<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI has multiple billing \u201cbuckets\u201d<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So ChatGPT subscription \u2260 API credits<\/strong>. And Codex credits \u2260 API usage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Are ChatGPT, Codex, Sora, and API billed together or separately?<\/strong> 2) What\u2019s the difference between an OpenAI \u201corganization\u201d and a \u201cproject\u201d?<\/strong> 3) Where do I check ChatGPT plan billing?<\/strong> 4) Where do I check Codex usage and limits?<\/strong> 5) Where do I check Sora usage\/credits?<\/strong> 6) Where do I check API usage\/spend?<\/strong> 7) Why can API usage look like $0 even though I\u2019m getting \u201cQuota exceeded\u201d?<\/strong> 8) Can one dashboard show everything combined (ChatGPT + Codex + Sora + API)?<\/strong> 9) What are \u201ccredits\u201d in ChatGPT\/Codex\/Sora?<\/strong> 10) Do credits expire?<\/strong> 11) What are the main ChatGPT plan types?<\/strong> 12) How is ChatGPT Free priced?<\/strong> 13) What is ChatGPT Go and how much does it cost?<\/strong> 14) What is ChatGPT Plus and how much does it cost?<\/strong> 15) What is ChatGPT Pro and how much does it cost?<\/strong> 16) What is ChatGPT Business pricing?<\/strong> 17) What\u2019s ChatGPT Enterprise pricing?<\/strong> 18) What does \u201cUnlimited\u201d vs \u201cFlexible\u201d mean on Business\/Enterprise feature tables?<\/strong> 19) Do ChatGPT subscriptions include API usage?<\/strong> 20) If I pay for ChatGPT (Plus\/Pro), do I automatically get Codex\/Sora credits?<\/strong> 21) What is Codex in 2026 (in OpenAI terms)?<\/strong> 22) Is Codex billed like API tokens or like ChatGPT messages?<\/strong> 23) What is the \u201c5-hour usage limit\u201d in Codex?<\/strong> 24) What is the \u201cweekly usage limit\u201d in Codex?<\/strong> 25) What are \u201cCodex credits\u201d?<\/strong> 26) \u201cChatGPT gave some message credit to Codex\u2014how much?\u201d<\/strong> 27) Why does Codex say \u201cout of credits\u201d but API usage is $0?<\/strong> 28) Can I \u201cfix\u201d Codex out-of-credits by adding money to API billing?<\/strong> 29) What does this Codex error mean: \u201cEncrypted content \u2026 organization_id did not match\u201d?<\/strong> 30) Why does Codex CLI say \u201cQuota exceeded. Check your plan and billing details\u201d?<\/strong> 31) Is Sora billed by subscription, credits, or API usage?<\/strong> 32) Does ChatGPT Business include Sora?<\/strong> 33) How do Sora credits work?<\/strong> 34) Do Sora credits expire?<\/strong> 35) Can I buy more Sora credits any time?<\/strong> 36) Why might Sora not appear on my Enterprise\/Edu account?<\/strong> 37) How does API pricing work at the core level?<\/strong> 38) What are current example token prices for GPT-5.2?<\/strong> 39) What are Flex vs Standard (and the higher-priced tier) in API pricing?<\/strong> 40) What is \u201ccached input\u201d and why is it cheaper?<\/strong> 41) How is Codex billed on the API (model names like gpt-5.2-codex)?<\/strong> 42) How is image generation billed on the API now?<\/strong> 43) Give an example of image token prices.<\/strong> 44) How is Realtime API billed?<\/strong> 45) Why does the API Usage Dashboard show UTC and feel \u201coff by a day\u201d?<\/strong> 46) Why are there two project selectors on the API usage page?<\/strong> 47) Where do I see \u201ccredit grants\u201d (API credits \/ prepaid credits) on the platform?<\/strong> 48) How do API budgets work\u2014do they hard-stop requests?<\/strong> 49) What causes \u201cQuota exceeded. Check your plan and billing details\u201d on the API?<\/strong>\n
\n\n\n\nMaster FAQ (50 Qs + detailed answers)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
A) Accounts, billing separation, and \u201cwhere do I look?\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
They are tracked and billed separately<\/strong> depending on where you use them. ChatGPT plans are subscriptions, while API calls are metered usage, and Codex\/Sora can use \u201ccredits for flexible usage.\u201d That\u2019s why you can see $0 on API usage<\/strong> but still hit Codex credits limits<\/strong> or API quota\/billing errors<\/strong>. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the API Platform<\/strong>, usage, keys, budgets, and resources are organized into Organizations \u2192 Projects<\/strong>. API keys can be project-scoped<\/strong>, and roles\/visibility can restrict who can see usage. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In ChatGPT: Settings \u2192 Account<\/strong> (and the plan management area). That shows your subscription status (Plus\/Pro\/etc.) and renewal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Codex has its own usage dashboard: chatgpt.com\/codex\/settings\/usage<\/strong> (you already opened this). It shows the 5-hour limit<\/strong>, weekly limit<\/strong>, and credits remaining<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Sora<\/strong> (sora UI) and in the \u201ccredits \/ flexible usage\u201d area associated with Sora. Sora has its own billing\/credits rules. