What to know first
If your weekly reset is only a day or two away, wait or use a banked reset. If you only go over occasionally, a small credit purchase is the most flexible. A paid reset changes your weekly reset time, so it suits cases where you need a full week's allowance today. Before choosing, check your remaining usage and reset time in Usage settings or with /status in the CLI.
What happens when you run out of Codex usage?
- The turn already in progress can keep running to completion, subject to fair-use limits.
- After that you can add credits, use an available reset, upgrade, or wait for the displayed reset time.
- Plus and Pro users can buy credits to keep working without upgrading.
- All users can run extra local chats with an API key, charged at standard API rates.
- OpenAI Support does not reset ChatGPT or Codex usage limits. If you think usage was counted incorrectly, Support can investigate.
Sources: OpenAI: Codex pricing and usageOpenAI: Using Codex with your ChatGPT plan
Which Codex allowances does each plan have?
- Codex, ChatGPT Work, ChatGPT for Excel, and Workspace Agents share one allowance and credit pool where available.
- ChatGPT file uploads, image generation, and regular Chat voice have their own limits, which do not apply to Codex.
- Image generation uses included limits 3–5x faster on average than similar turns without images.
- OpenAI publishes no fixed message counts per plan; the Codex pricing page gives only estimated ranges.
| Plan | Main allowances |
|---|---|
| Go | Monthly allowance |
| Plus, Business Standard | Five-hour and weekly allowances |
| Pro 100, Pro 200, Pro 500 | Weekly allowance |
Sources: OpenAI: How resets work in CodexOpenAI: Codex pricing and usageOpenAI: Using Codex with your ChatGPT planOpenAI: ChatGPT Pro
What kinds of Codex resets are there?
These one-time resets are separate from your regular scheduled refresh. They do not permanently increase your plan's limits or add credits. Free resets are discretionary promotional benefits with no guaranteed availability or schedule. See Codex, Claude Code and Antigravity compared.
| Type | Cost | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI-granted banked reset | Free | Saved to your account; you choose when to use it before it expires |
| OpenAI-granted automatic reset (sometimes called a global reset) | Free | Applied directly to selected accounts and limits; no redemption, not saved |
| Purchased instant reset | Paid | Applies immediately after purchase; cannot be saved |
Sources: OpenAI: How resets work in Codex
How do you use a banked reset, and what are the conditions?
- On desktop, open Settings > Usage & billing; on the web, open Usage settings. Select the usage summary showing an available reset and confirm. The mobile app does not support this.
- In the Codex CLI, enter /usage and select Redeem reset. If your version lacks the option, use desktop or web.
- At least one covered allowance must have less than 80% remaining; otherwise you see "Your usage does not need a reset right now" and the reset stays available.
- With Allow your assistant to use resets turned on in the desktop app, Codex can use a reset for you, but only when your main five-hour or weekly allowance has 10% or less remaining.
- A reset brings allowances below 100% back to 100%; it does not stack to 200%.
- History under Settings > Usage & billing on desktop shows banked-reset activity from the past 30 days; paid and automatic resets do not appear there.
- Support does not reissue, extend, or replace free resets.
Sources: OpenAI: How resets work in CodexOpenAI: Using Codex with your ChatGPT plan
What are the rules for paid instant resets?
Reaching only the five-hour limit does not trigger the paid-reset banner, but eligible accounts can still buy from desktop Usage settings. The option is hidden while both five-hour and weekly allowances are fully unused.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Eligible accounts | Eligible Plus and Pro personal accounts, on ChatGPT web and the Codex desktop app; not Free, Go, Business, Enterprise, or Edu |
| Availability | Varies by account, including plan and billing country; the same plan does not guarantee the same options |
| Where to buy | Buy an instant reset in desktop Usage settings, or the banner shown after your weekly allowance runs out |
| Effect | Restores five-hour and weekly usage immediately by pulling your normal weekly allowance forward, not adding extra |
| Weekly reset time | The new weekly period starts with your first Work or Codex request after the reset; the next automatic reset is 7 days after that |
| Saving | Cannot be saved or scheduled; applies on purchase |
| Price | Shown at checkout; the Help Center publishes no fixed price |
| Refunds | Generally not offered |
Sources: OpenAI: Paid weekly Work and Codex rate limit resetsOpenAI: How resets work in Codex
How are Codex credits billed?
- Included usage is used first; credits are drawn only after you hit plan limits. Credits can be used for Codex, ChatGPT Work, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, depending on plan and account.
- Buy them in Settings > Usage in ChatGPT or Usage & Billing in the Codex app. Automatic reload is available with an optional maximum monthly spend.
