October 6, 2026
Higher OpenAI API limits get easier to reach: $500 in credit purchases unlocks Grow
Starting Oct 6, qualifying for Grow requires just $500 in total API credit purchases, half the previous threshold.
OpenAI Developers
@openaidevs
We're simplifying the requirements for higher OpenAI API rate limits. Instead of five paid usage tiers, there will be three: Build, Launch and Grow. Access to Grow, our new highest tier, requires just $500 in cumulative API spending. The previous highest tier required $1,000.
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OpenAI has reduced the number of paid API tiers from 5 to 3. Your tier determines how many requests your application can send per minute.
The threshold has been halved. Previously, the highest tier required $1,000 in cumulative spending. Now an organization gets Grow after purchasing $500 in credits, and the upgrade happens automatically.
According to OpenAI's documentation as of Oct 6, the requirements are:
| Tier | Total credit purchases | Monthly spending limit | | --- | --- | --- | | Build | $5 | $500 | | Launch | $100 | $5,000 | | Grow | $500 | $200,000 |
Total purchases determine access to a tier. The monthly spending limit sets how much an organization can spend on the API each month.
API throughput. OpenAI limits both requests and tokens per minute. Both limits matter for an application with multiple users: long requests consume more tokens.
Standard limits from OpenAI's documentation as of Oct 6:
| Models | Build | Launch | Grow | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Astra, Sol and Terra | 5,000 requests and 1 million tokens per minute | 10,000 requests and 4 million tokens per minute | 15,000 requests and 40 million tokens per minute | | Luna | 5,000 requests and 2 million tokens per minute | 10,000 requests and 10 million tokens per minute | 30,000 requests and 180 million tokens per minute |
You can purchase credits in the API billing overview through Add payment details. The minimum purchase is $5, and Use auto-reload is enabled by default to top up credits automatically.
The settings list this path for upgrading your tier: Settings → Organization → Limits → Usage Tiers → Upgrade tier. Current model limits are in the Rate limits section.
Purchased API credits are valid for 1 year, and OpenAI does not extend that period.