Overview
Your ChatGPT account and your Apple Account or Google Play account are separate. A mobile subscription is linked to both the store account used for billing and the ChatGPT account associated with the purchase.
Switching ChatGPT accounts does not move or share a subscription. Each account shows its own plan. If you switch from a paid account to a Free account, the second account remains on Free.
To access a subscription you already paid for, see: Recover access to an existing subscription.
To purchase a subscription, including for a different account, see: Purchase a new subscription.
Recover access to an existing subscription
If you’ve already paid but ChatGPT still shows Free or you can’t access your subscription, check which ChatGPT account owns the purchase before subscribing again. Purchasing another subscription may lead to duplicate charges.
Start with Find the account that owns your subscription.
If you purchased through Apple and the subscription is missing from the original ChatGPT account, follow Restore an Apple App Store purchase.
If the subscription still doesn’t appear after checking the original account, follow Check a charge when your account still shows Free.
Find the account that owns your subscription
The email address on a store receipt may differ from the email on your ChatGPT account. If your subscription works on another device, check the ChatGPT account email on that device before signing out.
Check which ChatGPT account is currently selected.
Switch to the ChatGPT account that originally purchased the subscription, or sign out and sign in to that account.
Use the sign-in method associated with that account, such as email and password, Google, Microsoft, or Apple.
For help identifying your account or sign-in method, see: Troubleshooting ChatGPT sign-in. For switching steps, see: Using multiple ChatGPT accounts on web and mobile.
Restore an Apple App Store purchase
To restore an existing subscription, sign in to the original ChatGPT account and use the Apple Account that made the purchase. In the ChatGPT iOS app:
Open Settings.
If you don’t see Restore purchases, select Account.
Select Restore purchases.
Restoring a purchase does not transfer it to the ChatGPT account you happen to have open.
If you cannot access the original account, or restoring leaves that account on Free, contact Support.
Google Play shows an active subscription, but ChatGPT shows Free
Open Google Play subscriptions in the Google account you used to pay. Check that your ChatGPT subscription is active.
In ChatGPT, sign in to the account you used when you bought the subscription. Its email address can differ from the one on your Google Play receipt.
If the subscription is active and that ChatGPT account still shows Free, contact Support before buying again. Include the purchase date and, if available, the order number from your Google Play order history.
Check a charge when your account still shows Free
Do not make another purchase while checking the charge. First, sign in to the original ChatGPT account and check its plan.
If the subscription still does not appear on the original account, or you cannot access or identify that account, contact Support before making another purchase.
If you believe a charge was incorrect, follow Requesting a refund for a ChatGPT subscription. Apple handles refunds for Apple App Store purchases. For Google Play purchases, follow the applicable refund instructions or contact Support.
Purchase a new subscription
ChatGPT subscriptions cannot be transferred between accounts, and one subscription cannot be shared across separate ChatGPT accounts.
To purchase a new subscription, including one for a different ChatGPT account, sign in to the account you want to use at chatgpt.com and review the available plans. You can use this option if a purchase in the ChatGPT iOS or Android app is blocked because your Apple Account or Google Play account is associated with another ChatGPT account.
Before purchasing, check for an existing subscription to avoid duplicate charges. If you want to replace an existing subscription, follow the cancellation and timing guidance in Avoiding duplicate subscription charges before purchasing.
For conversations you want to keep, see: Transferring conversations from one ChatGPT account to another. This does not transfer a subscription or merge accounts.
Make a first mobile purchase
If your Apple Account or Google Play account has not previously been used for a ChatGPT subscription, the purchase belongs to the ChatGPT account selected when you make the purchase. Adding an account to the switcher first does not make it the owner of purchases made on another account.
Resolve a purchase associated with another account
You may see a message that your subscription or purchase is associated with another OpenAI account.
Uninstalling or reinstalling the app does not change which ChatGPT account owns the subscription.
If you already paid and want to access that subscription, follow Recover access to an existing subscription. If you want to purchase for another ChatGPT account, follow the web-purchase guidance in Purchase a new subscription.
Apple App Store
An Apple Account previously used for a ChatGPT subscription remains associated with the original ChatGPT account. A purchase on a different ChatGPT account can be blocked while the original subscription is active, after cancellation while paid time remains, or after it expires.
Google Play
An existing ChatGPT subscription associated with your Google Play account can block a purchase for another ChatGPT account, even after that subscription expires. Canceling a subscription or waiting for it to expire may not remove the purchase restriction.
Change or cancel an existing subscription
To change an existing subscription, use the ChatGPT account that owns it. Switching to another account does not let you change the original account’s plan.
If you subscribed on the web, manage your subscription at chatgpt.com.
To cancel a subscription, follow the instructions for the platform where you purchased it. For cancellation steps, see: Avoiding duplicate subscription charges.
If you want to cancel an existing subscription but cannot access the original ChatGPT account, contact Support.
Contact Support
If you still cannot access your subscription or need help with an account-related purchase error, contact OpenAI Support. Include:
The ChatGPT account emails and sign-in methods you tried.
The purchase platform: Apple App Store, Google Play, or chatgpt.com.
The error message and the steps you have already taken.
What happened when you checked the original ChatGPT account.
Your receipt or order details, if you were charged.