People who frequently use OpenAI’s AI coding agent Codex for programming or work often run into the awkward situation where their weekly quota is nearly exhausted while the task is still incomplete. In the past, the only option was to beg the great Tibo to show mercy and hit the reset button. But if you’re stuck at a critical point and can’t afford to wait for a miracle, there may now be an alternative besides buying API credits. Recently, some netizens discovered that OpenAI has quietly started testing a “paid reset” feature. After some Plus users exhausted their weekly quota, a button appeared on their screen that read “Pay $8 to reset immediately.” No need to wait for Tibo, no need to calculate API costs, no need to upgrade your plan, and no need to anxiously wait for the automatic reset next week—just pay, and you’re instantly back to full strength.
What to do when your weekly quota is almost used up? OpenAI is quietly testing Codex’s “paid reset” feature.
This approach is an extension of the “reset” mechanism that OpenAI began laying the groundwork for back in June, when it rolled out banked Codex resets for eligible Plus and Pro users, including one free reset upon launch plus additional credits earned through referring friends. The purpose of this system is to let users immediately recover when their weekly quota runs out, without having to wait idly, by using the reset opportunities they’ve stockpiled.
Spending 8 dollars equals buying back one weekly reset.
A Reddit user paying $20 per month (approximately NT$640) for ChatGPT Plus, whose weekly quota had already been exhausted, saw a black “pay $8 to reset” button upon logging in. After clicking it, AI usage immediately restored from zero to 100%, without having to wait for the weekly routine reset. This newly discovered “paid reset” essentially lets users directly purchase a reset opportunity with money, turning what was previously a reset accumulated only through referrals or free quota into a service that can be obtained at any time for a fee. For heavy users, this $8 (approximately NT$256) expense could be quite cost-effective.
They let you pay $8 for a weekly reset now?
byu/AmandasGameAccount incodex
Netizens’ analysis points out that the weekly usage cost of the Pro tier ($100–200/month plan) Codex subscription could fall between $25 and $50. In comparison, spending $8 gets you a full weekly quota reset, saving a considerable amount. Of course, users can also choose not to pay and simply wait quietly for the next automatic recovery.
OpenAI’s public statement: it is exploring ‘add-on usage purchases’.
Regarding this feature, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company is exploring letting some users who have hit their usage caps purchase additional usage, as part of efforts to make the product more “accessible” and “useful.” According to OpenAI’s definition for Codex, a “full reset” means restoring a user’s current weekly quota and eliminating the usual wait time of up to 5 hours before the quota automatically resets.
After manually triggering a reset, the user’s weekly reset date will be pushed back roughly 7 days. In other words, this doesn’t just refill your current resources—it also postpones the next reset, so it’s not a free refill without any cost.
OpenAI has always been generous when it comes to giving away free usage. Thibault Sottiaux (@Tibo), the head of Codex at OpenAI, often suddenly resets the weekly usage limits for all paid ChatGPT Work and Codex users on X. The reasons are often all over the place—sometimes he resets just because he’s happy, or if users report a bug. Just follow him on X and you’ll frequently see him resetting everyone’s weekly quota again.
I previously promised a reset for every 1M in additional active users for Codex, until 10M.
We blew past that and have been silent since 10M. Little surprise for you tomorrow.
— Tibo (@thsottiaux) August 12, 2026
Pricing structure: Plus is the first tier that supports “credit add-on.”
Compared to OpenAI’s official pricing, the ChatGPT free plan is $0, the advanced Go plan costs $8 per month, and the Plus plan costs $20 per month, with Pro and Business (enterprise) tiers above that. The official pricing also specifies that Plus is the first tier to support “credit top-ups” when usage limits are reached, and that ChatGPT Work and Codex share the same usage pool; the Pro plan offers several times higher weekly quotas than Plus, while the Business and Enterprise plans are priced per person per month.
In other words, this “paid reset” reflects a step in OpenAI’s gradual shift of Codex from a pure subscription model toward a “subscription plus top-up” approach. Compared to current official pricing, when Plus users exhaust their weekly quota, they can theoretically choose to purchase additional credits rather than jumping straight to the more expensive Pro plan.
Conclusion
For the average light user, this button is neither here nor there—most of them don’t even come close to using up their weekly quota. But for developers who rely on Codex for heavy coding, it represents a new choice: when the weekly quota runs dry at a critical moment, do you stop and wait for it to reset, or shell out $8 to keep going right away? What OpenAI frames as an effort to “make the product more accessible” may, from the user’s perspective, feel like a new paywall. And whether that $8 is worth it ultimately comes down to how often each person uses the tool and how deep their pockets are. For OpenAI, this little button is a test balloon for inching from a subscription model toward the next pricing structure.
Source: KOCPC Chinese