ChatGPT Go: One-year free access to ChatGPT Go launched in India, but UPI activation issues persist..

ChatGPT Go launched in India on Tuesday with 12 months of free access, sparking widespread enthusiasm. However, many users complained of difficulties activating the offer via UPI. OpenAI launched a free ChatGPT Go plan for 12 months or 1 year for Indian users starting November 4, 2025, as part of a limited-time promotion. However, many users reported repeated activation failures.

According to users, activation fails even after repeatedly approving a ₹1 UPI debit. The app remains stuck on the payment screen. An error occurs despite entering a valid UPI ID. Payment authorization appears successful, but the process is not completed.

According to OpenAI, adding a payment method (credit card or UPI) is required to avail the free offer. This is not a subscription fee, but a temporary charge of ₹1 per billing cycle, which is immediately refunded. You can think of this as the auto-pay activation amount, which is refundable. This setup allows for auto-billing after the 12-month free period ends. If the user cancels the subscription during the free period, the offer will expire.

Users complained about this disruption on social media, writing:

"Excited to try free ChatGPT Go, but UPI verification is stuck! An invalid VPA error is appearing even though the ID is correct. The mandate isn't being completed. Fix it quickly!"

"Even after confirming the UPI payment, the screen remains stuck on 'Payment approved. Is there a fix, or is this a bug?"

"Approved the ₹1 payment twice, but the plan still won't activate. The page shows ₹0.00 remaining, but no access. Is anyone else experiencing this issue?"

OpenAI acknowledged that UPI payments experienced issues shortly after launch due to high demand, causing the system to become overloaded. The company issued a statement, "Demand was so high that our UPI integration became overloaded. We are working with partners to quickly resolve this and gradually re-roll the service."

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Amar Ujala. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.