Users of the ChatGPT/Codex desktop experience may notice an option called “Invite a Friend” in the profile or account menu. Business users may instead see an option such as “Invite a Coworker.”

This is a referral feature for Codex. It allows eligible users to invite another person to try Codex. Depending on the promotion currently available to the account, a successful referral can provide benefits such as additional Codex usage, usage credits, or a banked rate-limit reset.

Importantly, “Invite a Friend” is not the same as sharing your ChatGPT account with somebody. Your friend receives an invitation to use Codex with their own eligible account. Your chats, source code, projects, passwords, account settings, and other private information are not automatically shared with them simply because you invited them.

OpenAI confirms that eligible personal-plan users may see Invite a friend, while eligible Business workspace members may see Invite a coworker.

Important: Referral offers are promotional and can change. The exact reward, number of invitations, eligibility requirements, expiration period and qualifying actions shown inside your Codex application should be treated as the authoritative terms for your particular offer.

What Is Codex?

Codex is OpenAI's coding agent designed to assist with software-development work. It can help developers write, review, understand and modify code, investigate software projects and perform development tasks.

Codex is available through eligible ChatGPT plans, although usage limits and available functionality can vary depending on the plan.

The Invite a Friend feature is therefore primarily associated with Codex referrals, rather than being a permanent promise of free ChatGPT subscription time.

What Does “Invite a Friend” Mean?

When Invite a Friend appears in your Codex profile menu, OpenAI has determined that your account is currently eligible to see a referral offer.

You can use this feature to invite another eligible person to try Codex.

A typical referral process works approximately like this:

You → Send Codex Invitation → Friend Accepts → Friend Uses Codex → Required Action Completed → Eligibility Checked → Promotional Reward Granted

Simply sending the invitation normally does not immediately earn a reward.

OpenAI states that rewards are granted after the invited person accepts the invitation, satisfies the eligibility requirements, completes the required Codex action and passes applicable checks.

Where Can You Find “Invite a Friend”?

For eligible accounts, the option can normally be found from the profile/account menu in the Codex application.

The general process is:

1. Open the Codex desktop application.
2. Sign in using your ChatGPT/OpenAI account.
3. Open your profile/account menu.
4. Look for Invite a Friend.
5. Open the invitation window.
6. Review the current promotional terms.
7. Enter or share the requested invitation information.
8. Send the invitation.

The invitation dialog can display information such as the current reward, recipient requirements, invitation limits and expiration applicable to the offer.

Who Gets the “Invite a Friend” Option?

Not every ChatGPT or Codex user is guaranteed to receive it.

OpenAI describes these referrals as offers for eligible users. Eligibility can depend on factors such as:

• ChatGPT subscription or workspace
• Account standing
• Codex usage
• Region
• Current promotion
• Referral limits
• Workspace configuration
• Previous referral activity
• Recipient eligibility

Therefore, two people using the same Codex desktop application version may not necessarily see the same referral options.

Personal Account vs Business Account

The wording can differ depending on the account.

Personal ChatGPT Account

An eligible personal-plan user may see:

Invite a Friend

ChatGPT Business Workspace

An eligible Business workspace member may instead see:

Invite a Coworker

Business referrals can have different eligibility rules and rewards from personal referrals. Business workspace administrators may also have controls related to referral promotions.

Therefore, instructions or screenshots from another user's Codex application should not automatically be assumed to apply to your account.

What Benefit Do You Get by Inviting a Friend?

This is the most important part of the feature.

The reward is not permanently fixed.

According to OpenAI's current referral terms, promotional benefits may include:

• Codex usage credits
• A Codex rate-limit reset
• Temporary additional Codex usage
• Another benefit specifically described in the offer

The exact benefit depends on the promotion associated with your account.

Therefore, before sending invitations, read the message displayed in the Invite a Friend window.

Do not assume that every referral always gives the same amount of free usage.

What Is a Banked Codex Rate-Limit Reset?

This is particularly useful for developers who use Codex heavily.

Codex accounts have usage limits depending on their ChatGPT plan and other applicable usage rules.

During some referral promotions, a successful referral may give you a banked rate-limit reset.

Think of it as an emergency additional usage opportunity.

