Add a toggle to prevent automatic use of purchased Codex credits #28382

Activity

1. temik4

   added

   enhancementNew feature or requestNew feature or request

   on Jun 15, 2026
2. github-actions

   added

   CLIIssues related to the Codex CLIIssues related to the Codex CLI

   extensionIssues related to the VS Code extensionIssues related to the VS Code extension

   codex-webIssues related to Codex WebIssues related to Codex Web

   rate-limitsIssues related to rate limits, quotas, and token usage reportingIssues related to rate limits, quotas, and token usage reporting

   on Jun 15, 2026
3. nanderer commented on Jun 22, 2026

   

   nanderer

   on Jun 22, 2026

   More actions

   even better (maybe additional to the local in app setting) a use credits toggle on the https://chatgpt.com/codex/cloud/settings/usage or now https://chatgpt.com/codex/cloud/settings/analytics page so it can be hard switched off

   👍React with 👍9Reacted by Guilherme Ferreira, temik4, MRMDevStudios, M Asim, Navandis, Navin Francis Shajan, Dmitriy Shestavin, inno-jia and Swaroop Kamble
4. aminelbnet-sys commented on Jul 10, 2026

   

   aminelbnet-sys

   on Jul 10, 2026 – with ChatGPT Codex Connector

   More actions

   Please also cover banked Codex usage resets, not only whether purchased credits may be used.

   A useful control would be a setting under Usage & billing such as:

   When included usage is exhausted:

   • Prefer a banked reset, then use purchased credits
   • Use purchased credits and keep banked resets saved
   • Ask me each time

   The main use case is an in-progress, long-running task that starts when only a small amount of included usage remains—for example 14% or 2%. If “Prefer banked reset” is enabled, Codex should automatically redeem one available reset and continue the task before spending purchased credits. When disabled, the reset should remain banked.

   The UI should clearly show which source will be used next and should not silently switch an active task to purchased credits contrary to the selected preference.

   👍React with 👍1Reacted by Dmitriy Shestavin
5. nos1609 commented on Jul 19, 2026

   

   nos1609

   on Jul 19, 2026

   More actions

   Didn't new such switch wasn't there till I saw half of my credits got used without notice from the vscode extension like it always being offered once the limits quota exhaustion.
   The credits use switch is really a mandatory thing in both codex app and chatgpt work.
6. aminelbnet-sys commented on Jul 22, 2026

   

   aminelbnet-sys

   on Jul 22, 2026 – with ChatGPT Codex Connector

   More actions

   Thanks @nanderer — I agree that a global “Use purchased credits” switch on the Usage & billing/Analytics page would be useful, so credit spending can be completely disabled.

   And @nos1609 — agreed. Since ChatGPT Work mode and Codex share usage, credits, and limits, this control should work consistently across ChatGPT Work, the Codex app, and the VS Code extension, without silently switching to purchased credits.

   I think this could be expanded into a draggable priority control under Usage & billing:

   When included usage runs out

   Drag these actions into the preferred order:

   • Pause the task
   • Continue with purchased credits
   • Redeem a banked reset and continue

   Codex would evaluate the actions from top to bottom. “Pause the task” would be a stopping point, so anything placed below it would not be used.

   For example:

   1. Continue with purchased credits
   2. Pause the task
   3. Redeem a banked reset and continue

   This would mean: use purchased credits first; if they cannot be used, pause the task and do not redeem a banked reset.

   It would also be useful to let users purchase banked usage resets directly, rather than offering only credit purchases. Users could buy one or more resets, save them for later, and decide where they belong in the priority order.

   When several resets are available, Codex should use the reset with the earliest expiration date first. If multiple resets have the same expiration date, the oldest one should be used first.

   There could also be an optional setting such as:

   Automatically redeem a banked reset shortly before it expires

   This would prevent unused resets from being lost. It should be opt-in, and the interface should clearly explain whether it temporarily overrides the normal priority order.

   The interface should clearly show:

   • Which resource will be used next
   • The number of banked resets available
   • Each reset’s expiration date
   • The remaining purchased-credit balance
   • The price and exact usage allowance of a purchasable reset
   • Whether purchased resets expire
   • Whether automatic redemption before expiration is enabled
   • The behavior that will occur when the current limit is reached

   This would give users predictable control over their tasks, saved resets, and spending.

