OpenAI Now Limits How Many Paid ChatGPT Accounts One Card or Device Can Hold, as Usage Moves to a Shared Token Allowance

Updated November 2, 2026: OpenAI has published limits on how many paid ChatGPT accounts can share one payment card or device. The new section directly below covers it; the November 1 update and the original report follow unchanged.

November 2: card and device limits#

The workaround for tighter allowances, buying a second subscription, is now limited too. A new OpenAI help page, updated around October 31, says that "if too many subscriptions are associated with the same payment card or device, ChatGPT may block a new subscription purchase," and that "ChatGPT also limits how many paid accounts you can use on one device." A blocked purchase shows the message "Too many subscriptions associated with this card or device. We can't complete this purchase." A separate "Device limit reached" warning means a paid account can't be used on that device, and it can appear at sign-in or after a later check, even if the purchase went through and the account worked at first, the page says.

The limits apply to ChatGPT Go, Plus, Pro 100, Pro 200 and Pro 500. Free accounts and Business, Enterprise and Edu workspace plans don't count. Signing out of one account "does not guarantee that another paid account becomes eligible," and buying credits or resetting usage won't clear a restriction. OpenAI instead points users who need more usage to credits or usage resets on an account they already have. It also warns that people sharing a card or a household device can hit the limit even when each uses their own account, and offers a cancel-and-refund option for affected subscriptions. Subscriptions bought before the limits took effect can continue under an "existing-subscription exception."

The Decoder, which reported the page on November 1, wrote that the policy will likely hit users who switch between several paid accounts on one device to get more usage from flat-rate plans, and that credits and resets are "generally more expensive than an additional subscription"; that is its analysis. OpenAI frames the limits as "part of its privacy and security protections." The move follows OpenAI's revised usage policies, which from November 20 require its approval for services that give third parties direct access to its models.

Limits of the November 2 update#

• OpenAI does not say how many subscriptions per card, or paid accounts per device, are allowed, or when the limits took effect.
• The help page does not give an exact publication date; "around October 31" is inferred from its "Updated: 2 days ago" stamp on November 2.
• We found no OpenAI announcement beyond the help page, and no independent count of users affected.

Updated November 1, 2026 (evening): OpenAI has said how ChatGPT and Codex usage will be counted once Work's features move into the main ChatGPT app. The new section directly below covers it; the original report follows unchanged.

November 1: one allowance for ChatGPT and Codex#

The doubled allowances below now look like preparation for a bigger change. "Starting in December, Plus, Pro, and Business plans' usage allowance will be shared across ChatGPT and Codex as we bring the agentic capabilities of Work into the main ChatGPT experience," says an OpenAI help-center page updated on October 31. Usage will be measured in tokens, so more advanced models and complex tasks use more of the allowance, and Instant chat will not draw from it, the page says. OpenAI added: "We expect most users won't need to wait for their usage to reset more often than they do now." Combined remaining usage and reset times will appear in Settings, and users who hit the limit can wait, upgrade or buy credits.

An OpenAI email to subscribers, reported by BleepingComputer on November 1, says a combined Chat and Work experience will be tested "in the coming weeks," initially with a small group of users, and that Codex will remain a separate experience in the ChatGPT desktop app. "Your use of ChatGPT and Codex will draw from the same allowance," the email says. OpenAI launched ChatGPT Work and folded Codex into its desktop app in July. The Decoder called the change "the end of all-you-can-prompt pricing" and wrote that heavy use on cheaper plans will likely mean lower-quality results; that is its analysis. Anthropic has merged Claude's Chat and Cowork in its own apps.

Limits of the November 1 update#

• OpenAI gives no exact December date and no token allowance for any plan, so the effect on any user's limits cannot be calculated.
• OpenAI's expectation that most users won't wait for resets more often is a forecast, not a published measurement.
• We read the email only as quoted by BleepingComputer.

The original report#

OpenAI reversed itself on the day a cut was due to take effect, which says something about how much agent usage now matters to its most expensive subscribers. Its ChatGPT release notes for October 29 say Pro 100 and Pro 500 plans now include twice their previous Work and Codex allowance, and that OpenAI has cancelled the Pro 200 reduction it announced in a September 29 email.

What changes#

Pro 200 subscribers who already had the higher allowance keep it, and those on the lower allowance get twice their previous Work and Codex usage from October 29, bringing them to the same limit, OpenAI's notes say. Tibo Sottiaux, who announces ChatGPT and Codex changes for OpenAI on X, posted that limits are doubling for "all Pro 100/200/500 tiers and Business Premium, effective today," adding: "We heard your kind feedback and won't be reducing usage limits for Pro 200."

BleepingComputer reported that OpenAI had planned to reduce the included allowance for existing Pro 200 subscribers after October 29 while keeping the price at $200 a month. The Decoder reported that the Plus plan is unchanged, and that OpenAI says doubling a quota does not mean twice as many completed tasks, since consumption varies by model, task and settings.

Sottiaux said OpenAI will keep offering extended limits for Dots, its always-on agents, and that Dot usage stays separate from default usage. Pro users in the US can now text their Dot over iMessage and RCS.

Limits#

• OpenAI does not publish numeric usage limits for any tier, so "twice" cannot be translated into tasks or tokens.
• OpenAI's release notes say Business Premium gets more Work and Codex usage but give the doubling figure only for Pro plans; the Business Premium doubling comes from Sottiaux's post.
• The Decoder's framing of the move as competition with Anthropic is its own analysis; OpenAI did not give a reason beyond customer feedback.

Sources#

• OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Business release notes, October 29 entry (October 29, 2026)
• Tibo Sottiaux on X (October 29, 2026)
• BleepingComputer: OpenAI doubles ChatGPT Pro usage limits after backlash over planned 50% cut (October 29, 2026)
• The Decoder: OpenAI doubles usage limits on Pro plans (October 29, 2026)
• OpenAI Help Center: Understanding ChatGPT and Codex usage limits (updated October 31, 2026)
• BleepingComputer: OpenAI says it's doubling Pro usage limits and bringing Work features to Chat (November 1, 2026)
• The Decoder: OpenAI's upcoming chat-and-work merger in ChatGPT signals the end of all-you-can-prompt pricing (November 1, 2026)
• OpenAI Help Center: Understanding card and device limits in ChatGPT (updated around October 31, 2026)
• The Decoder: OpenAI is steering ChatGPT users toward more paid usage (November 1, 2026)