- Concurrent tasks can push the balance negative, and later purchases offset the negative balance first.
- Credits are valid for 12 months and do not roll over after expiry; they are generally non-refundable and non-transferable.
- These credits are not API credits. The monthly API credits included with Pro plans work only for the OpenAI API and do not increase Codex usage.
- Only a limited group of Free and Go users can buy credits.
| Model | Input | Cached input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-6.1 Terra | 25 | 1.25 | 125 |
| GPT-6.1 Sol | 50 | 2.5 | 250 |
| GPT-6 Sol | 50 | 5 | 250 |
| GPT-6 Astra | 250 | 25 | 1,250 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 2.5 | 0.25 | 12.5 |
Fast mode (relative to Standard mode for the same model): included usage × 2.5, credits × 2
Ultrafast mode (GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol): included usage × 8, credits × 6
Sources: OpenAI: Using Credits for Flexible Usage in ChatGPT (Personal plans)OpenAI: Codex pricing and usageOpenAI: API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions
Why did my reset time change?
Banked, automatic, and paid resets can all change the next refresh time for the allowances they affect, without changing your subscription billing date. When a reset restarts a period, the new schedule replaces the old one. For example, if a weekly period due to end on Friday restarts on Tuesday, the next refresh is the following Tuesday and the original Friday no longer applies.
OpenAI recommends relying on the next refresh time shown in Usage rather than calculating it from a purchase or announcement. Before a new period starts, the displayed time may be an estimate.
Sources: OpenAI: How resets work in CodexOpenAI: Paid weekly Work and Codex rate limit resets
Which option should you choose when you run out?
The following is AISub's guidance based on OpenAI's rules. See ChatGPT Plus vs Pro 100.
| Your situation | Suggestion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You have a banked reset and less than 80% remaining | Use the banked reset | It is free and you choose when to use it before it expires |
| Your weekly reset is a day or two away | Wait | A paid reset restarts your weekly period from your first request afterward |
| You only go slightly over now and then | Buy credits | You pay for actual usage, and credits are valid for 12 months |
| You need a full week's allowance today | Paid instant reset | Restores five-hour and weekly usage immediately; confirm the price at checkout |
| Plus five-hour limits interrupt you often | Consider Pro 100 | Pro plans have only a weekly allowance, with no five-hour limit |
Sources: OpenAI: How resets work in CodexOpenAI: Paid weekly Work and Codex rate limit resetsOpenAI: Using Credits for Flexible Usage in ChatGPT (Personal plans)OpenAI: Codex pricing and usage
Frequently asked questions
Will my running task stop when I run out of Codex usage?
Not immediately. OpenAI says the turn in progress can continue to completion, subject to fair-use limits. After that you need to wait, use a reset, buy credits, or upgrade.
Sources: OpenAI: Codex pricing and usageOpenAI: Using Codex with your ChatGPT plan
Can OpenAI Support reset my usage?
No. OpenAI Support does not reset ChatGPT or Codex usage limits or reissue free resets. If you think usage was counted incorrectly, Support can investigate.
Sources: OpenAI: Using Codex with your ChatGPT planOpenAI: How resets work in Codex
How much does a paid reset cost?
OpenAI's Help Center publishes no fixed price. The price and payment method are shown at checkout, and availability varies by account and billing country.
Sources: OpenAI: Paid weekly Work and Codex rate limit resets
Does a paid reset change my weekly reset date?
Yes. The new weekly period starts with your first Work or Codex request after the reset, and the next automatic reset is 7 days after that request, not 7 days after payment.
Sources: OpenAI: Paid weekly Work and Codex rate limit resets
Are Codex credits the same as the API credits included with Pro?
No. Codex credits pay for Codex, Work, and other supported features after plan limits and are valid for 12 months. The API credits included with Pro work only for the OpenAI API and do not increase Codex usage.
Sources: OpenAI: Using Credits for Flexible Usage in ChatGPT (Personal plans)OpenAI: API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions
Official sources and review notes
Sources checked on October 31, 2026. Rates and eligibility rules can change; confirm the latest official guidance and your own agreement.
- OpenAI: Codex pricing and usage
- OpenAI: Using Codex with your ChatGPT plan
- OpenAI: How resets work in Codex
- OpenAI: Paid weekly Work and Codex rate limit resets
- OpenAI: Using Credits for Flexible Usage in ChatGPT (Personal plans)
- OpenAI: ChatGPT Pro
- OpenAI: API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions
This guide draws on the public sources listed below. Examples illustrate the calculation methods. AISub is an independent price index and is not affiliated with the product providers discussed.