ChatGPTAllowed, got worseUS
New sign-ups and upgrades to the $200 Pro plan paused
OpenAI paused new sign-ups and upgrades to ChatGPT's $200 Pro plan; existing subscribers kept it
What changed
- New Pro $200 sign-ups and upgrades
- Was Before: Open
- After: “temporarily pausing new sign-ups and upgrades”
What this means for you
From September 10 to 29, 2026, nobody could start or upgrade to the $200 Pro plan. Existing subscribers kept it, but cancelling meant losing it until the pause ended.
What you can do
How we know
An archived copy of OpenAI's Pro tiers help article from Sep 5, 2026 has no pause note.
By Sep 19, 2026, the article says new sign-ups and upgrades to Pro $200 are paused as of Sep 10, 2026.
Existing Pro $200 subscriptions and Pro $100 are not affected; a cancelled Pro $200 can't be bought again during the pause.
The note is still there in a copy from Sep 29, 2026, hours before Pro 200 reopened.
Related records
Sources
- OpenAI Help: About ChatGPT Pro tiers (before, Sep 5 2026: no pause note) · archived copy
- OpenAI Help: About ChatGPT Pro tiers (Sep 19 2026: "As of September 10, 2026, we’re temporarily pausing new sign-ups") · archived copy
- OpenAI Help: About ChatGPT Pro tiers (Sep 29 2026, 14:01 UTC: pause note still shown) · archived copy
- Fortune: OpenAI has paused its $200 ChatGPT sign-ups (Sep 11, 2026) (secondary)
Full research notes
OpenAI's "About ChatGPT Pro tiers" help article (archived September 19, 2026) says: "As of September 10, 2026, we’re temporarily pausing new sign-ups and upgrades to the ChatGPT Pro $200 plan (Pro 20X). This includes sign-ups and upgrades from Free, Go, Plus, or Pro $100." It adds that existing ChatGPT Pro $200 subscriptions and new or existing ChatGPT Pro $100 subscriptions "are not affected by this pause", and that a Pro $200 subscriber who cancels "cannot purchase it again until the pause is lifted". The same article archived on September 5, 2026 has no such note, and it still carries it in a copy from September 29, 2026 (14:01 UTC). News reports tied the pause to demand for GPT-6 Astra. The pause ended on September 29, 2026, when Pro 200 reopened with a lower usage allowance for new subscribers (ChatGPT: Pro 200 reopened with a lower usage allowance, same $200 price).
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