Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT all include monthly credits you can spend on their APIs with their higher-tier paid plans. ChatGPT joined them on October 28, 2026, when Pro and Business started getting credits. The cheapest paid plans (Claude Pro, Google AI Plus, and ChatGPT Go and Plus) get none. Based on each company's official pricing pages, help articles and developer docs (checked October 27, 2026; ChatGPT checked October 30), this article compares, in the same order for all three, the amount per plan, where the credits can and can't be used, how to claim them, when they expire, and what you can use for free without any plan.
Do subscriptions come with API credits?
Claude
Yes (Max, Ultra, Team)
$100 a month on Max, $200 a month on Ultra. None on Free or Pro.
Gemini (Google)
Yes (Pro, Ultra)
Google Cloud credits of $10 a month on Pro, $40 on Ultra 5x and $100 on Ultra 20x. None on Plus.
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
Yes (Pro, Business)
$100, $200 and $500 a month on Pro 100, 200 and 500. Per seat on Business (up to $500 in total). None on Go or Plus. Since October 28, 2026.
Checked: October 27, 2026 (ChatGPT: October 30). Sources: Claude's pricing page, Google AI Studio's guide to plan credits, and OpenAI's help article on the API credits benefit.
1. Monthly amount by plan
Here are the three companies' individual and team plans side by side, with the API credits each one includes every month. Plan prices are the official US prices in US dollars (they vary by country and region).
| Company | Plan | Monthly plan price | Monthly API credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude | Free, Pro | $0, $20 | None |
| Claude | Max | $100 | $100 |
| Claude | Ultra | $200 | $200 |
| Claude | Team | Per seat | $20 per Standard seat, $100 per Premium seat (capped at $500 in total) |
| Gemini | Google AI Plus | $4.99 | None |
| Gemini | Google AI Pro | $19.99 | $10 |
| Gemini | Google AI Ultra 5x | $99.99 | $40 |
| Gemini | Google AI Ultra 20x | $199.99 | $100 |
| ChatGPT | Go, Plus | $8, $20 | None |
| ChatGPT | Pro 100 | $100 | $100 |
| ChatGPT | Pro 200 | $200 | $200 |
| ChatGPT | Pro 500 | $500 | $500 |
| ChatGPT | Business | Per seat | $20 per Standard seat, $100 per Premium seat (capped at $500 in total) |
Sources: Claude's pricing page (the "Monthly API credits" row) and API credits for Max and Team plans; Google AI Studio's Use Google AI plan credits (updated October 13, 2026) and Google AI plans; OpenAI's API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions (checked October 30, 2026). Everything else was checked on October 27, 2026. Gemini's monthly prices are the US prices on Google's plans page (checked October 22, 2026).
Claude's Max and ChatGPT's Pro plans include API credits equal to the monthly plan price (as shown in the US). The team plans, Claude Team and ChatGPT Business, follow the same pattern too: $20 or $100 per seat, up to $500 in total. Gemini's amounts are smaller, but as chapter 4 below explains, they accumulate. ChatGPT's benefit started on October 28, 2026; before that, no plan included credits. Plan billing and API billing themselves are still separate.
For details on claiming Claude's Max credits, see "The Monthly API Credits on Claude's Max and Team Plans." Gemini's plans and API pricing are covered in "Gemini Pricing and Free Features," and ChatGPT's three Pro tiers in "ChatGPT Pro 100, 200 and 500 Compared."
2. Where you can and can't use the credits
All of these credits are for the API, which you use to call AI models from your own programs and services. Claude states explicitly that the credits don't change your usage limits in the apps or in Claude Code. OpenAI likewise says they don't increase your usage limits in ChatGPT or in Codex when you sign in with ChatGPT. Google describes the credits as usable for the Gemini API, Vertex AI and Cloud Run.
