Abuse of the $1 Trial Plan in Vietnam – Unfair Impact on Legitimate $25 Users

[vodanh0204]

Hi everyone,

I’d like to bring attention to an issue that’s been growing within the GPT user community in Vietnam: the widespread abuse of the $1 trial plan, which is having increasingly negative effects—particularly for those of us who are legitimate $25/month Plus subscribers.

How the $1 plan is being abused:

A number of individuals or groups are:

• Creating multiple trial accounts using fake identities, VPNs, virtual credit cards, etc.
• Selling or renting access to trial accounts for extremely cheap prices (sometimes less than $1).
• Rotating through dozens of $1 accounts to get continuous access without ever subscribing to the Plus plan.

---

Consequences of this behavior:

1. Unfairness to paying users
   Those of us who support OpenAI by paying $25/month face competition for resources from a wave of temporary, possibly automated trial users.
2. Potential system strain and performance issues
   Mass abuse of trial accounts may contribute to server load and degrade the overall user experience.
3. A culture of entitlement
   This behavior encourages a mindset of “forever free,” undermining the sustainability of high-quality AI services and setting a bad example for new users.

---

Suggested solutions:

• OpenAI may consider restricting trial abuse from regions where misuse is common, similar to how other platforms limit trial exploits by IP or payment method verification.
• Community awareness
  We should help educate users about the importance of supporting services they benefit from—and discourage exploitative practices.
• Form a verified user community
  Having a group for verified $25 users to share tips, support each other, and encourage fair usage can help foster a healthier GPT ecosystem.

---

Final thoughts:

OpenAI offers the $1 trial in good faith, to help people explore GPT before committing. But when that offer is systematically abused, it hurts not just the company, but also the wider user base who pay fairly to support the product.

Let’s work together to promote fair use, mutual respect, and a better experience for everyone.

Thanks for reading!

[OnceAndTwice]

I don’t doubt that OpenAI has the ability to see which regions have a lower conversion rate once the $1 trial has expired. They have tons and tons of money. We don’t need to worry about them.

Why not join in?

[vodanh0204]

I mean, many people take advantage of it to sell products, but my region—Vietnam—is not supported. It creates an unfair situation for legitimate buyers.