If you’re looking for free OpenAI API credits, here’s the honest situation in 2026: OpenAI removed its automatic free API trial credit, and there is no permanent free API tier. New API accounts are pay-as-you-go.
That doesn’t mean you’re out of options — it just means the free route runs through alternatives.
1. Confirm the current state on OpenAI
Before anything, check OpenAI’s own pricing and help pages for any current promotion. Promotions come and go and are sometimes invite-only; we never list a figure we can’t verify, so treat any third-party “free $X” claim with suspicion unless OpenAI states it.
2. Use free models through a router
The simplest free path to capable models is a router:
- OpenRouter free models — 50 free-model requests/day with no card; one OpenAI-compatible API, so your existing code mostly just works.
- Groq free tier — very fast inference on strong open models, no card.
Both use an OpenAI-style API, so switching is usually a base-URL and model-name change.
3. Spend cloud credits on hosted models
If you specifically need GPT-class hosted models, Azure’s $200 free credit can be applied to Azure OpenAI, and other cloud AI credits give you a budget to run comparable hosted models for free within the trial.
4. Don’t fall for “free credit” tricks
Avoid anything that asks you to fake eligibility or multi-account — it breaks OpenAI’s terms and risks your account. The legitimate free routes above are enough to build and test real projects.