Suppose you are working on a software project and eventually reach your applicable Codex usage limit.

Normally you may need to wait until usage becomes available again, purchase applicable additional usage where offered, or take another option available under your plan.

If you have a banked reset, you may be able to use that reset to refresh the relevant Codex usage window instead.

OpenAI states that available banked resets can appear in the profile menu's usage summary.

For applicable full banked resets, OpenAI's current documentation says the reset can reset both the 5-hour and weekly usage windows. Redeeming it can consequently move the weekly reset date to approximately seven days after redemption.

This can be valuable for developers who are in the middle of a large coding or debugging session.

Example of How a Codex Referral Can Work

Suppose:

User A is an eligible Codex user.

User A opens:

Profile → Invite a Friend

and sends an invitation to User B.

User B accepts the official referral invitation.

If the promotion requires User B to be new to Codex, User B must satisfy that requirement.

User B then opens Codex and completes the qualifying activity, which may involve sending a first Codex message.

OpenAI then checks whether the referral satisfies the promotion's conditions.

If everything qualifies, the promotional benefit described in the offer can be applied.

The benefit might be a banked rate-limit reset, Codex usage credits, temporary additional usage or another promotional reward.

Is the Reward Given Immediately When You Send the Invitation?

No, not necessarily.

Sending an invitation and earning a referral reward are two separate events.

A simplified workflow is:

Invitation Sent

↓

Friend Accepts Invitation

↓

Friend Meets Eligibility Requirements

↓

Friend Completes Required Codex Activity

↓

OpenAI Performs Eligibility Checks

↓

Referral Qualifies

↓

Reward Applied

OpenAI specifically states that rewards are not granted merely because an invitation was sent.

Can I Invite Someone Who Already Has ChatGPT?

Possibly.

Having a ChatGPT account does not automatically mean that somebody is ineligible.

For example, some promotions may allow an existing ChatGPT user who is new to Codex.

Other promotions may require that the person has not recently used Codex.

The precise requirement depends on the offer.

Therefore:

Existing ChatGPT account ≠ automatically disqualified

but:

Existing/recent Codex usage may affect eligibility depending on the promotion.

Does My Friend Need a Paid ChatGPT Subscription?

Not necessarily in every promotion.

Recipient requirements depend upon the referral offer.

The invitation window should explain the eligibility conditions that apply to the particular promotion.

For Business referrals, additional requirements can apply, such as joining the relevant ChatGPT Business workspace as an eligible seat.

Does My Friend Get a Benefit Too?

Possibly.

Some referral offers provide benefits to both participants, while other promotions can have different reward structures.

OpenAI states that the invited person may receive the benefit described in the applicable offer after accepting the invitation and completing the required action, provided that the eligibility conditions are met.

Always read the actual invitation dialog to determine:

You receive: what?

Your friend receives: what?

Required action: what?

Expiration: when?

Invitation limit: how many?

A Notable Codex Referral Promotion Example

When Codex referral/reset banking was introduced in June 2026, OpenAI announced that eligible Plus and Pro users could receive banked rate-limit resets and send referral invitations from within the Codex application.

Under that rollout, when an eligible recipient sent their first Codex message, both participants received a banked rate-limit reset. Those banked resets were usable for 30 days after being granted.

However, this should be understood as an example of a promotion, not a guarantee that every future Invite a Friend offer will have identical terms.

OpenAI's current referral terms explicitly state that rewards can vary.

How Long Does a Banked Reset Remain Available?

The expiration depends upon the offer.

OpenAI's current general Codex referral terms state that, for offers granting a banked Codex rate-limit reset, the reset must generally be used within 30 days after it is added to the reset bank, unless the specific offer states otherwise.

Therefore, don't assume that banked resets remain in your account permanently.

How Do You Use a Banked Reset?

If your account has an available reset:

1. Open Codex.
2. Open your profile/account menu.
3. Locate the usage summary.
4. Look for an indication such as “1 reset available.”
5. Select the available reset option.
6. Review the information shown before using it.
7. Apply the reset when additional Codex usage is needed.

A reset is particularly useful when you have reached a usage limit while actively working on an important coding project.

