ChatGPT Plus is free for a limited time: Here’s how to check if you qualify

ChatGPT didn’t just emerge onto the AI scene, it birthed an entire revolution of AI assistants and agents and made them accessible to consumers who were not so friendly with technology. Despite the space now being overcrowded with numerous intelligent chatbots and wrapper apps, ChatGPT is still the most popular of them all. And while you get plenty of features for free now, ChatGPT Plus, its paid tier, gets deeper thinking abilities, priority in times of traffic surge, and quicker access to new models. The downside, however, it is $20 monthly subscription. Thankfully, a select few people can get it for free now.

OpenAI’s CEO and co-founder Sam Altman recently announced on X that ChatGPT Plus will be available for free until the end of May. However, the offer is only applicable if you are a college student, and more specifically, studying in a “degree-granting schools in the United States and Canada.” The idea basically is to gain popularity among college-goers by helping them cram more before finals in the coming weeks.

As part of the promotion, OpenAI is advertising ChatGPT’s abilities to help you with summaries or quizes based on study material, deep thinking or brainstorming with the research abilities, as well as the more advanced Voice mode that lets you hold conversations with a natural flow where you can interrupt ChatGPT without breaking its flow of information.

Are you eligible for the free ChatGPT Plus promo offer?

To claim this offer, you can visit the dedicated page on ChatGPT’s (not OpenAI’s) website. You must tap “Claim Offer” and will then be redirected to a verification page on SheerID, a platform that helps students get special discounts, and fill in your details such as your school or university’s name along with your student email ID. If your college isn’t already listed, you can fill in a request form, though it takes some time.

In case of any trouble, you may also turn to ChatGPT’s competitor, Perplexity AI, which also offers one free month of subscription to students, who can also earn additional months (up to 24 months of free use) for referring peers.

If everything goes smoothly, you will have free access to ChatGPT Plus until May 31. But don’t forget to cancel the subscription before the trial ends, as OpenAI’s terms & conditions clearly state you will be charged $20 for the next billing period starting June 1. It’s better to cancel the subscription a few days in advance as it will remain active until the end of the period. I usually set reminders on my phone to ensure I never have to pay for a subscription I intend to cancel, and it has worked for me well so far.

While the idea is to help students assimilate information better — and also show them that reliance on ChatGPT will benefit them in school and beyond, the offer does not limit what you do with the subscription. So, there’s no stopping if you would rather use ChatGPT Plus to instead join the viral Studio Ghibli art trend — or enterprise from it by creating and selling pictures to other people, use it to write code for your website or app, or do anything else.