ChatGPT Go is Free for 12 Months: How to Claim Your Offer (2025 Step-by-Step Guide)

Introduction: What’s New-and Why This Matters

OpenAI has rolled out a limited-time promotion in India that lets eligible users activate ChatGPT Go free for 12 months. The offer began on November 4, 2025 and can be redeemed via the ChatGPT web app and Google Play, with Apple App Store redemption following a week later, according to OpenAI’s help centre.

At the same time, OpenAI’s newest flagship model, GPT-5, is live across ChatGPT tiers (availability and controls vary by plan), which changes what “the free plan” and “Go” actually feel like in practice.

This guide clarifies what ChatGPT Go is, who’s eligible, how to claim the India offer step-by-step, what you get vs Plus/Pro, and how GPT-5 factors in – so you can decide the best plan for your work or business.

What is ChatGPT Go? (Explained Simply)

According to OpenAI’s documentation, ChatGPT Go is a low-cost subscription tier that provides “expanded access to ChatGPT’s most popular features at an affordable price.” Availability is country-limited and rolling out gradually.

Key points from OpenAI’s help pages and product materials:

• Positioning: A budget tier between the Free plan and Plus, focused on popular features with lighter limits.
  
• Rollout: Not all countries have Go yet; India has a time-bound 12-month free promotion (details below).
  
• Model behaviour: ChatGPT’s model router now uses GPT-5 broadly; paid tiers get more control (manual model picker, access to GPT-5 Thinking variants), while feature limits still differ by plan.
  

Quick answer: ChatGPT Go is OpenAI’s budget plan with expanded features at a lower cost. In India, there’s a 12-month free promotion running now.

The India Promotion: Who’s Eligible and What’s Included

OpenAI’s official India promo page states:

• Start date: Nov 4, 2025.
  
• Where to redeem: ChatGPT web and Google Play now; Apple App Store redemption follows “next week.”
  
• Duration: 12 months at no cost for eligible users in India who sign up during the promo period.
  
• Status: Time-limited; availability can change.
  

Third-party coverage (e.g., TechCrunch, Indian Express, Times of India) highlights the same India offer window and redemption routes, sometimes adding claims like “payment method required” or specific feature unlocks. Please consider those unofficial details, unless they are reflected in OpenAI’s help documentation.

Bottom line on eligibility (India):

• You need to be an eligible user in India to redeem during the promotional window.
  
• Expect account verification; some outlets say a valid Indian mobile number is required (OpenAI’s help page doesn’t explicitly state this-media reports do).
  

Is GPT-5 Included on the Free/Go Plans?

OpenAI’s GPT-5 launch post and help docs say GPT-5 is available across ChatGPT tiers, with paid tiers enjoying more control via the model picker (e.g., choosing GPT-5 vs GPT-5 Thinking; Pro/Business may see GPT-5 Thinking Pro).
In short: you can be on Free or Go and still experience GPT-5, but limits/tools/features remain plan-dependent.

Practical takeaway: The India “Go free for 12 months” offer gives you Go-tier limits and features during the promo, while the underlying model ChatGPT uses can be GPT-5-you just don’t get every Plus/Pro capability.

Step-by-Step: How to Claim ChatGPT Go Free for 12 Months (India)

This follows OpenAI’s India promo help article (plus common UX flows). If the wording in your interface differs slightly, follow the on-screen prompts.

Step 1 – Sign in or Create an Account

• Visit chat.openai.com (web) or install ChatGPT from Google Play (Android).
  
• Sign in with email, Google, or Apple. Complete email/phone verification if prompted.
  

Step 2 – Find the Offer

• On web: Profile → Settings → Manage Plan.
  
• On Android: Open app → Account/Settings → Manage Plan.
  
• Look for the banner “ChatGPT Go – Free for 12 Months” (India promotion).

Step 3 – Check Eligibility

• If the banner appears, you’re eligible. If not, your account may not be in the current rollout batch, or your region/account type isn’t eligible.

Step 4 – Activate

• Click Activate (or similar).
  
• Follow prompts to confirm. OpenAI doesn’t state that a payment method is required on the help page; some media reports that it may be requested for continuity-treat that as unconfirmed unless you see it in your flow.

Step 5 – Use Your Plan

• Your next billing/renewal date should extend by 12 months from activation (per Indian Express). Always verify the date shown on your confirmation screen.

