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TL;DR
OpenAI has added limits on how many paid ChatGPT subscriptions can be tied to a device or payment card and plans to combine ChatGPT and Codex usage allowances in December. The changes, alongside Elon Musk’s statement that serving Grok Bot was unsustainably costly relative to revenue, point to a shift toward metered use within flat-rate AI plans—not the end of monthly subscriptions.
OpenAI has added limits on paid ChatGPT subscriptions used across devices and payment cards and plans to combine usage allowances for ChatGPT and Codex from December, as the cost of intensive AI use draws fresh attention. The changes came in the same week that Elon Musk said the cost of serving xAI’s Grok Bot was “unsustainably high relative to revenue”, without providing figures or announcing a specific new limit.
OpenAI’s help center says it limits how many paid accounts can be used on one device and how many subscriptions can be purchased with one card or device. The rules cover Go, Plus and Pro plans, including the three Pro tiers described in the source material. OpenAI has not published the numerical thresholds. The stated change restricts account or subscription sharing patterns; it does not, by itself, establish that every account’s ordinary usage allowance has been reduced.
From December, Plus, Pro and Business users are due to draw from one allowance across ChatGPT and Codex, measured in tokens, according to OpenAI’s help center. The source says unlimited Instant chats remain outside that meter. Separately, OpenAI announced allowance changes on 29 October: its release notes specify doubled Work and Codex allowances for Pro 100 and Pro 500 and cancellation of a planned reduction for Pro 200. Those details are narrower than a broader social-media post describing increases across multiple tiers.
Musk’s 1 November reply concerned Grok Bot, xAI’s task-performing agent, rather than Grok chat generally. Responding to a user who asked about a reset after reports of usage running out quickly, he wrote that its serving cost was unsustainably high relative to revenue. The post included no cost, revenue or margin figures and did not specify a reset, a change to weekly usage pools, or a price adjustment.
Infographic 01 · One week, four moves
More allowance, more metering: the week the AI flat rate cracked
In four days, OpenAI raised some limits, tightened others and announced one shared meter, and Musk called the cost of serving Grok Bot unsustainably high relative to revenue.
“The cost of serving Grok Bot was unsustainably high relative to revenue”Elon Musk on X, 1 November 2026, 20:34 UTC, replying to a user who asked for a Grok Bot reset
OpenAI gives more on top plans
Pro 100 and Pro 500 get twice their Work and Codex allowance. A planned cut on Pro 200 is cancelled.
Limits per card and per device
ChatGPT may block a new subscription if too many are tied to one card or device. Applies to Go, Plus, Pro 100, 200 and 500. No number published.
One meter from December
Plus, Pro and Business: one token-based allowance across ChatGPT and Codex. Unlimited Instant chats stay outside.
Musk: Grok Bot cost too much
One sentence, past tense. No figures, no new limit, no word on resets or prices.
Paid resets on ChatGPT pull next week’s allowance forward; they do not add usage. Credits are a prepaid balance used after the included allowance.
Sources: Musk on X, 1 Nov 2026 · Tibo on X, 29 Oct 2026 · OpenAI: card and device limits · OpenAI: ChatGPT and Codex usage limits · OpenAI: paid resets.
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Flat Fees Meet Variable AI Use
These developments show why a monthly price does not necessarily mean unlimited practical use. AI tasks vary in computational demand: a short chat reply and an agent working through research or coding for an extended period can consume very different resources. The source material says OpenAI’s rate card shows its most capable model uses an allowance roughly 100 times faster per output token than its cheapest model. That comparison is about token consumption rates, not a claim that every task costs 100 times more.
For users, the main consequence is that plan labels alone may not tell them how much work they can complete. Shared allowances, account restrictions and task-dependent meters can affect whether a plan suits an individual or a team. For businesses, the changes make it more important to ask vendors for written details on included usage, overage options and how different models or agent tasks draw down a pool. The available information does not establish that all AI subscriptions are becoming more expensive or that flat monthly plans are ending.
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How the Subscription Model Shifted
OpenAI launched a $200-a-month ChatGPT plan in December 2024 with “unlimited access” to its best models, according to the supplied source. The following month, chief executive Sam Altman wrote on X that the company was losing money on Pro subscriptions because people used them more than expected. That earlier remark is a relevant precedent, but it does not disclose present-day subscription economics.
The current dispute is about how flat-rate offers coexist with limits. xAI’s pricing information, as described in the source, places Grok Bot in certain paid X Subscription tiers, with usage drawn from a shared weekly pool that also covers other services. xAI documentation says agent use is measured by steps and tokens, and that consumption depends on the task. Both account access and usage therefore sit within defined boundaries, even when a plan is sold at a fixed monthly price.
OpenAI’s changes this week also cut in different directions: some high-tier allowances increased or avoided a planned cut, while account-sharing rules and a future shared meter add tighter controls. That combination is why the development is better described as more explicit management of usage than as a straightforward across-the-board reduction.
“The cost of serving Grok Bot was unsustainably high relative to revenue.”
— Elon Musk, replying on X on 1 November 2026
Limits and Costs Still Undisclosed
OpenAI has not published the card or device thresholds, so customers cannot tell from the supplied information how many accounts or subscriptions will trigger a restriction. The full mechanics of the December shared allowance, including how customers will see consumption and what happens when they reach the limit, are also not specified here.
Musk’s post does not say what changed at xAI or whether the reported rapid usage depletion reflects a policy adjustment, task mix, a technical issue, or some combination. The source mentions reports of a separate Grok account post about adjusted allocations and a dashboard fault, but says it could not verify the original post. That account should therefore be treated as reported, not independently confirmed. No figures are available for Grok Bot’s costs, revenue or profitability.
December Metering and User Guidance
The next stated milestone is OpenAI’s December rollout of a shared ChatGPT and Codex allowance for Plus, Pro and Business plans. Users will need to consult the plan’s usage information and OpenAI’s help-center updates for the final operating details. The source material does not give a rollout date within December or explain whether the allowance will vary by tier beyond the existing plan distinctions.
For xAI, no specific next change was announced in Musk’s reply. Any reset, revised pool, altered pricing or explanation of the cost issue remains unconfirmed. Customers and businesses seeking to budget for AI use can ask providers for written answers on included allowances, metering units and additional-use charges rather than infer a policy from a short social-media post.
Key Questions
Is OpenAI ending flat-rate ChatGPT subscriptions?
No such end has been announced in the supplied information. OpenAI is changing account-sharing limits and plans to pool usage across ChatGPT and Codex, while continuing to describe paid monthly plans.
What is OpenAI changing in December?
From December, Plus, Pro and Business plans are due to use one shared allowance across ChatGPT and Codex. OpenAI’s help-center information, as described in the source, measures that allowance in tokens and excludes unlimited Instant chats from the meter.
What did Musk confirm about Grok Bot?
He said the cost of serving Grok Bot was unsustainably high relative to revenue. He did not provide figures or announce a particular reset, usage reduction or price change.
How many ChatGPT subscriptions can use one card or device?
OpenAI has not published a numerical limit in the information provided. Its help center says limits apply to paid accounts used on a device and subscriptions bought with a card or device.
Why can two AI tasks use different amounts of a plan’s allowance?
Consumption depends on factors such as the model and the work involved. The supplied source says xAI measures Grok Bot by agent steps and tokens, while OpenAI’s model rates also differ, so a long agent task may draw more usage than a short chat.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