Does the Referral Give API Credits?

Normally, no.

This is an important distinction.

OpenAI states that referral credits are not API credits unless the offer explicitly says otherwise.

For example, receiving additional Codex usage does not automatically mean you receive money or credit for calls made through the OpenAI API.

Codex promotional usage and API billing should be considered separate unless the specific offer explicitly states otherwise.

Is a Rate-Limit Reset the Same as Money or Credits?

No.

A rate-limit reset is not cash.

It is also not necessarily a monetary credit balance.

OpenAI states that rate-limit resets and temporary usage benefits do not create a cash, API or transferable credit balance.

You therefore cannot normally:

• withdraw it as money,
• sell it,
• transfer it to another account,
• exchange it for cash, or
• automatically use it as API credit.

Can I Invite Myself Using Another Email Address?

You should not attempt to manipulate the referral system using additional accounts or aliases.

OpenAI's referral terms state that self-invites, duplicate redemptions, address aliases used to evade eligibility, device-linked self-referrals and other suspected fraudulent or abusive activity are not eligible.

Referral systems should be used to invite genuine eligible users.

What Happens If My Friend Receives Multiple Invitations?

Multiple invitations do not necessarily generate multiple rewards.

According to OpenAI, if an invitee receives multiple referral invitations, only the first qualifying referral may be eligible for reward redemption.

Sending repeated invitations to the same person therefore should not be considered a way to obtain additional rewards.

Why Can't I See “Invite a Friend”?

If another person has the feature but you don't, it does not necessarily indicate a problem with your Codex installation.

The feature is eligibility-based.

Possible reasons include:

• Your account is not included in the current promotion.
• Your ChatGPT plan isn't eligible for that particular offer.
• The promotion isn't available for your region/account.
• You have reached an invitation or reward limit.
• Your account doesn't satisfy the current Codex usage requirements.
• The promotion has expired.
• You are using a workspace where referral promotions are disabled.
• OpenAI has not enabled the promotion for your account.

The official documentation consistently describes the feature as available to eligible users, rather than universally available.

Does “Invite a Friend” Give My Friend Access to My Codex Projects?

No.

A referral invitation should not be confused with project collaboration or account sharing.

Inviting someone does not by itself give that person access to your:

• ChatGPT conversations
• Codex conversations
• Local source-code folders
• Git repositories
• files
• passwords
• account
• billing information
• project instructions

They use their own account or applicable workspace access.

If you actually want somebody to collaborate on source code, use the appropriate repository, source-control or workspace collaboration mechanism.

Is It Safe to Use?

Yes, when you use the official referral mechanism provided inside the genuine ChatGPT/Codex application.

However, normal security precautions should still be followed.

Do not give another person:

• your OpenAI password,
• authentication code,
• session cookies,
• API keys,
• recovery codes, or
• remote access to your computer

just to complete a referral.

A legitimate referral should not require sharing your personal login credentials.

Benefits of Invite a Friend for Developers

The referral feature can be particularly useful for developers who frequently use Codex.

1. Potential Additional Codex Usage

Depending on the promotion, successful referrals may provide extra Codex usage.

2. Rate-Limit Reset

Some promotions provide banked resets that can be used when Codex usage limits are reached.

3. Useful During Large Development Projects

Additional usage can be valuable during:

• application development,
• debugging,
• code review,
• refactoring,
• testing,
• documentation,
• software migration,
• troubleshooting, and
• large multi-file coding projects.

4. Introduces Other Developers to Codex

A friend or colleague can try Codex using their own account instead of sharing yours.

5. Business Team Adoption

Eligible Business users may use Invite a Coworker to introduce Codex to eligible colleagues under applicable workspace referral programs.

Important Limitations

The Invite a Friend feature should not be treated as a permanent entitlement.

OpenAI can change:

• eligibility,
• reward type,
• reward amount,
• invitation limits,
• expiration periods,
• qualifying actions,
• supported plans,
• workspace requirements, and
• availability.

OpenAI's current terms state that reward amounts, caps, cooldowns, expiration, redemption windows and availability can vary by plan, workspace, region or promotion.

Therefore, screenshots or instructions found online may describe an older promotion.

