How to Pay for the OpenAI API with USDT: GPT and Codex Without a Credit Card (2026)

Short answer

You can't pay OpenAI's API in USDT. Its help center says individual and team accounts pay through prepaid credits or automatic credit-card charges, and crypto isn't one of the options.

If you hold USDT but don't have a card that works, top up TeamoRouter instead. Click Pay with crypto in the top-up dialog, choose USDT and a network on the checkout page, and send it from Binance, OKX or any exchange app. The minimum is $5. The same API key then calls GPT models at 20–30% of OpenAI's list price. The OpenAI SDK and Codex only need the endpoint changed to https://api.teamorouter.com/v1.

How OpenAI's own API billing works

From the OpenAI Help Center, checked on 2026-10-22:

• Individual and team accounts pay through prepaid credits or automatic credit-card charges. Enterprise customers are invoiced monthly.
• Prepaid credits: on the API Billing page you click Add payment details, then buy credits. The first purchase is at least $5.
• Expiry and refunds: purchased credits expire after one year and aren't refundable unless the law, a contract or an approved exception requires it.
• Regions: the API is only available in supported countries and territories.

None of OpenAI's billing articles mention USDT or other crypto. Some people get a crypto debit card topped up with USDT and add it to OpenAI, but those cards usually need ID checks and fees, and their card ranges can still be declined. See OpenAI API "Your card has been declined" for what tends to go wrong with cards.

OpenAI API vs. TeamoRouter

TeamoRouter sells pay-as-you-go API balance. It doesn't sell ChatGPT Plus or other web subscriptions.

Topping up with USDT

1. Sign in to TeamoRouter, open the top-up dialog in the console and pick an amount ($5 minimum).
2. Click Pay with crypto. You're taken to the checkout page. If you signed up with a phone number, you'll be asked to add an email address first.
3. Choose USDT, then a network. The checkout opens networks by amount: BEP20 from $5, ERC20 from $10, TRC20 from $30.
4. The page shows an address and the exact amount. The invoice is valid for 60 minutes. In your exchange app, withdraw the same coin on the same network to that address, and make sure the amount received is at least the amount on the page.
5. Your balance is credited automatically once the payment confirms on-chain, even if you closed the checkout page. Then create an API key.

For small amounts use BEP20: as of 2026-10-22, Binance and Bitget charge 0.01 USDT to withdraw USDT on BEP20 and 1.5 USDT on TRC20. OKX doesn't offer USDT on BEP20; see Paying for AI APIs from OKX. Exchanges change their fees, so check the withdrawal screen before you send.

Expired invoices, underpayments and where to find the TxID are covered in How to pay for the Claude API with USDT. The process is identical for GPT.

Connecting the OpenAI SDK

Change base_url and api_key. Keep /v1 in the URL:

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.teamorouter.com/v1",
    api_key="YOUR_TEAMOROUTER_KEY",
)

resp = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-6-sol",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Introduce yourself in one sentence."}],
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)

The Node.js openai package works the same way: pass baseURL and apiKey to the constructor. Model IDs are listed on the pricing page. The main GPT models are gpt-6.1-sol, gpt-6-sol and gpt-6-astra; the cheapest is gpt-6-luna.

Connecting Codex

Add a provider to ~/.codex/config.toml:

model_provider = "teamorouter"
model = "gpt-6-sol"
model_reasoning_effort = "high"

[model_providers.teamorouter]
name = "TeamoRouter"
base_url = "https://api.teamorouter.com/v1"
env_key = "OPENAI_API_KEY"
wire_api = "responses"

Then put your key in the environment:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="YOUR_TEAMOROUTER_KEY"

Open a new terminal and run codex. Windows steps and common errors are in the Codex setup guide; for choosing a model, see GPT-6 Sol API.

FAQ

Can I top up OpenAI directly with USDT? No. OpenAI's help center lists prepaid credits and card charges only.

What's the minimum? $5, the same as OpenAI's minimum first purchase.

My USDT is on TRC20 but I only want to top up $10. TRC20 appears at $30 and above. Withdraw on BEP20 instead, which works from $5.

Can I pay from my phone? Yes. The checkout is a normal web page; copy the address and amount into your exchange app.

Can I get a refund? Crypto payments are not refundable. Try $5 first.

Does the same balance work for Claude? Yes. Claude runs on the native Anthropic API, so Claude Code works too. See Pay for Claude Code with USDT.

Next steps

• How to pay for the Claude API with USDT (full walkthrough)
• GPT-6 Sol API
• Which AI APIs accept crypto?
• Create an API key