- Can use: the Claude API (including Message Batches for bulk jobs), Managed Agents, the Agent SDK, and the Console Playground
- Can use:
claude -pthat you run yourself with a Console API key (runs from GitHub Actions, IDE extensions or the desktop app are not covered) - Can't use: interactive Claude Code sessions, extra usage in the Claude apps, or use through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry
- Can use: the Gemini API (Google AI Studio and Vertex AI)
- Can use: the cost of running apps on Google Cloud, such as Cloud Run
- Listed separately: the limits for the Gemini app and Antigravity appear as separate items from the credits in the plan comparison table, and are not described as a use for the credits
- Can use: the OpenAI API (Responses, Chat Completions, Agents, Realtime, Images and more) and built-in tool fees (only in the one API organization you link)
- Can't use: Codex run with an API key (and the usage limits for Codex when you sign in with ChatGPT don't increase either)
- Additional Codex credits: these belong to ChatGPT and can't be used for the API
- Not the API, but: in supported apps, "Sign in with ChatGPT" lets you use the usage limits of your Go, Plus or Pro plan (no API key needed)
Sources: API credits for Max and Team plans; Google's announcement (January 27, 2026) and the comparison table on Google AI plans; OpenAI's help article on the API credits benefit (checked October 30, 2026), Codex Pricing, and the help article on using your ChatGPT plan in other apps. Checked October 27, 2026.
Coding tools run on your plan's limits
The coding tools are where people most often get confused. Claude Code, Antigravity and Codex are all designed to run on your plan's usage limits. Claude states explicitly that API credits don't change your Claude Code usage limits. OpenAI also says they don't raise the usage limits for Codex when you sign in. Google doesn't list Antigravity as a use for the credits.
| Company | Coding tool | What pays for it |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | Claude Code | Your plan's usage limits (API credits can't be used for interactive sessions) |
| Gemini | Antigravity | Your plan's limits (higher on Pro and Ultra); not described as a use for the credits |
| ChatGPT | Codex | Your plan's usage limits plus additional credits on the ChatGPT side (API credits can't be used even for Codex run with an API key) |
Claude has one exception. If you give claude -p (non-interactive mode) or the Agent SDK a Console API key, usage is paid from your API credits. The same claude -p run while you're still signed in with your Max account is deducted from your plan's usage limits instead. Put the key in the wrong place and you can switch to API billing without meaning to (for details, see "claude.ai connectors are disabled: Meaning and Fix"). ChatGPT has no such exception: Codex run with an API key isn't covered by the benefit credits.
3. How to claim them
With all three, the credits don't arrive unless you take action yourself. How much effort that takes varies widely.
- On claude.ai, open Settings → Billing (on Team, Organization settings → Billing)
- In the API credits section, use the link-organization option to choose your Claude Console organization
- Check the balance under Promotional credits in the Console's Billing page
- Sign in to Google AI Studio with the same Google account
- Under "Billing," choose prepayment (Prepay) and add at least $5
- On the Google Developer Program benefits page, select the billing account you created and apply the credits
- Reopen "Billing" in AI Studio and check that the credits show up in your balance
- In ChatGPT, open Settings → Billing (on Business, the workspace billing settings)
- Apply through "API credits benefit," choose the API organization to receive the credits and confirm (you can also apply from Billing on platform.openai.com)
- On the API billing page, check the "Credit grants" for the linked organization
Sources: Monthly API credits for Max and Team plans (Claude Help Center), Use Google AI plan credits, Gemini API Billing, and OpenAI's API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions. Checked October 27, 2026 (OpenAI: October 30).
On Claude, you can claim the credits once you've been on an eligible plan for 7 days. You can't change the linked organization yourself, and each organization can receive credits from only one plan. I (the operator of this site) claimed them on Max 20x (renamed Ultra on October 31) on October 10, 2026, and $200 arrived right after linking. My screen record is in "The Monthly API Credits on Claude's Max and Team Plans."
Gemini's $5 is your own money, paid separately from the credits. Google's billing docs say that on a prepaid billing account, you can't use promotional credits until you've added funds. The $5 you add stays as a balance and is used after the credits run out.
ChatGPT also lets you apply once you've been subscribed to an eligible plan for 7 days. You need to use the same email address for ChatGPT and the API, and you must be the owner of both the subscription and the API organization on Pro, or of both the workspace and the API organization on Business. Each subscription can be linked to one API organization, and the first grant is prorated for the days left in your billing cycle. OpenAI also says availability varies by rollout stage and by country.
4. Expiry, and the order credits are used
On expiry, the companies take opposite approaches: Claude and ChatGPT credits are use-it-or-lose-it each month, while Gemini credits accumulate.