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the API Platform Usage Dashboard: platform.openai.com\/usage<\/strong>. It also has project filtering and uses UTC<\/strong>. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because that error often happens before<\/strong> any billable usage can occur (for example: no billing set up \/ no prepaid credits \/ account not fully onboarded \/ wrong org<\/strong>). So there\u2019s nothing to show as spend yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No single dashboard cleanly consolidates all of it. Even within the API platform, usage is not automatically consolidated across separate org structures. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They\u2019re a \u201cflexible usage\u201d mechanism to continue using certain features beyond included plan limits. Credits are separate from API billing<\/strong> and follow their own terms (expiry, eligibility, etc.). (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes\u2014OpenAI\u2019s credit terms describe expiration\/validity rules (and credits are not the same as \u201csubscription time\u201d). (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nB) ChatGPT consumer & business plans (what you pay for)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Typically: Free, Go, Plus, Pro<\/strong> for individuals, and Business, Enterprise<\/strong> for teams\/orgs. Business\/Enterprise feature matrices are shown on OpenAI\u2019s business pricing pages. (OpenAI<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$0 subscription. You still get access but with tighter feature limits and availability compared with paid tiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ChatGPT Go is a lower-cost paid tier; OpenAI\u2019s announcement lists it at $8\/month<\/strong> (region\/taxes may vary). (OpenAI<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plus is listed as $20\/month<\/strong> (region\/taxes may vary). (OpenAI Developers<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pro is listed as $200\/month<\/strong> (region\/taxes may vary). (OpenAI Developers<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Business is priced per user<\/strong> (and varies by billing cadence\/region). For example, OpenAI\u2019s Business pricing page shows Business and Enterprise feature comparisons and purchase links; local currency pricing can appear (you may see JPY in Japan). (OpenAI<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enterprise is typically sales-led \/ contract<\/strong> pricing (\u201cContact sales\u201d). (OpenAI<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnlimited\u201d generally means included usage for that feature; \u201cFlexible\u201d indicates usage that can expand with policies\/credits\/contract terms rather than a simple unlimited bucket. OpenAI uses these labels in the plan comparison tables. (OpenAI<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No\u2014ChatGPT subscription is separate from API metered billing. API usage is tracked in the API Usage Dashboard and requires API billing setup. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You get whatever your plan includes in terms of included limits<\/strong> and eligibility for \u201cflexible usage.\u201d The authoritative place to see your<\/em> included balances is the Codex\/Sora usage pages and the \u201ccredits for flexible usage\u201d documentation. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nC) Codex pricing & limits (and why it says \u201cout of credits\u201d)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Codex is an AI coding agent experience (web\/IDE\/CLI) that can run tasks like code edits, diffs, tests, and code review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It depends how you use it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a rolling allowance used by Codex agent sessions (you saw it in your Codex usage dashboard). When you exceed it, you may need to wait for reset or use credits (if available).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Same idea, but measured on a weekly window to prevent unlimited heavy usage in a short period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Credits let you keep sending Codex messages \/ tasks beyond plan limits<\/strong>. Your Codex dashboard shows Credits remaining<\/strong> (you had 0). (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not a fixed universal number<\/strong> across everyone. The exact balance depends on your plan, your usage, and any credit rules\/promos at that time. The only reliable answer is your Codex usage dashboard<\/strong>, which shows remaining credits and limits. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because Codex credits are not API billing<\/strong>. Codex flexible usage credits are a separate bucket from API tokens\/spend. So API can still show $0 even if Codex credits are depleted. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not necessarily. Adding API billing helps with API calls<\/strong>, not automatically Codex flexible credits (they are managed under the credits\/flexible usage system). (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That message usually indicates you authenticated or stored encrypted session data under one org\/account, then tried to use it under another org\/account target\u2014so the encrypted data can\u2019t be validated for the new org. (This exact error has been reported in Codex tooling contexts.) (GitHub<\/a>)
