OpenAI recently introduced a free 12-month plan for ChatGPT users in India, starting on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, and many people were eager to sign up. However, this initial excitement was soon dampened by many users reporting problems when trying to activate the offer using their payment information through UPI.
Widespread user complaints
Numerous users reported issues on X (formerly Twitter) about unsuccessful activation attempts for the limited-time promotion. Common grievances included:
- Repeated Charges: Users reported multiple successful approvals of a Re 1 UPI debit without the plan actually activating.
- Stuck Applications: Many applications got stuck on the payment confirmation screen.
- Persistent Errors: Users received ongoing errors regarding "Invalid VPA" or "incomplete mandates," even when the payment authorization appeared successful.
One user wrote on X: "Excited for free ChatGPT Go in India, but UPI verification stuck! Invalid VPA error despite valid ID like myname@phonepe. Mandate not completing. Please fix UPI support ASAP!”
Another reported: “I am facing the ChatGPT Go subscription payment issue using the UPI method. Even after confirming the upi payment it is stuck at the approved payment screen. Any fix or is a bug?”
Mandatory UPI setup explained
To take advantage of OpenAI's free access offer, users need to provide a payment method, like a credit card or UPI. Even though there’s no charge right now, this is required so that payments can be automatically processed once the 12-month free period is over.
The process mandates a temporary charge of Re 1 at every billing cycle, which is immediately refunded. Users are reminded that canceling the subscription during the free period immediately voids the offer for that account.
OpenAI acknowledges "overwhelmed" systems
OpenAI acknowledged that the high volume of interest caused issues shortly after launch. The company stated that unexpected traffic briefly overwhelmed its systems, causing temporary disruption to UPI payments.
In a statement, OpenAI said: "Demand was so high it briefly overwhelmed our UPI integration. We've been working with partners to restore it quickly, and we're rolling availability back out".
