OpenAI tests an $8 pay-to-reset button for ChatGPT Plus users who hit their weekly quota. The feature competes with Anthropic's promotional credits as both labs vie for heavy users.
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OpenAI is testing a feature that lets some ChatGPT Plus subscribers pay $8 to reset their weekly usage quota, a move that could add a new revenue stream as the company competes for heavy users.
A Reddit user on the $20 monthly plan posted Monday that after hitting their weekly limit, the interface displayed a black button reading "pay $8 to reset." The feature appeared without a formal announcement. OpenAI introduced banked Codex resets in June for eligible Plus and Pro users, including one free reset at launch and additional resets earned through referrals.
A "full reset" renews the user's weekly quota and eliminates the standard five-hour waiting period before automatic renewal, according to OpenAI's Codex documentation. Users who decline to pay simply wait for the normal cycle. The $8 fee compares with professional plans that cost $25 to $50 a week, making the pay-to-reset option cheaper for users who need immediate access.
An OpenAI spokesperson told Business Insider the company is exploring ways for subscribers who hit their quotas to buy additional usage. The test is part of a broader push to make products more accessible and functional, the spokesperson said.
When a Codex reset is triggered manually, it immediately restores the user's AI usage to 100%. The reset clears current weekly caps, allowing coding to continue without waiting for the rolling schedule. The weekly reset date then shifts to roughly seven days after the redemption.
The pay-to-reset test runs alongside a series of giveaways from OpenAI. The company has offered free usage-limit resets and free ChatGPT Plus for college students. In the customer acquisition phase, freebies encourage heavier usage, which can build habit and drive upgrades to premium tiers.
OpenAI's promotions also aim to pull users away from Anthropic, its chief rival. Anthropic offers Claude users promotional credits and, in some cases, substantial free usage. Both labs are trying to get people to adopt their workflows and eventually spend within their ecosystems.
On Sunday, the rivalry played out publicly. OpenAI's head of Codex, Thibault Sottiaux, and Anthropic's head of Claude Code, Boris Cherny, traded jabs after a user mistakenly tagged Sottiaux in a complaint about an Anthropic account. When Sottiaux clarified he did not work at Anthropic, Cherny replied that Anthropic is hiring if he wanted to make the switch.
Sottiaux responded by saying GPT-5.6 Sol is "awesome." He added: "To celebrate this, together with the fact that I'm not going anywhere... I have reset usage limits for all paid users of ChatGPT Work and Codex. Have fun out there!"
A similar exchange occurred in May. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted on X that Codex is "the best AI coding product" and offered businesses two months of free Codex usage if they signed up within 30 days. Less than an hour later, Anthropic increased Claude Code's weekly limits by 50% until July 13, applying to all Pro, Max, Team, and seat-based Enterprise users.
The $8 reset test suggests OpenAI is testing willingness to pay for immediate quota relief, potentially setting up a new pricing tier for intensive users. No wider rollout date has been announced.
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