Eligible ChatGPT Pro subscribers can claim API credits for OpenAI API use. A Pro subscription is not itself an API key or unlimited API usage. You need to claim the benefit for an API organization, and ChatGPT and API billing are separate. (OpenAI Help Center; billing guide)
OpenAI lists these monthly API credit amounts for eligible Pro tiers:
| ChatGPT Pro tier | API credits per monthly billing period |
|---|---|
| Pro ($100 tier) | $100 USD |
| Pro ($200 tier) | $200 USD |
| Pro ($500 tier) | $500 USD |
The benefit guidance says the paid subscription must have been active for at least seven days before claiming, and that the subscription owner must also own the API organization receiving the credits. The grant applies to one linked API organization. The guidance identifies eligible paid Pro and Business subscriptions; if your plan or account does not match, check the current eligibility and claim instructions rather than assuming you qualify. (eligibility guide; API credits guide)
Follow the current claim flow in the official guide, select the organization you intend to use, and confirm the grant amount shown for your account. Check the guide and account for any first-grant adjustment and the credit’s expiration or rollover terms before including it in a budget; don’t assume unused credits carry forward. Active benefit credits can be used without an API payment method. If you need paid API usage beyond available credits, API billing is managed separately from ChatGPT billing. (API credits guide; billing guide)
Start an API integration
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Open the OpenAI API Platform. Sign in or create an account. If claiming Pro credits, use the API organization you intend to connect to the benefit. (OpenAI API Platform)
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Create an API key in the dashboard. Store it as an environment variable; don’t commit it to source code or expose it in browser- or mobile-delivered code. Route application requests through your backend. (Developer quickstart; API key safety)
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Install the JavaScript SDK in a local or server-side
Node.jsenvironment:npm install openai export OPENAI_API_KEY="your_api_key_here" -
Make a request with a model available to your API organization:
import OpenAI from "openai"; const client = new OpenAI(); const response = await client.responses.create({ model: "gpt-6-astra", input: "Reply with a short greeting." }); console.log(response.output_text);
The official quickstart demonstrates the Responses API and response.output_text. Before deploying, follow OpenAI’s API-key guidance for application workloads, including using an appropriate service-account identity rather than sharing a developer’s personal key. (Developer quickstart; API keys and service accounts)
Estimate API costs before launch
API charges are separate from your ChatGPT subscription. For a cost estimate, check the current pricing table for the specific model and applicable processing option, then apply its listed input and output rates to your expected usage. Rates and applicable conditions can differ, so don’t rely on an old example or assume a Pro credit covers all usage. (OpenAI API pricing; billing guide)
A basic estimate is:
(input usage × applicable input rate) + (output usage × applicable output rate)
Use the units and any conditions shown in the selected model’s current pricing entry. Before launch, review the controls available to your API organization: spend alerts send notifications but do not stop API traffic; hard spend limits can stop affected requests when tracked spend reaches the configured amount. Check the official guide to API usage and spend limits, and don’t treat a configured limit as a guarantee that all spending stops at an exact instant or amount.
Sources
API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions
API credits for ChatGPT subscribers
Managing billing for ChatGPT and the API platform