- Granted every billing cycle and gone at the end of the cycle (no rollover)
- Credits from your plan are used first, credits you bought afterward
- When both run out, the API stops; your plan is never charged
- Granted every month, and each grant is valid for 12 months
- Unused credits accumulate
- Credits are used first, your prepaid balance afterward
- Granted every billing cycle and gone at the end of the cycle (no rollover; on annual Business billing, a full year's worth arrives at once, capped at $6,000)
- Credits from your plan are used first, credits you bought afterward
- When both run out, the API stops (the error is HTTP 429 credit_balance_exhausted)
Sources: API credits for Max and Team plans (Expiry, Usage order), Use Google AI plan credits, Gemini API Billing, and OpenAI's API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions. Checked October 27, 2026 (OpenAI: October 30).
The $200 on Claude Ultra or ChatGPT Pro 200 disappears at the end of the month if you don't use it. Deciding in advance on work that recurs at the same volume every month (draft translations, regular reports and so on) keeps it from going to waste. Gemini Pro's $10 is a small amount, but keep it for a year and it can build up to as much as $120. For people who use the API only occasionally, this model is probably easier to work with.
5. What you can use for free without a plan
Most people searching for a "free API tier" probably want to know whether the API itself has a free allowance, regardless of any plan. The three companies handle this differently.
The FAQ in the pricing docs says new users get a small amount of free credit to try the API. The amount isn't stated. The pricing docs don't mention a daily free tier like Gemini's.
Some models, such as Flash, can be used for free within rate limits without setting up billing. The top model, Gemini 4 Argon, isn't in the free tier. Content you send on the free tier is used to improve Google's products.
If an eligible organization turns on the setting to share its API inputs and outputs with OpenAI, a set number of tokens per day becomes free. Launch and Grow organizations get 1 million tokens a day for the group that includes GPT-6.1 Sol and 10 million for the group that includes GPT-5.6 Terra (Build organizations get 250,000 and 2.5 million). Your balance must be positive, and shared content is used to evaluate and train models.
Sources: the Claude Platform Pricing docs (Are there free tiers or trials?), Gemini Developer API pricing, and OpenAI's help article on data sharing. Checked October 27, 2026.
OpenAI's free tokens are available only to organizations that the data sharing settings page shows as eligible. The daily count resets at 00:00 UTC, and OpenAI says it will give 30 days' notice if it ends the program.
6. How your data is handled
Just as important as whether something is free is whether the content you send is used for training. With all three companies, paying with credits from your plan is treated the same as using the paid API.
API use falls under the Commercial Terms, and content Anthropic receives is not used to train models. The same applies when you pay with credits.
On the pricing page, the paid tier is marked as not used to improve Google's products, and the free tier as used. Using the credits requires setting up a prepaid billing account, so it's treated as the paid tier.
API content is not used to improve models by default. The API terms also apply to credits from your plan. If you turn on data sharing to get the free tokens from chapter 5, content within the scope of that setting is shared.
Sources: Anthropic's Commercial Terms, Gemini Developer API pricing (the "Used to improve our products" row), and OpenAI's help article on data sharing. Checked October 27, 2026.
If you're sending work documents or personal information, avoid the free options (Gemini's free tier and OpenAI's free tokens for data sharing) and pay through the paid tier or your plan's credits instead.
7. How to choose: the deciding factors
There's no need to pick a plan just for the API credits. Choose the plan based on the apps and coding tools you use day to day, then use up the credits that come with it. Thinking about it in that order keeps things simple.
- You already use Claude Max or Team Unless you claim them, you get $0. If you plan to run anything on the API, link an organization early. You can't change the linked organization yourself later, so decide first which organization you'll use for development.
- You pay for the Claude API every month Max includes $100 in API credits, the same as its monthly price as shown in the US. But the credits expire monthly and can't be used for interactive Claude Code sessions. The deciding factor is whether you spend $100 or more a month on the API.
- You use Google AI Pro or Ultra and want to try the API now and then Each grant is valid for 12 months, and unused credits accumulate. If you handle the $5 prepayment and apply the credits on the benefits page ahead of time, you can use them as soon as you need them.
- You already use ChatGPT Pro or Business Unless you apply, you get $0. Once 7 days have passed since you subscribed, apply from Settings → Billing. The credits expire monthly and don't increase your ChatGPT or Codex usage limits, so this benefit suits people who have something to run on the API.