If you’re on iOS: OpenAI says Apple App Store redemption is available the week after Nov 4. If you don’t see the offer yet, try the web flow first.

What You Get with ChatGPT Go (vs Free and Plus)

OpenAI’s pricing and plan pages evolve quickly, but current docs and pages suggest:

• Go = “expanded access” to popular features at a lower cost; in India, it’s free for 12 months during the promo window.
• Plus = more generous limits and features (expanded messaging/uploads, faster image creation, deeper research/agent mode, larger memory/context, and projects), explicitly advertising advanced reasoning with GPT-5.
• Model access: GPT-5 across tiers; paid plans control model selection and special variants via the picker.

Sources: OpenAI docs/pricing; specific entitlements can change; always confirm in your Manage Plan screen.

Use Cases: Who Benefits Most (and How)

Agencies & Marketers (India):

• Create briefs, first-draft blogs, and ad variants faster.
  
• Generate content calendars and hooks for reels.
  
• Draft outreach emails and landing page copy.
  

Founders & SMBs:

• Draft SOPs, proposals, and policy docs.
  
• Customer support macros and response templates.
  
• Quick competitor summaries and market notes.
  

Students & Educators:

• Structure essays, revise drafts, and summarise readings.
  
• Practice interviews and presentation outlines.
  
• Build study guides with spaced-repetition prompts.
  

Developers & Product Teams:

• Rough-in components, docs, and unit tests.
  
• Refactor snippets and explain unfamiliar code.
  
• Draft UX copy and empty states that don’t feel robotic.

Because GPT-5-routed experiences now reach Free/Go, the quality jump is meaningful even without Plus – just remember, Plus adds headroom, tools, and controls.

Troubleshooting & Edge Cases (India Promo)

The offer banner is not showing

• Rollouts happen in batches. Sign out/in, try web + Android, and verify again later.
  

On iOS, but can’t redeem

• OpenAI says Apple App Store redemption follows “next week” after Nov 4. Use the web in the meantime.

Already on Plus

• Media reports say existing Go subscribers become eligible; if you’re on Plus, you may need to cancel before you can see a Go offer – but confirm in your Manage Plan screen first (OpenAI hasn’t provided a blanket rule in the help page).
  

Payment method requested?

• Some outlets claim a card may be requested for continuity, but OpenAI’s help page does not require it explicitly. Follow whatever you see in-flow and review the renewal date.

Why OpenAI is Doing This (Strategic Context)

OpenAI formally introduced GPT-5 on Aug 7, 2025, calling it its strongest coding model, with broad improvements across reasoning and generation. The India Go promo brings more users into ChatGPT’s paid-style experience, likely to:

• Accelerate adoption in a high-growth market.
  
• Showcase GPT-5 quality broadly (even on low-cost tiers).
  
• Seed future upgrades to Plus/Pro where heavier tools and capacity matter.
  

• Template your prompts: Save frameworks for blogs, ads, emails, and briefs.
  
• Chain tasks: Outline → draft → fact-check → polish to keep outputs tight.
  
• Leverage mobile voice input: Great for ideation on the move.
  
• Use projects/memory (if available): Keep threads organized; label by client/brand.
  
• Know when to upgrade: If you hit message/context or tooling ceilings often, Plus provides headroom (bigger context, more tools, faster image gen, research/agents).

Tips to Maximise Your 12 Months on Go

• Template your prompts: Save frameworks for blogs, ads, emails, and briefs.
  
• Chain tasks: Outline → draft → fact-check → polish to keep outputs tight.
  
• Leverage mobile voice input: Great for ideation on the move.
  
• Use projects/memory (if available): Keep threads organized; label by client/brand.
  

Know when to upgrade: If you hit message/context or tooling ceilings often, Plus provides headroom (bigger context, more tools, faster image gen, research/agents).

Conclusion & Next Steps

If you’re in India, this is one of the best AI deals of 2025: 12 months of ChatGPT Go at ₹0 during the promo window – and GPT-5 is now broadly available across tiers, so you’ll feel a real quality bump even without Plus. Activate it now so your renewal date locks in a full year.

How to claim (recap):

ChatGPT web/Android → Settings → Manage Plan → Activate “ChatGPT Go – Free for 12 Months.” If you don’t see it yet, try again later; iOS redemption follows a week after Nov 4

FAQs