Fix OpenAI 'Rate limit reached' & Quota Exceeded

Updated: 11/29/2025

You are trying to use a third-party AI app or the Playground, and it fails with: 'Rate limit reached for default-gpt-3.5-turbo' or 'You exceeded your current quota, please check your plan and billing details.'. This is not a bug. It is a hard stop put in place by OpenAI because you have either run out of free trial credits or your API key has been compromised and drained.

Understanding 'Free Tier' Expiration

Many users think the 'Free Tier' is forever. It is not. OpenAI gives you $5 of free credit that expires 3 months after you create your account. Once that date passes, your API keys stop working immediately, even if you didn't use the credits.

Method 1: Add a Payment Method (Unlock Pay-As-You-Go)

To continue using the API, you must convert to a paid account.

Step 1: Billing Settings

Go to platform.openai.com/account/billing/overview.

Step 2: Add Credit

Click 'Start Payment Plan'. You can load as little as $5. The moment your balance is positive, the 'Rate Limit' error disappears.

Method 2: Generate a Fresh API Key

If you suspect your key was leaked (e.g., you pushed it to GitHub by accident), bots may have drained your limit.

• Go to API Keys in the dashboard.
• Click the Trash Can icon next to your old key to revoke it immediately.
• Click 'Create new secret key'.
• Paste the new key into your app.

Method 3: Check Tier Limits

Even if you pay, new accounts are capped at 'Tier 1' usage limits (usually $50/month). If you need to process massive data, you might be hitting the Requests Per Minute (RPM) cap.

Check your Tier status in Settings > Limits. To increase your tier, you simply need to spend a certain amount (e.g., $5) and wait 7 days for automatic promotion.