#Account upgrade

16 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

outer frost
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Hi team, I recently upgraded my free account to a Pay As You Go account. I paid $5 so I could play with Sol however all the modell choices except for 4.5 mini is available. Ive checked for most of my permissions settings but not sure why it won't let me use Sol 5.6 in the playground. Thanks!

vernal moatBOT
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Hi @outer frost. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:

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You’re on the right track upgrading and adding credit, but the knowledge sources don’t give a single definitive reason why GPT‑5.6 Sol is missing in your specific account. They do, however, outline the main things to check:

  1. Confirm Sol is available to your plan and account type
    GPT‑5.6 Sol is available in the OpenAI API and is the default “frontier” model there. The model ID is gpt-5.6-sol, and the alias gpt-5.6 also routes to it. [GPT-5.6 Sol]
    In ChatGPT, Sol is only rolling out to eligible paid ChatGPT plans (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise). Free, Go, and logged‑out users do not get Sol; they get GPT‑5.6 Luna instead. [GPT-5.6 in ChatGPT; Availability]
    A Pay As You Go API billing setup is separate from a paid ChatGPT subscription, so having API credit alone does not guarantee Sol will appear in the ChatGPT model picker.

  2. Check for rollout / propagation issues
    GPT‑5.6 is being rolled out gradually. Even when your plan is eligible, it may take time before it appears in all products and workspaces. [Model release notes; Codex rollout forum]
    This can look like “unknown model” or simply not seeing the model in pickers yet.

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  1. Verify workspace / project access controls
    If you are using a workspace or a specific API project, there may be model allow/deny lists or access controls that hide certain models. Adjusting those lists resolved missing models for another user. [Model access forum; Workspace model availability]

  2. How to proceed
    Since you specifically mention the Playground and only seeing “4.5 mini”:

    • In the API Playground, try manually selecting or typing gpt-5.6-sol as the model ID (if it’s available to your org, it should work even if not prominently listed). [GPT-5.6 Sol]
    • If it still doesn’t appear or errors, check your organization’s project settings for model allowlists/blocks as above. [Model access forum]
    • If everything looks correct and Sol is still unavailable, this is likely a rollout or account‑specific access issue. In that case, contact Support via the Help Center so they can look at your account directly. [Troubleshooting access]

Because the docs don’t expose per-account eligibility, I can’t see your exact configuration, but the most probable causes are: (1) Sol not yet rolled out to your account/org, or (2) a project/workspace model allowlist that doesn’t include gpt-5.6-sol.

Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon:

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@outer frost Kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.

outer frost
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The first statement is contradictory. Isn't Pay As You Go API the same as OpenAI API? Which would mean by default it is Sol? Is PAYG model totally seperate from the other API models? @vernal moat

vernal moatBOT
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Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! :books:

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You’re right that my earlier wording was confusing, so let’s separate three things clearly, based on the docs:

  1. OpenAI API vs. “Pay As You Go”

    • The OpenAI API is always billed pay‑as‑you‑go (metered usage). [Models overview]
    • Adding 5 USD credit or enabling billing does not change which models exist; it just lets you use billable models.

  2. API models vs. ChatGPT subscription models
    There are two largely separate “worlds” in the docs:

    • ChatGPT (web / desktop / mobile)

      • GPT‑5.6 Sol is rolling out only to eligible paid ChatGPT plans (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise).
      • Free and Go users get GPT‑5.6 Luna and do not get Sol in ChatGPT. [GPT-5.6 in ChatGPT – Overview; Availability]
      • These are subscriptions (Plus/Pro/Go), not API billing.

    • OpenAI API (Playground, SDKs, etc.)

      • GPT‑5.6 Sol is a standard API model with ID gpt-5.6-sol, and the alias gpt-5.6 routes to it. [GPT-5.6 Sol model; Models list]
      • It is described as the “frontier model in the GPT‑5.6 family” and the recommended default for complex work. [Models list]
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So: yes, Pay As You Go billing is how you pay for the OpenAI API, and yes, GPT‑5.6 Sol is the default frontier model in the API. But that is separate from which models you see in the ChatGPT UI or in specific products like Codex or Work.

  1. Why you might not see Sol in the Playground even with PAYG
    The docs do not give a detailed per‑account rule, but they do say:

    That means:

    • PAYG itself is not a different “model tier”; it’s just how you pay.
    • But model visibility and access can still be controlled per product / workspace, and GPT‑5.6 may not yet be enabled or fully rolled out for your account or project, even if you have billing set up.

Because the knowledge sources don’t expose your specific account configuration, I can’t say exactly why you only see “4.5 mini” in your Playground. The most likely explanations, consistent with the docs, are:

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  • GPT‑5.6 Sol has not yet been rolled out or enabled for your account / project in the API UI, even though it exists as a model. [Model release notes]
  • There may be workspace or project‑level model restrictions (the docs mention admins can control which models are available in managed workspaces). [GPT-5.6 in ChatGPT – Availability]

Given the limitations of the docs, the next concrete steps (not in the sources but implied) would be:

  • Try manually selecting or typing gpt-5.6-sol as the model ID in the API Playground. [GPT-5.6 Sol model]
  • If it still doesn’t work or is missing, contact Support so they can check your account’s model access and rollout status, since that level of detail is not in the public documentation.

Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon:

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@outer frost Kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.

outer frost
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@vernal moat per the last bullet can you draft me an email to write to support so they can check my account etc

vernal moatBOT
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Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! :books:

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Here’s a concise template you can copy, paste, and customize before sending via the Help Center chat or form:

Subject: Unable to access GPT-5.6 Sol in API Playground despite Pay As You Go billing

Hi OpenAI Support,

I’m writing to request help with model access on my account.

  • Issue: I recently upgraded from a free account to a Pay As You Go (OpenAI API) account and added 5 USD in credits. However, in the API Playground I only see models like GPT-4.5 mini available. GPT-5.6 Sol (gpt-5.6-sol / gpt-5.6) does not appear as a selectable model, and I’m not sure if it is enabled for my account or project.
  • What I’ve tried so far:
    • Confirmed that billing is active and I have credits.
    • Checked my organization / project settings for any obvious model restrictions.
    • Tried to locate GPT-5.6 Sol in the model picker in the Playground.
  • Environment details:
    • Account email: [your account email here]
    • Organization name/ID (if applicable): [your org name/ID]
    • Project name/ID (if applicable): [your project name/ID]
    • Product surface: OpenAI API – Playground
    • Browser and OS: [e.g., Chrome 126 on Windows 11]

Could you please:

  1. Confirm whether GPT-5.6 Sol should be available to my account and organization in the API.
  2. Check if there are any project, workspace, or rollout-related restrictions that are preventing me from seeing or using GPT-5.6 Sol in the Playground.
  3. Let me know if there are any specific steps I need to take (for example, adjusting model allow/block lists, creating a new organization or project, or waiting for rollout to complete).

If helpful, I can also provide timestamps, screenshots of the model picker, and any relevant request IDs.

Thank you for your help.

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Best regards,
[Your name]

If you contact them via the Help Center chat, you can paste the same text into the initial message. Including the environment and account details matches their recommended best practices for faster troubleshooting. [How to contact support]

Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon:

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@outer frost Kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.