- You use ChatGPT Plus and also want to use the API Plus doesn't come with credits, so prepay for the API separately. If your use case allows sharing content, check on the settings page whether you're eligible for the free tokens for data sharing. If you're sending work content, leave sharing off.
- You want to try things for free first without a plan Gemini's free tier is the easiest option. Just keep in mind that content you send is used to improve Google's products. For how API pricing works in general, see "What Is an AI API?"
When your Claude API credits run out, the API stops with the error "Your credit balance is too low." How to fix it is covered in "How to fix Claude's credit balance is too low error."
Summary
- Claude includes API credits with Max, Ultra and Team ($100 a month on Max, $200 on Ultra, up to $500 in total on Team), and none with Free or Pro
- Gemini includes Google Cloud credits every month: $10 on Google AI Pro, $40 on Ultra 5x and $100 on Ultra 20x, and none on Plus
- Since October 28, 2026, ChatGPT includes $100, $200 and $500 a month on Pro 100, 200 and 500, and per-seat credits on Business (up to $500 in total), and none on Go or Plus
- The credits are for the API: Claude states that your Claude Code usage limits don't increase, OpenAI states the same for Codex, and Google doesn't list Antigravity as a use either
- Claude and ChatGPT credits expire monthly, while Gemini credits are valid for 12 months and accumulate (Gemini requires a $5 prepayment to claim them)
- Without a plan, the free options are a small trial credit on Claude, a free tier for some models on Gemini, and free tokens for data sharing on OpenAI, and the free options handle your content differently from the paid ones
FAQ
Q. Does ChatGPT Plus include free API credits?
A. No. Plus isn't eligible for the benefit. Since October 28, 2026, Pro (100, 200 and 500) and Business have included API credits every month (on Pro, the same amount as the monthly price). To use the API with Plus, add a payment method on platform.openai.com and prepay.
Q. Can I use ChatGPT Pro credits for Codex?
A. No. OpenAI's help says they can't be used for Codex run with an API key, and they don't raise the usage limits for Codex when you sign in either. Codex runs on your plan's usage limits and additional credits on the ChatGPT side.
Q. Do I get API credits on Claude Pro?
A. No. On Claude's pricing page, the "Monthly API credits" row shows "No" for Free and Pro, $100 for Max and $200 for Ultra (Ultra was renamed from Max 20x on October 31, 2026).
Q. Can I use Google AI Pro credits for the Gemini API?
A. Yes. Create a prepaid billing account in Google AI Studio, add at least $5, and apply the credits to that billing account on the Google Developer Program benefits page. You can't use the credits before adding funds.
Q. Can I use the credits for Claude Code?
A. Not for interactive sessions. Only claude -p and the Agent SDK, run with a Console API key, are paid from the credits. Your Claude Code usage limits themselves don't change.
Q. Do unused credits roll over?
A. Not on Claude or ChatGPT; they expire at the end of the billing cycle. On Gemini, each grant is valid for 12 months, and unused credits accumulate.
Q. What's the difference between the Gemini API free tier and plan credits?
A. The free tier lets you use some models within limits without setting up billing, and content you send is used to improve Google's products. Plan credits pay for the paid tier, can be used even for the top model, Gemini 4 Argon, and your content isn't used for improvement.
Update log
Each company's plan amounts and eligibility can change. When they do, I'll record the date and the change here.
- October 30, 2026 Reflected that ChatGPT Pro (100, 200 and 500) and Business now include API credits (since October 28, 2026). Revised the introduction, chapters 1 to 4, chapters 6 and 7, the summary and the FAQ.
- October 27, 2026 First version. Written after checking Claude's pricing page and API credits docs, Google AI Studio's guide to plan credits and the Google AI plans comparison table, and OpenAI's help articles on billing and data sharing.
Sources
- Anthropic: Plans and pricing, API credits for Max and Team plans, Monthly API credits for Max and Team plans, Pricing, Commercial Terms
- Google: Use Google AI plan credits, Google AI plans, Google Developer Program benefits come to AI Pro and Ultra (January 27, 2026), Gemini API Billing, Gemini Developer API pricing
- OpenAI: API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions, Managing billing for ChatGPT and the API platform, Sharing feedback, evaluation and fine-tuning data and API inputs and outputs with OpenAI, Using your ChatGPT plan in other apps and sites, Codex Pricing
