I wanted to see what would happen to my Codex limits when my ChatGPT subscription expired. My renewal was scheduled for the 23rd of the month, but the charge did not go through. I received payment failure notifications over the following days. After the subscription expired, I reactivated it.

After renewing, I saw that both my 5-hour and weekly limits were back to 100% in the Usage section.

Codex Usage showing 100% of the 5-hour and weekly limits remaining
Codex Usage showing 100% of the 5-hour and weekly limits remaining

That is what happened in my case: the period between the failed payment and expiration lasted about a week, and the displayed limits were full after I reactivated the subscription. I cannot claim that the same will happen to every user or with every renewal.

What to keep in mind

If a payment is delayed unexpectedly, check the Usage settings after renewing. In my case, it looked as if I had received a fresh usage period, after several days of billing warnings.

Illustration of a subscription cycle and usage meter
Illustration of a subscription cycle and usage meter

However, I would not plan a budget or workload around a fixed 7 to 10 day grace period. OpenAI does not promise one, and access to features may change when a payment fails. Its terms say an unsuccessful payment may result in a downgrade or suspension.

I would not use this as a monthly routine to work around limits. The terms of service prohibit bypassing service limitations, and a limit reset is not guaranteed as a free benefit. If this happens occasionally, check your account status and billing messages. Do not assume the subscription will behave the same way next time.

Official information