ChatGPT Pro usage limits in Codex: the October 2026 change
As of 2026-10-07, the OpenAI Help Center says Pro 200 subscribers who were active at any point from 2026-09-22 through 10 a.m. Pacific Time on 2026-09-29 can use the previous allowance through 2026-10-29 (official wording: through October 29, 2026), then move to a lower included allowance at the same $200 per month. Among Pro plans, Pro 500 ($500/month) is the only one with GPT-6 Astra Ultrafast, which uses included limits at 8x the Standard rate and is billed at 6x on purchased credits.
Updated 2026-10-07
Four official numbers
Last day of the old allowance
Eligible Pro 200 subscriptions can use the previous allowance through 2026-10-29 (official wording: through October 29, 2026), then move to a lower one. The price does not change.
Monthly Pro prices
The official pricing page lists three monthly plans. Pro 200 includes more usage than Pro 100, and Pro 500 has the highest included usage of the three.
Ultrafast on included limits
Compared with Standard mode for the same model, GPT-6 Astra Ultrafast uses included limits at 8x the rate; Fast mode uses 2.5x. OpenAI says these are consumption rates, not speed claims.
Ultrafast on purchased credits
With purchased credits, Ultrafast is billed at 6x the Standard rate and Fast at 2x. On Pro 500, included usage is used first, then credits.
What actually changed in October
As of 2026-10-07, the change concerns the included allowance of Pro 200. The Help Center says anyone with an active Pro 200 subscription at any point from 2026-09-22 through 10 a.m. Pacific Time on 2026-09-29 is grandfathered and can use the previous allowance through 2026-10-29 (official wording: through October 29, 2026). After that, the subscription moves to a lower included allowance, the price stays at $200 per month, and only affected users get an email. New subscriptions that are not grandfathered start on the lower allowance. Keeping the old allowance does not upgrade you to Pro 500 or add Ultrafast. ChatGPT Work and Codex share the same allowance.
What the official text says
The Help Center sentence reads: "Eligible customers can use the previous included allowance through October 29, 2026 while their Pro 200 subscription is active." It continues: "After that date, your subscription will move to the lower included usage allowance." For new subscriptions, OpenAI says the allowance is lower than what Pro 200 offered before, "to reflect our increasingly efficient models", and the price remains $200. The official DevDay 2026 page (2026-09-29) presents Astra Ultrafast on the Pro $500 plan, and the updated Help Center article states that Pro 200 is open to new subscriptions again.
Timeline
According to the official Help Center page as archived on 2026-09-29: as of 2026-09-10, new sign-ups and upgrades to ChatGPT Pro $200 were paused; existing Pro $200 subscriptions were not affected.
DevDay 2026: the official page presents GPT-6 Astra Ultrafast in Codex and ChatGPT Work on the Pro $500/month plan. Pro 200 grandfathering closes at 10 a.m. Pacific Time that day; new subscriptions that are not grandfathered get a lower allowance.
Grandfathered Pro 200 subscriptions can use the previous allowance through this day (official wording: through October 29, 2026); after that they move to the lower included allowance at $200 per month.
Confirmed vs not published
Confirmed (verbatim on official pages)
Monthly prices of $100, $200 and $500. Among Pro plans only Pro 500 includes Ultrafast, and at launch buying credits on Pro 100 or Pro 200 does not unlock it. Grandfathering window from 2026-09-22 through 10 a.m. Pacific Time on 2026-09-29. Old allowance usable through 2026-10-29 (official wording: through October 29, 2026), then a lower allowance at the same price. Ultrafast at 8x on included limits and 6x on purchased credits; Fast at 2.5x and 2x. Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit (the same page notes that weekly limits may also apply). Support cannot reset ChatGPT or Codex limits.
Not published by OpenAI
The new Pro 200 multiple of Plus: OpenAI has not published a new multiple and only says "lower included usage allowance". OpenAI has also not published a Plus multiple for Pro 500 or exact weekly numbers. Your own usage dashboard is the reference.
