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OpenAI eligibility criteria
This offer is available to all new LLM API users with corporate email domains. Whether it is a solo developer building an initial wrapper or a tech founder scaling a SaaS, those who have not previously claimed this specific LLM API promotion are eligible.
General eligibility requirements include:
- Signing up with a corporate email domain.
- Spending at least $300 in credits on any OpenAI models.
This initiative helps the developer community bypass the "credit card fatigue" associated with managing multiple AI providers.
How to redeem free OpenAI credits
To claim the free $300 in AI credits, users should follow these steps:
- Sign up using a corporate email domain.
- Generate the first API key.
- Spend at least $300 in credits on any OpenAI models to unlock the offer.
Once these steps are completed, the $300 credit is applied to the account, ready for OpenAI API calls via the LLM API gateway.
How founders actually use OpenAI in production
Founders use OpenAI to power real, revenue-generating products, not experiments:
- SaaS products and APIs
Embedding reasoning, summarisation, and automation directly into core workflows. - Developer tools and coding assistants
Generating, reviewing, and debugging production code across multiple languages. - Content and marketing engines
Scaling high-quality content generation without hiring large teams. - Data analysis and internal tools
Extracting insights from large, messy datasets that would otherwise require manual analysis. - Web and mobile apps
Delivering fast, reliable AI-powered experiences to end users at scale.
OpenAI is already widely adopted by startups and enterprises alike, according to OpenAI, over 92% of Fortune 500 companies use its models in some capacity.
Why growing startups use LLM API to build on OpenAI
AI costs can spiral quickly during early development. LLM API is designed to help founders stay in control while they validate real use cases.
- No markup
You pay the same token prices as OpenAI, with 0 percent gateway fees. - Enterprise-grade privacy
Zero data retention. Your data is never used for training. - Built-in cost controls
Hard spend limits and team quotas help protect runway. - High availability by default
Automatic fallbacks reroute traffic if a provider or region has issues. - Simple management
One dashboard for API keys, teams, usage, and credits. - Flexibility at scale
Access to 400+ models through a single API lets you optimise for cost, speed, or reasoning as your product evolves.
OpenAI from a founder’s perspective
For founders, infrastructure complexity and unpredictable billing reduce runway. OpenAI offers exceptional capability, but managing multiple API keys, regions, and usage spikes can be a distraction early on.
Free credits provide a practical buffer. With efficient models like GPT-4o mini, $300 can cover millions of tokens, enough to handle thousands of customer interactions, internal automations, or large-scale data analysis before spending real cash.
That makes it a low-risk way to stress-test OpenAI models in real production scenarios, gather usage data, and move to paid usage only once the business case is proven.
OpenAI alternatives you may like
If OpenAI isn't quite right for what your business needs, then we have a selection of similar options available to you from our other partners.
FAQs
How much OpenAI credit can a founder receive?
Eligible founders receive $300 in credits to cover OpenAI usage on the LLM API platform.
What can the OpenAI credits be used for?
Credits are applicable to any models in the OpenAI family.
Can existing LLM API users apply?
The offer is open to new LLM API users who have not previously claimed this specific promotion.
How long do the credits last?
Credits are utilized on a pay-as-you-go basis until the $300 balance is exhausted.
Is OpenAI suitable for non-technical founders?
Yes. Many founders utilize it for simple prompts and content generation before expanding into advanced API integrations as the business grows.
Deal change log
- 3rd Feb 2026 - Deal added