Best Practice Before Sending a Codex Invitation

Before clicking Send Invitation, carefully read the offer displayed in the application.

Specifically check:

Reward: What will you receive?

Friend's reward: What will the recipient receive?

Eligibility: Who qualifies?

Required action: What must the friend do?

Invitation limit: How many people can you invite?

Reward limit: How many rewards can you earn?

Expiration: When must the invitation/reward be used?

This prevents misunderstanding about what the referral actually provides.

Quick Summary

Invite a Friend in Codex is essentially an eligibility-based referral program.

Its basic purpose is:

Invite an eligible person → They try/use Codex → They complete the required action → Referral is validated → Promotional benefit may be granted.

The reward is not permanently fixed.

Depending on the offer, benefits may include:

Codex usage credits, banked rate-limit resets, temporary additional usage or another promotional benefit.

The most important rule is therefore:

Always check the current reward and eligibility conditions displayed inside your own Codex application before sending an invitation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is “Invite a Friend” in Codex?

It is a referral feature that allows eligible Codex users to invite another eligible person to try Codex.

2. Is Invite a Friend available to everyone?

No. OpenAI describes it as an eligibility-based feature, so not every account will necessarily see it.

3. Where can I find Invite a Friend?

Eligible personal-plan users can generally find it in the Codex profile/account menu.

4. What is “Invite a Coworker”?

It is the corresponding referral option that may appear for eligible ChatGPT Business workspace members.

5. What do I receive for inviting someone?

It depends on the promotion. Benefits may include Codex usage credits, a rate-limit reset, temporary additional usage or another benefit specified by the offer.

6. Do I receive the reward immediately after sending the invitation?

No. The invited person generally must accept the invitation, satisfy eligibility requirements and complete the required qualifying action.

7. What is a banked Codex reset?

It is a rate-limit reset stored on an eligible account that can later be used to reset applicable Codex usage limits.

8. Where can I see my available resets?

Open the Codex profile menu and check the usage summary. An eligible account may show wording such as “1 reset available.”

9. Do banked resets expire?

They can. OpenAI's current general referral terms say banked Codex rate-limit resets must generally be used within 30 days after being added, unless the particular offer states otherwise.

10. Can an existing ChatGPT user be invited?

Possibly. Some offers may permit existing ChatGPT users who are new to Codex or satisfy other usage requirements.

11. Can an existing Codex user qualify?

It depends on the offer. Some promotions may require the invitee to be new to Codex or have no recent Codex usage.

12. Does Invite a Friend give API credits?

Normally no. Referral credits are not API credits unless the specific offer explicitly states otherwise.

13. Can I convert my Codex reset into cash?

No. Rate-limit resets are not cash balances and cannot normally be exchanged for money.

14. Can I transfer my referral reward?

Referral benefits generally cannot be transferred, sold or exchanged.

15. Can I invite myself using another email address?

No. Self-referrals or attempts to evade eligibility requirements can be disqualified.

16. Does inviting someone expose my ChatGPT conversations?

No. Sending a referral invitation does not automatically give the invited person access to your conversations.

17. Does it share my local source code?

No. A referral invitation itself does not provide access to your local project folders.

18. Why does my friend have Invite a Friend but I don't?

Referral availability can differ according to account, plan, workspace, region, promotion and eligibility.

19. How many friends can I invite?

There is no single permanent number. The applicable invitation limit is displayed in the current referral offer.

20. What if my friend receives referral invitations from multiple people?

Only the first qualifying referral may count toward reward redemption.

21. What must my friend do after accepting?

The exact requirement depends on the promotion. It may include opening Codex and completing a qualifying action such as sending a Codex message.

22. Does simply installing Codex guarantee the reward?

No. Installation alone may not satisfy the qualifying conditions.

23. Is Invite a Friend permanent?

No guarantee should be assumed. Referral promotions and their terms can change.

24. Is this feature useful for heavy Codex users?

Potentially yes. A banked reset or additional usage can be particularly useful when working on long coding, debugging or software-development sessions.

25. Where should I check the latest rules?

Check the referral dialog displayed in your own Codex application and OpenAI's official Codex Referral Promotions documentation because referral terms can change.

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