Plan allowance or API key
Plan allowance (Pro 100 / 200 / 500)
Good for interactive coding and cloud features such as Codex cloud tasks and GitHub code review. Usage depends on model, context, reasoning and speed mode, and you can buy credits when it runs out. Among Pro plans, Ultrafast requires Pro 500.
API key (API pricing)
The official pricing page says that with an API key you "Pay for Codex usage based on API pricing", and that all users may also run extra local chats using an API key, charged at standard API rates. The trade-off: no cloud features such as GitHub code review or Slack. OpenAI describes it as great for automation in shared environments like CI.
Three things to do before 2026-10-29
① Open the usage dashboard, or type /status in a Codex CLI session, to see your remaining limits and reset time. ② Check whether you fall inside the grandfathering window (an active Pro 200 subscription at any point from 2026-09-22 through 10 a.m. Pacific Time on 2026-09-29). If you cancel and subscribe again on the same account, the same window applies. ③ Move CI and batch scripts that do not need cloud features to an API key: the official pricing page says API-key usage is paid at API pricing and describes it as great for automation in shared environments like CI.
On QCode
QCode sells API access, not ChatGPT subscriptions, billed per token; per-model prices are listed on /models. With a QCode key in Codex CLI you can call gpt-6.1-sol, gpt-6-sol and gpt-5.6-sol; the setup steps are in our Codex CLI third-party API guide. Ultrafast is a ChatGPT subscription feature (among Pro plans, only on Pro 500) and is not part of the QCode API.
FAQ
When does the Pro 200 allowance in Codex go down?
For grandfathered subscriptions, the previous allowance can be used through 2026-10-29 (official wording: through October 29, 2026), then the plan moves to a lower included allowance. New subscriptions that are not grandfathered start on the lower allowance.
What multiple of Plus is the new Pro 200 allowance?
OpenAI has not published a new multiple; it only says "lower included usage allowance". The official Help Center page as archived on 2026-09-29 said Pro $100 gives 5x the usage of Plus and Pro $200 gives 20x; the updated article archived on 2026-10-03 no longer gives these multiples. Check your usage dashboard for real numbers.
Does the monthly price change?
No. OpenAI states the subscription price stays at $200 per month after the move to the lower allowance, and only affected users receive an email with details.
Does keeping the old allowance include Ultrafast?
No. OpenAI says keeping the current allowance does not upgrade your plan or add Ultrafast. Among Pro plans, Ultrafast is only on Pro 500, and at launch buying credits on Pro 100 or Pro 200 does not unlock it.
What is the difference between 8x and 6x for Astra Ultrafast?
8x is the rate at which it uses included subscription limits; 6x is the billing rate on purchased credits. Both are relative to Standard mode for the same model, and OpenAI says they do not describe speed. On Pro 500, included usage goes first, then credits.
Can Support reset my limits?
No. OpenAI says Support cannot reset ChatGPT or Codex limits; it can only investigate if usage was counted incorrectly or access did not return after a reset. If you are short, buy credits or move part of the work to token-billed API usage.
Sources
OpenAI Help Center, About ChatGPT Pro tiers (read via the Internet Archive snapshot of 2026-10-03, compared with the 2026-09-29 snapshot); the Pricing, Speed and DevDay 2026 pages on learn.chatgpt.com. All fetched on 2026-10-07.
Keep part of your Codex work off the plan allowance
One key for gpt-6.1-sol, gpt-6-sol and gpt-5.6-sol, billed per token. Per-model prices are on /models.
Related reading
The Codex weekly allowance vanished in hours
Where the allowance goes, how reasoning levels differ, and what to do.
When ChatGPT Pro is unavailable, use the API path
The official wording during the September Pro $200 pause, and the API route.
Codex CLI Third-Party API Setup Guide
How to point Codex CLI at a third-party API.
Figures and quotes checked on 2026-10-07; the official OpenAI pages prevail, and upstream changes may happen without notice. Your usage dashboard is the reference for plan limits; model availability is listed on /models.