An OpenAI OpCo charge on your bank or credit card statement is a payment to OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT. “OpCo” is short for Operating Company, and OpenAI OpCo, LLC is the subsidiary that processes payments for OpenAI’s paid products. Most people who see this line item are looking at a $20.00 monthly ChatGPT Plus subscription. If you or someone on your account signed up, the charge is legitimate. If nobody did, you have a short window to dispute it, and the steps are below.
What Amount You’re Likely Seeing
The $20.00 monthly charge is ChatGPT Plus, which gives priority access to advanced models and faster responses.1OpenAI. Introducing ChatGPT Plus It renews on the same calendar day each month until you cancel.
Other subscription tiers post under the same billing descriptor:
- ChatGPT Pro, a higher-priced plan for heavier usage and expanded features.
- ChatGPT Business, $25.00 per user per month billed monthly, minimum two users; annual billing costs less per user.2OpenAI. ChatGPT Pricing
- Enterprise, priced directly through OpenAI’s sales team.
Your actual charge may be a dollar or two higher than the sticker price because state and local sales tax on digital subscriptions gets added at checkout. Rates vary by state, so a $20.00 plan can post as something like $21.20 depending on where you live.
Developers who build on OpenAI’s API pay separately, based on how much text their applications process.3OpenAI. OpenAI API Pricing API billing is prepaid, with a $5.00 minimum. One thing worth knowing: if you recently added or changed a payment method on the API platform and see a $5.00 pending charge, that’s a temporary authorization hold that reverses within seven days, not an actual purchase.4OpenAI Help Center. After Updating My API Payment Method, I Noticed a $5 Charge
When ChatGPT Doesn’t Show as “OpenAI OpCo”
If you signed up on an iPhone or iPad, the charge appears on your statement as “apple.com/bill” because Apple processes the payment.5Apple. Get Help With Charges From Apple.com/Bill Android subscriptions bought through the Play Store show up as “GOOGLE*” followed by the app name.6Google. Understand Google Charges on Your Bank Statement
The practical point: if your statement actually reads “OpenAI OpCo,” you subscribed directly on OpenAI’s website. That matters because cancellation only works through the same channel that started the billing. Canceling inside ChatGPT will not stop an Apple or Google charge.
How to See What You’re Paying For
Before canceling or disputing anything, pull the invoice so you know the exact plan and date. In ChatGPT, open your profile, go to Settings, choose “My Plan,” then “Manage my subscription,” and scroll to invoice history. You can download a PDF for any billing period.
App Store invoices aren’t in ChatGPT. Check your Apple ID purchase history for Apple subscriptions, and the Play Store’s “Payments & subscriptions” section for Android. API users have a separate billing dashboard at platform.openai.com; those charges won’t show inside ChatGPT.
How to Cancel
Cancel through the same channel that created the charge. This is the single most common thing people get wrong.
If You Subscribed on the Website
Log in to ChatGPT, go to Settings, “My Plan,” “Manage my subscription,” and select “Cancel plan.” You keep premium access until the end of the billing period you’ve already paid for.
If You Subscribed on iPhone or iPad
Cancel in your device settings, not in ChatGPT. Open Settings, tap your name, select “Subscriptions,” tap “ChatGPT,” and choose “Cancel Subscription.”7OpenAI Help Center. How to Cancel Your Apple Subscription for ChatGPT in the ChatGPT iOS App Apple bills 24 hours before the current period ends, so canceling on the final day may not stop the next charge. Deleting your ChatGPT account also does not cancel an Apple subscription.
If You Subscribed on Android
Cancel through the Google Play Store app under “Payments & subscriptions.” As with Apple, canceling inside ChatGPT or deleting your ChatGPT account will not stop the Play Store billing.
If You Didn’t Authorize the Charge
Work both angles at once: contact OpenAI, and contact your bank or card issuer. Each has its own deadline, and the bank deadlines are the ones with legal teeth.
Ask OpenAI for a Refund
OpenAI has a dedicated intake for unauthorized charge claims through its Help Center.8OpenAI Help Center. Unauthorized ChatGPT or API Credit Purchase Charges: How to Request a Refund For eligible subscription refunds, such as forgetting to cancel before renewal, OpenAI says web refunds process within 5 to 7 business days and Google Play refunds within up to 10 business days.9OpenAI Help Center. How Do I Request a Refund for My ChatGPT Subscription
Dispute It With Your Bank
The rules depend on whether the charge hit a credit card or a debit card.
For a credit card, federal law gives you 60 calendar days from the date the charge appeared on your statement to send a written billing dispute to your card issuer.10Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Dispute a Charge on My Credit Card Bill The issuer has 30 days to acknowledge it in writing. Call first to flag the charge, then follow with written notice to preserve your rights.
For a debit card, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (Regulation E) ties your liability to how fast you report. Report within two business days of learning about the unauthorized transfer and your exposure is capped at $50. Wait longer than that but under 60 days, and it can rise to $500. After 60 days, you can be liable for the full amount of any later unauthorized transfers on the same account.11Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1005.6 – Liability of Consumer for Unauthorized Transfers Don’t sit on a debit charge you don’t recognize.
Save every cancellation confirmation, refund request, and dispute filing. If a charge comes back after you canceled, that paper trail is what turns a chargeback into a five-minute call instead of a drawn-out argument.