   Longer-term, this could support configurable budget steps—for example, spend up to $10 in credits, redeem the earliest-expiring reset, and then pause—but the initial version could begin with the three basic actions above.
7. krunaldodiya commented on Aug 20, 2026

   

   krunaldodiya

   on Aug 20, 2026

   More actions

   It seem it is intentionally, imagine this you are on 99% left and it applies automatically and only give you benefit of 1% while you wanted to redeem when you are almost at 50%, so you almost lost your reset limit - this is very much frustrating
8. houmie commented on Sep 5, 2026

   

   houmie

   on Sep 5, 2026

   More actions

   Is anyone from OpenAI working on this?
   Thanks

   👀React with 👀3Reacted by aviv magnezy, Koen Lemmen and Antônio "acdc" Jr.
9. ugeneaaaa commented on Sep 28, 2026

   

   ugeneaaaa

   on Sep 28, 2026 – with ChatGPT Codex Connector

   More actions

   @tibo-openai Could we add this control to Codex Desktop as well, including Windows?

   The request is for a simple, account-level “Use credits after included usage is exhausted” toggle. With it OFF, Codex should pause when the included 5-hour or weekly allowance is exhausted, even if the account has an existing purchased-credit balance. The task should remain available to resume after the allowance resets. Spending credits should require either enabling the toggle or an explicit, one-time “Continue with credits” confirmation.

   This needs to be separate from auto-reload: disabling auto-reload prevents another credit purchase, but does not prevent spending credits already in the account. Controls for code-review credits also do not cover ordinary Desktop tasks.

   I checked Windows Codex Desktop 26.924.2738.0 and could not find a general credit-use opt-out for ordinary tasks.

   Claude already provides an account-level Usage credits on/off control that also applies to Claude Code:

   • Claude Code documentation
   • Claude usage-credit settings and disabling instructions

   The essential behavior is straightforward: included usage only when OFF; no automatic fallback to purchased credits. Could this spending control be prioritized for Codex Desktop?

   ❤️React with ❤️5Reacted by Koen Lemmen, khphoto, PiTrick, Dmitriy Shestavin and brojaza
10. Ezio2000 commented on Oct 1, 2026

    

    Ezio2000

    on Oct 1, 2026

    More actions

    Adding a few concrete gaps that aren't covered yet, to help scope the implementation:

    1. auto reload is a purchase control, not a spend control. Turning it off stops new charges but does not stop an existing balance from being consumed. Right now the only way to stop automatic credit spend is to keep the balance at exactly 0 — all-or-nothing. The help center article conflates these two, which is why users assume they're protected.
    2. The monthly spend cap only applies to automatic reloads, not to one-time purchases and not to spending an existing balance. So even a user who sets a cap can still be drained.
    3. Mid-turn rollover. A turn that starts at, say, 2% included usage can continue past the limit and bill the entire remainder of that turn to credits with no signal. The overspend is invisible until it's done.
    4. Shared pool amplifies this. Codex, ChatGPT Work, Excel and PowerPoint draw from the same allowance and credit pool. Someone buying credits as a reserve for low-volume Work tasks can have it drained by an unrelated Codex task or a background activity like codex-auto-review.
    5. Negative balances. A task that starts positive and finishes negative still lands on the balance without consent.
    6. Credits are non-refundable and expire in 12 months, which actively pushes users toward pre-buying a reserve — exactly the behavior this design punishes. A "buy only when blocked" flow isn't a workaround either (see I purchased additional Codex credits but still can't use it. #19830).

    Minimal spec I'd suggest:

    • Automatically use purchased credits: on / off, default off (ask), so continuation requires an explicit choice.
    • Consistent across CLI, IDE extension, desktop app, web, mobile and cloud — not just one surface.
    • Preference for banked resets vs. purchased credits, and a visible indicator of which source the next request will draw from, before it draws.

    Even a CLI-only opt-out (--no-credits / a config key) would be an improvement. Today the only reliable control is keeping the balance empty.

    👍React with 👍1Reacted by brojaza
11. brojaza commented on Oct 15, 2026

    

    brojaza

    on Oct 15, 2026

    Last edited by brojaza

    More actions

    up