I was scrolling through Reddit the other day and a post caught my eye: “⚡ ChatGPT Plus (3 Months) – Only $30! 🤯”
My first thought? That’s a crazy good deal. ChatGPT Plus is normally $20 a month, so three months should be $60. Getting it for half price sounds almost too good to be true.
So, I dug in a little. This isn’t an official OpenAI discount. These kinds of offers usually pop up from third-party sellers or people sharing accounts. It’s a bit of a gray area, and it got me thinking about the whole idea of discounted AI subscriptions.
What’s the Catch with Deals Like This?
When you see a deal that’s this steep, it’s smart to be a little skeptical. Here’s what’s likely going on:
- Account Sharing: Someone buys a Plus subscription and then sells access to other people. This is almost always against the terms of service. You might share a login with strangers, which can be a privacy nightmare.
- Regional Pricing: Some services offer lower prices in different countries. People might use a VPN to sign up from a cheaper region and then resell the account. Again, this usually violates the terms.
- Promotional Codes: Occasionally, a company might give out limited-time promo codes. These are rare for ChatGPT Plus, but not impossible.
Is It Worth the Risk?
For me, the answer is no. Saving $30 isn’t worth the potential headaches.
If you’re sharing an account, your chat history isn’t private. Someone else could see your conversations, and you could see theirs. And what if the original owner changes the password? You’re out $30 with no way to get it back.
Plus, if OpenAI finds out, they could just shut down the account. Then everyone who paid for access loses out.
So, Why Do People Still Buy These?
I get the appeal. For students, freelancers, or anyone just curious about the premium features, $20 a month can feel a little steep. A $30 deal makes it accessible.
ChatGPT Plus offers a lot of cool stuff—access to GPT-4, DALL-E 3 for image generation, advanced data analysis, and usually faster response times. It’s genuinely useful, and I can see why people want to try it without committing to the full price.
My Final Take
While the temptation of a cheap deal is real, I’d recommend sticking to official channels. If the cost is a barrier, try using the free version of ChatGPT—it’s still incredibly powerful. Or, you could try other AI tools that have more affordable plans.
Seeing that Reddit post was a good reminder: if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. It’s better to pay the official price and know your account is secure and your data is private.
Have you seen deals like this? I’d be curious to hear what you think.