OpenAI now gives top ChatGPT subscribers free credits for developers

OpenAI has started giving credits to people on its higher-priced ChatGPT plans. If you pay $100, $200 or $500 a month, you now get the same amount in credits to use with OpenAI's API. Developer Simon Willison reported the change on October 29, 2026.

What changed

The API is the tool developers use to connect their own apps and experiments to an AI service. It is billed separately from a regular chat subscription. Under the new benefit, the credits are applied to one of your API organizations, which is an account that holds API usage and billing.

Anthropic, the maker of Claude, announced almost the same deal earlier this month for its Max and Team subscriptions. Its credits expire. Willison described OpenAI's offer as pretty much exactly the same deal.

Who it affects

The benefit mostly matters to people who both subscribe and build things, such as small business owners testing an AI feature or developers running demos. Willison pays for both companies and said he may now release some public demos, since the credits are covered by subscriptions he already has.

The source does not say whether OpenAI's credits expire, which exact plans qualify beyond the price levels, or how to claim them. Readers on a top plan should check their account settings and OpenAI's official terms before counting on the credits.