Can prepaid API credits expire after 1 year of inactivity, or near-inactivity? If so, when was this policy introduced? Can credits get reactivated by paying and additional amount , perhaps this is indicating that the account is still in use and tied to a valid credit card?
#Can prepaid API credits expire after 1 year of inactivity?
carmine ginkgo
wet sonnetBOT
Hi @carmine ginkgo. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:
Yes, prepaid API credits can expire after 1 year, regardless of whether there is inactivity or near-inactivity. The policy is that purchased credits expire one year after the date of purchase or issuance if not used, and this applies even if the account is still active or tied to a valid credit card. There is no indication in the knowledge sources that credits can be reactivated by paying an additional amount or by demonstrating account activity. Once credits expire, they cannot be reinstated or extended, and this is a firm policy from OpenAI:
- “Purchased credits expire after 1 year and are non-refundable.”
- “All sales of Services, including sales of prepaid Services, are final. Service Credits are not refundable except where required by law, and expire one year after the date of purchase or issuance if not used, unless otherwise specified at the time of purchase.”
- “Unfortunately, we're unable to extend the expiration date of credit grants or purchased credits.”
- “We cannot reinstate expired credits, so please ensure you use your credits within that time frame.”
These statements are consistent across OpenAI’s official documentation and support articles. There is no mention of a reactivation mechanism for expired credits, nor any exception for accounts that remain active or have valid payment methods attached. The exact date this policy was introduced is not specified in the knowledge sources, but it is referenced in current help articles and terms of service as of 2024 [Service credit terms] [What is prepaid billing] [Can you extend my credits?] [Researcher Access Program FAQ].
In summary:
- Prepaid API credits expire 1 year after purchase, regardless of account activity.
- There is no way to reactivate or extend expired credits.
- This policy is clearly stated and enforced by OpenAI.
Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon:
carmine ginkgo
@wet sonnet Are there any warning mechanisms about credits expiring soon? or is there a way to opt-in to such a notification mechanism?
wet sonnetBOT
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! :books:
Based on the available knowledge sources, OpenAI does not currently provide automatic warning notifications or reminders when prepaid API credits are about to expire. Multiple users have reported that their credits expired without receiving any advance notice or alert, and official responses confirm that this is the current state of the system. There is also no mention of an opt-in mechanism for such notifications in the official documentation or support articles.
For example, a user in the OpenAI Community forum expressed surprise at their credits expiring without notification, and the official support response confirmed the expiration policy but did not mention any warning system or notification option [Credit Expired Without Notification].