OpenAI Codex Users Report Quotas Draining Abnormally Fast
From September 5 to 7, multiple paying OpenAI Codex users reported that their quotas were draining abnormally fast, spanning the $200 Pro tier and the Pro 5x plan. They suspect OpenAI quietly changed the quota calculation, but there has been no official confirmation.
Confirmed
- Blogger xiaohu (09-05) reported that the Codex quota on the $200 ChatGPT Pro tier, which previously lasted days, now runs out in half a day, and asked other users about similar experiences.
- Developer danielmac8 (09-07) measured a task from a video that ran 19 minutes and consumed 5% of the Pro 5x weekly limit, implying the weekly quota is very tight; he also noticed the Codex UI lagging noticeably during the task, suspecting task load.
- User tawnniee complained about frequently hitting usage limits on Codex Pro, something never experienced before.
- User chongdashu (09-06) reported that since Codex's usage reset, weekly quota drains noticeably faster: previously running 5.6 Sol with fast tier plus xhigh or even max reasoning intensity did not burn through quota this quickly.
Unconfirmed
- The exact cause—billing calculation changes, usage statistics changes, or something else—remains uncertain among all posters.
- A comment on tawnniee's post mentions "GPT 6 Astra is token efficient," hinting at a token-efficiency-focused model with an unverified name, with no official corroboration.
Why it matters
First-hand quota perceptions from heavy paying users are a key signal for whether OpenAI quietly adjusted quotas; if true, it directly affects the practical value of premium plans like Pro/5x, warranting continued attention to further user reports and any official response.
2026-09-05 ~ 2026-09-07 · 5 related posts
- Episode 1: OpenAI Codex Active Users Exceed 15 Million with Reset Quotas(2026-08-12, 4 posts)
- Episode 2: OpenAI Codex Users Report Quotas Drained Rapidly, Quality Complaints Mount(2026-08-19, 4 posts)
- Episode 3: OpenAI Codex Hits 20 Million Active Users, Resets Usage Credits(2026-08-21, 4 posts)
- Episode 4: OpenAI Admits Codex Cache Hit Rate Dropped After Users Report Quota Anomalies, Promises Compensation(2026-08-22, 7 posts)
- Episode 5: OpenAI Users Complain of Frequent Usage Limits Without Reset(2026-08-22, 2 posts)
- Episode 6: OpenAI Admits Three Codex Bugs, Resets All Paid Usage(2026-08-23, 6 posts)
- Episode 7: OpenAI Restores 5-Hour Codex and Work Usage Limits for ChatGPT Plus(2026-08-25, 4 posts)
- Episode 8: OpenAI Codex Users Report Quotas Draining Abnormally Fast(2026-09-05, 5 posts)
- Episode 9: Codex Users Report Runaway Quota Burn, Blame New Astra Model(2026-09-16, 8 posts)
- Episode 10: Users Flee $200 Codex Plan as Credits Burn in Days, Claiming Claude Offers 5x Value(2026-09-27, 3 posts)
Primary sources
- [source] Codex users report quotas draining much faster than usual — xiaohu · 2026-09-05
- Codex users report $200 Pro quota draining in half a day, down from days — xiaohu · 2026-09-05
- [source] Codex user suspects weekly usage draining faster since the usage reset — chongdashu · 2026-09-06
- [source] Codex burns 5% of Pro 5x weekly limit in 19-minute task, UI lags — daniel_mac8 · 2026-09-07
- Codex Pro users hit usage limits constantly amid talk of token-efficient GPT-6 Astra — tawnniee · 2026-09-07