Hi everyone,
I’m writing because I believe what’s happening here affects not just me, but many others who believe in OpenAI and are trying to build on its platform.
We’re a small, pre-revenue startup. Last year, we purchased $472 worth of OpenAI credits.
We’ve used about $250 of them actively — real usage, real development.
Now, the remaining ~$220 is set to expire soon, and we asked for a simple, one-time extension to finish using what we already paid for.
Here’s what happened:
- We explained everything clearly to OpenAI Support — that we’re early-stage, still building, and that unexpected hurdles delayed our full usage.
- We were met with copy-pasted, scripted responses, explaining how “credits are like prepaid phone minutes” (as if we didn’t understand that).
- No real explanation was ever given why flexibility isn’t possible — just repeated policies.
- Our thread was deliberately closed without allowing us to respond further.
And here’s the bigger issue:
OpenAI claims to stand for empowering builders, democratizing AI, and supporting innovation.
But when real startups — who have paid real money — face small, reasonable hurdles, OpenAI’s support hides behind rigid policy and canned empathy instead of actually listening.
This isn’t just about $200.
It’s about whether OpenAI treats its builders like partners or like ticket numbers to be managed.
If you’re a startup, an indie developer, or even just someone who believes companies should stand by their values — this affects you too.
If OpenAI can quietly dismiss the real needs of its earliest builders, that’s a bad sign for all of us.
If you’ve faced anything similar — expired credits, rigid support, feeling shut out — please comment or message me. Let’s find each other.
If we make enough noise together, maybe OpenAI will realize that real builders deserve real support — not just PR statements.
Thanks for reading.
Hi, welcome to the community!
Sorry to hear that.
Unfortunately, this is the current policy.
However, it would be better if a clear warning appeared on the payment or credit card entry page when users purchase credits:
For example:
WARNING:
CREDITS WILL EXPIRE ON MAY 1, 2026. UNUSED CREDITS WILL BE LOST AFTER THIS DATE. NO EXTENSIONS OR REFUNDS WILL BE PROVIDED. PLEASE CHECK THE BOX BELOW TO CONFIRM THAT YOU UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THIS POLICY.
[ Yes ] [ No ]
Also it could be better after purchase to send a WARNING/REMINDER email about experies date.
Have you read the FAQ page:
Credits are expires 1 year later:
https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8264778-what-is-prepaid-billing
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Hi polepole, thank you for your response and for acknowledging the situation.
Yes, I fully understand that this is the current policy, and I’ve read the FAQ as well. I believe this shift to a stricter prepaid system happened around the time when OpenAI moved away from the earlier postpaid approach. At that time, it was quite difficult for early-stage teams like ours to accurately estimate how much we’d use and when, especially given the unpredictability of building and iterating a new product.
We are now at a critical stage — after months of development and ironing out issues that delayed our January launch, we are finally preparing to launch next month. Once we do, our credit usage will very likely ramp up rapidly. It’s just unfortunate timing that the expiry of our remaining credits is coinciding with this milestone.
At this point, even a short extension of 1–2 months would go a long way for us.
What’s even more concerning — and frankly disheartening — is that I’ve always seen OpenAI as a mission-driven organization that genuinely cares about its builders and the broader community. If I were getting this kind of rigid, impersonal response from a traditional bank or consulting firm, I would expect it. But coming from a company that stands for responsible AI and supporting innovation, it honestly shakes one’s belief in the values we thought we shared.
Thank you again for taking the time to respond. I hope this feedback is taken constructively, both for my case and for how other startups might be supported going forward.
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