ChatGPT use to count towards Codex limits from December

OpenAI will count ChatGPT use towards the usage limits of Codex, its AI coding assistant, from December, according to Dutch tech site Tweakers. The company is also limiting how many paid ChatGPT accounts can be used on one device or paid for with one payment card.

What happened

Tweakers reports that OpenAI has updated its help documentation with several changes to how its AI services can be used. The site says the changes appear designed to push more people towards paid use of OpenAI’s tools.

The first change concerns usage limits. OpenAI currently sets separate limits for different kinds of use, each with its own reset time. According to Tweakers, this applies to things such as image generation, voice and file uploads. From December, that system ends. Paying users will instead get one shared usage limit based on tokens, the units AI models use to measure the text they process.

In practice, conversations with ChatGPT will count towards the same token allowance as Codex, OpenAI’s AI programming agent. Someone who chats heavily with ChatGPT will therefore have less allowance left for coding work in Codex, and the reverse. Tweakers notes one exception: chatting with the Instant model, which OpenAI describes as faster and more personalised, does not count towards the combined limit.

The merged limit applies to subscribers on the Plus, Pro and Business plans. OpenAI has not yet said how large the total shared allowance will be for each plan.

The second change concerns accounts. OpenAI has added a help document on payment card and device limits, which caps the number of paid ChatGPT accounts a person can use per device and per payment card. This applies to the Go, Plus, Pro 100, Pro 200 and Pro 500 subscriptions. The Free, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans are not affected.

When users reach the new maximum number of accounts on a device, they will see a notification and will no longer be able to use that ChatGPT account on that device. Tweakers reports that logging out does not solve this: the device cannot then be used with a different ChatGPT account either. The device limit is separate from the payment card limit.

People who pay for several ChatGPT subscriptions with one card may hit the card limit, in which case they cannot take out another subscription with that card. OpenAI advises those users to buy extra credit for their existing accounts or to reset their usage limits. Tweakers points out that neither option lets customers use more accounts on a device or with a card.

OpenAI has not said what the new maximum number of accounts per device or per card will be. The company says it is making the changes for privacy and security reasons.

Why it matters if you live in Netherlands

The changes are not specific to the Netherlands, but they apply to anyone here who pays for ChatGPT on the plans named in the source. Many internationals rely on ChatGPT for work, study and everyday tasks such as drafting letters or understanding Dutch paperwork, so a change to how allowances are counted will affect how far a subscription stretches.

Developers and tech workers who use both ChatGPT and Codex on a Plus, Pro or Business plan should expect the two to draw on one budget from December. If you use ChatGPT throughout the day for general questions and then switch to Codex for programming, your coding capacity may run out sooner than it does now. Using the Instant model for routine chats, which Tweakers says falls outside the combined limit, is one way to protect that allowance.

Households and shared devices may also notice a difference. If several people in one home each have their own paid ChatGPT account on a shared laptop or tablet, the per-device cap could stop some of them from using it. Tweakers reports that once the limit is reached, logging out and switching to another account on that device does not work.

Freelancers and small business owners who pay for several subscriptions with one company or personal card should be aware that they may not be able to add another subscription to that card. Business, Enterprise and Edu plans are exempt from the account limits, according to the source, so teams on those plans are not affected by this part of the change.

Consumers in general should note that the exact figures are not yet public. Neither the size of the shared token allowance nor the maximum number of accounts per device and card has been disclosed, so it is not yet possible to say how much the changes will affect any one user.

What to watch next

The most important missing detail is the size of the shared token allowance for each plan. Until OpenAI publishes it, Plus, Pro and Business subscribers cannot judge whether their current plan will still cover both their ChatGPT and Codex use after December.

The second open question is the account cap. OpenAI has not said how many paid accounts will be allowed per device or per payment card, and the source does not give a start date for these limits. Users who share devices or pay for several subscriptions from one card may want to check OpenAI’s help pages for updates.

Finally, it is worth watching how OpenAI prices extra credit, since the company is pointing users who hit the card limit towards buying more credit for existing accounts. If you depend on ChatGPT or Codex for work, review your usage before December and consider whether the Instant model covers enough of your everyday chats to keep your shared allowance free for heavier tasks.

Source: Tweakers