Typical fix: sign out, clear local Codex auth\/session cache, and re-authenticate using the same<\/em> org\/account you intend to bill against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the CLI is making API calls<\/strong>, that error often means the API org\/project has no billing\/credits set<\/strong>, or you\u2019re using a key tied to a different org\/project than you think. The API Usage Dashboard and project\/org settings are where you validate this. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nD) Sora pricing & credits (consumer) + Sora in Business plans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
All of the above exist in different contexts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
OpenAI\u2019s Business feature comparison explicitly lists \u201cSora 1: Limited\u201d<\/strong> for Business and not included<\/strong> for Enterprise (in that table). (OpenAI<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You consume credits when generating videos; credit burn depends on factors like duration\/quality. The official Sora billing FAQ + credits documentation describes how credits apply. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Credits follow OpenAI credit terms (validity\/expiration rules apply). (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on your plan\/region\/eligibility, you can often add credits for flexible usage; the credits system is described in OpenAI\u2019s flexible usage documentation. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sora availability can differ by plan and eligibility; OpenAI\u2019s Sora billing FAQ notes plan-based access constraints. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nE) API Platform pricing (tokens), limits, budgets, and why you see $0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
API is billed mainly by tokens<\/strong>: you pay for input tokens<\/strong>, sometimes cached input<\/strong>, and output tokens<\/strong> per model. The official API pricing table lists exact rates. (OpenAI Developers<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From OpenAI\u2019s pricing table (per 1M tokens):<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
(There\u2019s also a higher tier section with higher prices, typically used for higher-priority processing. (OpenAI Developers<\/a>))<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI publishes separate sections: Flex<\/strong> (lower cost), Standard<\/strong> (normal), and an additional higher-priced section (used when you want higher priority \/ faster scheduling). The tradeoff is generally cost vs performance\/priority<\/strong>. (OpenAI Developers<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cached input is discounted input pricing used when repeated prompt fragments are served from cache (same content reused). The pricing tables show cached input rates lower than standard input. (OpenAI Developers<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The API pricing table lists codex model variants (e.g., gpt-5.2-codex<\/strong>) with the same input\/cached\/output structure under pricing tiers. (OpenAI Developers<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI lists image tokens<\/strong> pricing (per 1M tokens) for image models (e.g., gpt-image-1, chatgpt-image-latest) with Batch\/Standard rates. (OpenAI Developers<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For image tokens (per 1M tokens), OpenAI lists (examples):<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Realtime models are listed with their own pricing lines (input\/cached input shown). (OpenAI Developers<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because usage dashboard data is displayed using UTC<\/strong>, not your local timezone. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI explains that the usage page has its own selector independent from the top bar project selection for more flexible filtering. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI says the credit grants table is unified under the organization billing page, and points to the billing\/credit-grants section. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Budgets are described as soft thresholds<\/strong> for monitoring\/alerts; exceeding them can still allow requests to process (it\u2019s for monitoring rather than a guaranteed hard stop). (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Common causes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
You diagnose it by checking org\/project<\/strong>, billing<\/strong>, and usage visibility<\/strong> settings. (OpenAI Help Center<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n