OpenAI API billing: previous paid balance disappeared, only new $5 credit shows up

API
1

Hi everyone,

I’m confused about my OpenAI API billing behavior.

  • My account is not free-trial only

  • I had added a credit card and paid for the API before

  • Recently, I added funds again and now see $5 marked as Available in Billing → Credit grants

  • However, all previous balance/credits are gone (shown as Expired), and only this new $5 remains

What I’m trying to understand:

  • Is it normal that previous paid balance disappears, while only the newly added $5 shows up?

  • Does Credit Grants include both promo credits and paid top-ups, or only promo credits?

  • If previous usage consumed all paid balance, where can I clearly verify that?

  • Could this be related to:

    • Credit expiration rules?

    • A billing reset?

    • Organization mismatch?

I’ve checked billing history, payment methods, and organizations, but I’m still unsure whether this behavior is expected or a billing issue.

Any clarification would be appreciated. Thanks!

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In your credit grants screenshot:
Note the “expires” date of a payment made over a year ago.

1-year expiry went into effect at the start of the month on old payments.

There has been inconsistency in that screen recently, where a balance remaining would have previously been zeroed out after expiration, but now there is unreliable information about what was used and what was “taken”.

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3

I’m writing to express my concern regarding the recent expiration and removal of credits from my OpenAI API account.

I understand from your response that a 1-year expiration policy has now been enforced on older credits, including credits originating from paid top-ups. However, I believe this situation is unfair and poorly communicated to users, including myself, for the following reasons:

  1. I was not aware of any 1-year expiration policy for paid credits at the time I added funds to my account.

  2. I did not receive any prior notification or reminder (email or in-product notice) informing me that my remaining credits were about to expire or be reclaimed.

  3. The Billing → Credit Grants UI is unclear and inconsistent, making it difficult to distinguish between:

    • promotional credits, and

    • credits originating from actual payments.

  4. As a result, the removal of these credits appeared sudden and unexpected, and feels like a loss of paid value rather than a normal usage-based charge.

Had I been clearly informed about this policy, or received advance notice before expiration, I would have used the credits in time or adjusted my usage accordingly.

Given these circumstances, I would like to ask:

  • Whether it is possible to reinstate or refund the expired credits, either fully or partially, as a goodwill adjustment.

  • Or, at minimum, whether there is any alternative resolution you can offer for users who were not properly informed of this policy change.

I value OpenAI’s products and have been using the API in good faith, but I believe better transparency and communication are essential for billing-related policies, especially when they affect paid balances.

Thank you for taking the time to review this request. I look forward to your response.

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