ChatGPT Plus costs ₹1,999 a month in India, so it's no surprise that "how to get ChatGPT Plus for free" is a common search. The honest answer as of 1 November 2026: no Jio, Airtel or Vi recharge includes it, there's no working coupon code, and OpenAI's free year in India was for the cheaper ChatGPT Go plan, not Plus, and closed in January.
What does exist is a one-month free Plus trial that OpenAI shows to some accounts. Indian tech sites including Gizbot, Digit and Cashify have reported it, but OpenAI hasn't announced it publicly, and it doesn't appear for everyone.
The one genuine route: the in-app one-month trial
To check, sign in at chatgpt.com or in the app and open the upgrade page (click your profile, then Upgrade plan). If your account is eligible, the Plus option shows ₹0 for the first month or a button to claim a free offer. If it shows the normal ₹1,999, your account isn't eligible right now.
The reports agree on who tends to see it: accounts that have never paid for a ChatGPT plan. One outlet found it on a never-paid account but not on an account that had subscribed to ChatGPT Go. There's nothing you can do to make it appear.
The catches
You need to add a card or UPI to claim it, and it renews at ₹1,999 a month automatically when the free month ends. Set a reminder and cancel from Settings, then Account, then Manage plan, a few days before the month is up if you don't want to pay.
If you're still on the free ChatGPT Go year, Digit warns that switching to the Plus trial can end your free Go plan. Check what happens to Go before you claim, or wait until your Go year is over.
What doesn't work
No Indian SIM or recharge includes ChatGPT Plus. Jio's free AI deal was Google's Gemini and closed to new claims on 29 October 2026. Airtel's was Perplexity Pro and closed in January 2026. We found no AI bundle on Vi.
Avoid shared accounts, "Plus for ₹99" sellers and coupon sites. Shared logins break OpenAI's terms and can be cut off at any time, and anyone with access can read your chats. Pages asking for your OpenAI password, card details or UPI PIN to "activate" free Plus are scams.
The free Plus offer for students that has circulated online was for eligible college students in the US, not India.
Cheaper ways to get most of Plus
ChatGPT's free plan now covers more than it used to, and is enough for occasional use. ChatGPT Go, at ₹399 a month, raises the limits on messages, images and file uploads, and covers most people's needs for a fifth of the Plus price.
Outside OpenAI, Google AI Plus launched in India at ₹199 a month for six months, then ₹399, and Gemini's free plan is strong for writing and research. If you work mostly in an Indian language, Sarvam's Indus app is free. Our comparisons of ChatGPT, Gemini and Sarvam cover the trade-offs.