ChatGPT gift cards are officially launched in the U.S., allowing users to recharge ChatGPT account balances for friends and family just like purchasing regular gift cards.

The official positioning is as a product that "allows people to share ChatGPT with friends and family in a new way," with the launch timed before the holiday shopping season to integrate ChatGPT into retail scenarios where people typically buy gifts, rather than relying solely on direct online subscriptions for customer acquisition.

Recipients need to visit chatgpt.com/redeem to complete the redemption, with the recharge amount entering their account wallet. The balance can be used for subscription purchases, subscription renewals, and purchasing usage credits on the ChatGPT web platform—meaning the gift card funds are not limited to a single use but cover both subscription and pay-as-you-go consumption models.

Currently, the redemption function is only available to accounts in the U.S. with billing in USD, and does not yet cover users in other countries or with other billing currencies.

The gift card is already available for sale through two retail channels, Best Buy and Giftly, meaning consumers can purchase it not only online but also directly at physical electronics retail stores and specialized gift card sales platforms.

Mechanically, the ChatGPT gift card essentially expands OpenAI's previous reliance on "users actively subscribing on the official website/App" to a new traffic entry point through physical retail and gift card distribution. The primary beneficiary is OpenAI itself—the sale of gift cards effectively locks in future subscription or usage credit consumption, representing a form of prepaid cash flow; retailers (Best Buy, Giftly) as distribution channels typically earn channel fees or commissions from gift card sales, making them one of the direct commercial beneficiaries of this launch; for consumers, the gift card purchaser (the giver) exchanges cash for a transferable AI service usage right, while the recipient does not need to bear the subscription decision and payment process, only needing to complete the redemption to use it directly.

Source: Public Information