OpenAI lays out ad-credit policies

OpenAI continues to build out its ads business: On Wednesday, the company laid out its policies for ad credits in a post published on its site.

The terms disclose how credits can be used, among other topics. Credits are nonrefundable and nontransferable, and OpenAI will not replace unused ad credits. Credits expire 90 days after allocation and cannot be used alongside other “credits, coupons, discounts, rebates, incentives, or makegoods.” The company also reserves the right to automatically apply credits to “eligible fees.” The terms also describe how taxes impact credits and assert OpenAI’s ability to “suspend, revoke, or void” credits.

OpenAI did not provide comment by publication time.

In the blink of an eye: OpenAI has steadily laid the foundation of its ads business after rolling out ads in the US about six months ago. That includes releasing a self-serve ads manager for advertisers, measurement offerings, and partnerships with ad-tech outfits like Pacvue. It’s also been hiring international ad leaders and brought on a CMO for its business unit, Salesforce vet Colin Fleming, in June.

The company has also scaled ad serving in recent months: Ads per user per hour in the US increased 105% from April 2026 to July 29, 2026, according to Abe Yousef, senior insights analyst at market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Unique US advertisers also grew from 298 in April 2026 to 820 on July 29, 2026, according to Sensor Tower’s Yousef.