On 29 October 2026, OpenAI said Pro 100 and Pro 500 now include twice their previous Work and Codex allowance. It also cancelled the planned Pro 200 reduction, so Pro 200 is not cut.
This is more included usage inside your subscription. It is not API credit, and it does not change any API bill.
The short answer
- Pro 100 and Pro 500: according to OpenAI, each plan now includes twice its previous Work and Codex allowance.
- Pro 200: the reduction announced in OpenAI’s 29 September email is cancelled. Higher-allowance accounts keep it. Lower-allowance accounts move up to the same limit.
- No fixed numbers: OpenAI gave a multiplier, not a count of messages or tasks. Do not turn “twice” into a promise of twice the work.
- Not the same as API credit: the free API credit for eligible subscribers is a separate benefit announced on 28 October.
What changed in each Pro tier?
| Tier | What OpenAI announced on 29 October |
|---|---|
| Pro 100 | Includes twice its previous Work and Codex allowance. |
| Pro 200 | The reduction announced on 29 September is cancelled. Accounts already on the higher allowance keep it. From 29 October, accounts on the lower allowance get twice their previous allowance, which brings them to the same limit. |
| Pro 500 | Includes twice its previous Work and Codex allowance. |
Read the Pro 200 row carefully. Not every Pro 200 account gets a doubling. Only accounts on the lower allowance move up, and the end point is the higher limit that other Pro 200 accounts already had. The notes do not publish either allowance as a number.
The release-note entry covers more Work and Codex usage on Pro and Business Premium plans. The text under it describes the Pro changes above. Business Premium readers should check their own plan page for the details.
Which three “wallets” are involved?
These are three separate things.
- Included subscription allowance. This is the Work and Codex usage that comes with your monthly plan. The 29 October change is here.
- Free API credit. According to OpenAI, eligible Pro and Business subscribers can activate promotional credits for a linked API organization. These credits are separate from ChatGPT usage credits. Our explainer on the free API credit covers eligibility and rules. Nothing in the 29 October entry changes them.
- API billing. This is what developers pay per token on the API. Subscription capacity does not set it, and the capacity increase does not lower it.
A simple test: if the usage happens inside ChatGPT Work or Codex under your plan, the new allowance applies. If it happens through an API key, the API credit and API price apply instead.
Who benefits and who sees no change?
- Benefit most: Pro 100 and Pro 500 users who hit their Work or Codex limit before the end of their usage window. They now have a larger allowance for the same plan price, according to the announcement.
- Benefit if on the lower allowance: Pro 200 subscribers who were on the lower allowance. They are raised to the higher limit.
- Keep what they had: Pro 200 subscribers already on the higher allowance. The cut that was planned for them is cancelled.
- No visible change: light users who never reached a limit. More headroom does not help someone who never used the old one.
- Not covered by this announcement: Plus. The entry names Pro and Business Premium plans, so treat Plus as unchanged by it. API bills are also unchanged.
How do you decide whether to stay on Pro 100?
This is a framework, not a purchase recommendation. Answer two questions.
- How often did you hit the limit before the change? Count the times Work or Codex stopped you in the last month. Never or rarely means the old Pro 100 already fit you.
- How much Work and Codex do you really use? Daily agent sessions and long coding tasks use far more than occasional questions.
Then match the result.
- Rarely blocked, light use: stay on Pro 100. The increase only adds a buffer.
- Often blocked before, heavy use: Pro 100 now gives you double the old allowance. We suggest working a full week on the new allowance before you think about a higher tier.
- Still blocked after a full week of normal work: a higher tier may now be worth comparing. Pro 500 is the plan OpenAI described on 29 September as having the highest included usage of the Pro plans.
- Mostly API work: look at API billing and the free API credit, not at plan capacity.
Do not budget from the multiplier. Test on your real tasks, because task size varies widely. We suggest keeping a short note of how many times you were stopped per week.
Questions and answers
Did OpenAI double usage for every Pro plan?
No. It doubled the previous Work and Codex allowance for Pro 100 and Pro 500. Pro 200 had its planned reduction cancelled, and only accounts on the lower allowance were doubled to reach the higher limit.
Does this give me free API credit?
No. The API credit is a separate benefit for eligible subscribers, announced on 28 October. It applies to a linked API organization, not to your ChatGPT allowance.
How many more tasks can I run now?
OpenAI did not publish a task or message count. The increase is a multiplier on your previous allowance, and the number of tasks you get depends on how large each task is.
Does this change my API bill?
No. API usage is billed per token under API pricing. The announcement is about usage included in the subscription.
Is Plus affected?
The announcement covers Pro and Business Premium plans and does not mention Plus. Plan on no change to Plus from this entry.
Should I upgrade from Pro 100 to Pro 500?
Decide by evidence, not by the multiplier. If you still hit the limit after a normal week on the new Pro 100 allowance, compare tiers. If you do not, the upgrade buys capacity you are not using.
Terms in plain language
- Included allowance: the Work and Codex usage that comes with your plan price.
- Work: the ChatGPT experience for longer, multi-step tasks, named in OpenAI’s plan notes alongside Codex.
- Codex: OpenAI’s coding agent. Our Codex install and usage limits guide covers the basics.
- API credit: promotional balance for API use. It is separate from the plan allowance.
Comparing with Claude? See our Claude plans and pricing guide.
Sources
- OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT release notes (entries of 28 and 29 October 2026 and 29 September 2026)
- OpenAI Help Center: Model release notes (checked; no capacity entry)
- ClueTrove: ChatGPT Pro and Business API credits explained
Facts read on 31 October 2026.
Part of the guide: AI model pricing and API cost guide.
