balance, and excludes taxes.
An active grant needs no API payment method. Free credits are used before purchased credits; if neither remains, API requests fail. Budget around the eligible work you will actually run before expiry, not the allowance’s headline value.