ChatGPT Pro and Business can claim API credits

OpenAI's API changelog for 28 October 2026 says eligible ChatGPT Pro and Business subscribers can claim up to $500 a month in API credits. The credits guide (opens in a new tab) is the table behind that line. Pro at the $100 tier gets $100, the $200 tier gets $200, and the $500 tier gets $500. Business Standard is $20 per paid seat, and Business Premium is $100 per paid seat. Business credits are pooled and capped at $500 per workspace per month. A workspace that pays annually upfront receives the year's grant at once. The first grant is prorated for the time left in the current billing cycle. Unused credits expire at the end of the cycle and do not roll over.

The subscription has to be paid, active, and at least seven days old. Free trials and complimentary subscriptions do not qualify. The same person has to own the ChatGPT subscription, or the Business workspace, and the API organization, and both accounts use the same email. You claim from ChatGPT billing or from API Platform billing. Credits apply to API Platform usage on the linked organization, including the Responses API, the Agents API, the Decisions API, GPT-Live, the Realtime API, and the Images API. OpenAI says Codex usage through API keys is not covered, and the credits do not raise ChatGPT or signed-in Codex limits. ChatGPT Enterprise, Plus, Go, and Free are not eligible. When the free balance is gone and no purchased credits remain, requests fail with HTTP 429 and error code credit_balance_exhausted.

Who it's for: a Pro or Business owner who also owns an API organization and wants those credits on API calls.

Fits: Best for Writing. ChatGPT stays second. Credits do not change the chat model or the writing limits. OpenAI Codex stays third on Best for Vibe Coding, and this grant does not cover Codex through API keys. The ChatGPT alternatives page is unchanged. The verdicts are unchanged.