Paid AI plans you can get for free

AI companies and their partners sometimes give paid plans away for a few months. Here are the official offers, with deadlines and links.

Heads-up: many offers need a card and renew as paid plans. Cancel before the free period ends if you don't want to pay.

Active offers

OpenAI · ChatGPT · claim by October 31, 2026

Students at US colleges and grad schools can get four months of ChatGPT Plus free after a quick SheerID check. Claim it by October 31, 2026; after that it's $20/month unless you cancel.

  1. Open chatgpt.com/students/2026 in a browser and sign in to the account you want upgraded.
  2. Verify enrollment through SheerID.
  3. Return to the offer, add a payment method and activate.
Official page → checked Oct 16

Google · Gemini · claim by December 31, 2026

US college students 18+ can get a full year of Google AI Pro at no cost after verifying enrollment. Redeem by December 31, 2026; it then renews at $19.99/month unless you cancel.

  1. Open one.google.com/ai-student (the Claim Free Student Plan button on Gemini for Students).
  2. Verify that you are a student.
  3. Add a payment method; no charge during the free year.
Official page → checked Oct 16

OpenAI · ChatGPT · no end date published

Verified university students in the US and Canada get $100 in credits (2,500) to use in Codex, OpenAI's coding agent, on any ChatGPT plan, even Free. The credits expire a year after they land in your account.

  1. Open chatgpt.com/codex/students and sign in to ChatGPT.
  2. Verify student status through SheerID with your university email.
  3. Credits are added to your personal workspace automatically.
Official page → checked Oct 16

GitHub · GitHub Copilot Free · no end date published

Students verified through GitHub Education can use Copilot Student for free: unlimited code completions plus a monthly allowance of AI credits. Models are chosen automatically, so you can't pick a specific one.

  1. Go to github.com/settings/education/benefits and apply for student verification.
  2. After approval, open the free developer resources section and activate Copilot Student.
  3. Activation can take several days after approval.
Official page → checked Oct 16

Ended offers

PayPal / Venmo · Perplexity · ended on December 31, 2025

First-time Perplexity users with a PayPal or Venmo account could get 12 months of Perplexity Pro free. The offer closed on December 31, 2025; after the free year it renews at the regular price.

  1. Was: sign up for Perplexity Pro inside the PayPal or Venmo app.
Official page → checked Oct 16

Google · Gemini · ended on October 6, 2025

In 2025 Google gave students 18+ in the US, Brazil and a few other countries a free year of Google AI Pro if they signed up by October 6, 2025. Those free years end between August and October 2026; US students can switch to the 2026 offer.

  1. Was: sign up at one.google.com with student verification by October 6, 2025.
Official page → checked Oct 16

Updated