All GitHub Copilot plans are now on usage-based billing [FAQ] · community · Discussion #197089

Hello GitHub Community,

If you find that you're using more than what's included in your current plan, we've made some updates to help you get the best experience:

• Upgrade to unlock more included usage: When approaching your included and additional usage limits, you'll see prompts to upgrade to the next tier. You only pay the price difference between plans. Upon upgrading, you immediately get access to the new plan's total included usage, minus what you've already used this month.

• Pay as you go and stay on your current plan: You don't need to switch plans to keep going. If you've exhausted your included credits and hit your additional spending limit, you can pay for the additional usage you've already consumed, giving you continued access without switching plans.

If your preferred option isn't available yet, check back soon & review the FAQ below for additional answers.

📍 Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t I sign up right now?

New sign-ups are opening gradually as we put safeguards in place to address abuse patterns we saw under the previous billing model. This allows us to ensure Copilot remains a reliable, high-quality experience for all users.

What options do I have to continue using Copilot once I've hit my additional usage spending limit?

You have two options:

• Upgrade to the next plan – Pay a flat upgrade fee and receive the higher plan's included AI Credits (minus what you've already consumed). For example, upgrading from Pro to Pro+ costs $29 and gives you access to the Pro+ tier's $70 in included AI credits, minus your prior consumption.
• Pay as you go – Pay for your accrued additional usage immediately to unlock continued usage on your current plan without upgrading. This gives you the flexibility to remain on your current plan while continuing to use Copilot.

What does it look like in practice to upgrade? Can you give an example of what the flow looks like?

When you hit your additional usage spending limit on Copilot Pro, you'll see options to either pay as you go (settle your $29 in accrued additional usage to continue on Pro) or upgrade to Pro+ (pay a $29 upgrade fee, and receive the $70 Pro+ credits minus your total current usage). The upgrade fee is designed so your total spend matches what a new Pro+ signup would pay.

For example: Mona has a Copilot Pro subscription and has hit their spending limit after $5.00 USD in additional usage. Mona can either choose to pay down the $5 in additional usage or can upgrade to Pro+. If Mona upgrades to Pro+, Mona will be charged $29.00 USD to upgrade and receive $50 (70 AI Credits from Pro+ - ($15 AI Credits from Pro + $5 of additional usage) in AI Credits to use for the remaining month.

Will we always have to upgrade to a more expensive plan?

No. We are rolling out a Pay as you Go option that allows you to pay for additional usage on your current plan without upgrading. When you hit your additional usage spending limit, you'll be presented with both options: upgrade to the next plan for more included usage, or pay as you go to continue on your current plan. The upgrade path offers better per-dollar value through included credits, while pay as you go gives you flexibility to stay on your current plan.

Why do I have to pay first? Why can’t I just continue to use Copilot and pay when the month is over?

Pay as you Go helps protect against unpredictable costs. Postpaid billing can lead to unexpectedly large bills at the end of the month, and requiring payment upfront—combined with spending limits and the usage dashboard—helps avoid that. You can also upgrade to the next plan tier for higher included usage and spending limits.

📍Usage-based billing

Effective June 1, 2026: Usage-based billing is now in effect for all GitHub Copilot plans. Please refer to our initial announcement and today’s changelog for more details.

What are the additional usage limits? How much additional usage can users purchase?

The limits increase by plan, so the limits for users on a Pro+ plan will generally be higher than those for users on a Pro plan. They also vary depending on a user’s usage patterns, billing history, and verification states for their GitHub account. These limits are subject to change, and you’ll see an in-product notification when you hit a limit.

How will we know when we hit an additional usage spending limit?

You will get an in-product notification when you hit the additional usage spending limit.

Why do the spending limits vary? Why are some users treated differently?

Limits vary by plan tier and account signals, including usage patterns, billing history, and verification state, to protect service reliability and prevent abuse.

How exactly are you determining the amount of a user’s additional usage spending limit? What's the specific criteria?

We look at a variety of factors, including usage and payment history with GitHub. We can’t disclose specifics, as it would give bad actors more details to work with to circumvent our safeguards.

If I upgrade to a more expensive plan but then decide to downgrade, what does that look like? Are there any restrictions on when I can downgrade?

You can downgrade at any point. The downgrade will be a “delayed downgrade” where you will stay in the current, more expensive plan until your next billing cycle. Then you will be charged for the downgraded plan and the lower included usage will take effect the next calendar month.

Please note that if you upgrade from a Student plan to a paid plan, downgrading will take you to a Free plan and you will need to reapply for Student plan.

You said you’d loosen restrictions once usage-based billing is in effect, but sign-ups for new users are still paused. What’s going on?

We understand the frustration. Usage-based billing is now in effect, but we’ve needed additional time to put safeguards in place to ensure a reliable experience for all users. We plan to re-enable new sign-ups for all Copilot plans in the coming weeks.

Will you continue to offer flex AI Credits after the current promotion ends?

Flex allotments may vary from month to month. They’re designed to adapt as the economics of AI evolve, including model pricing, new models, and improvements in efficiency.

How can I use the enhanced model capabilities like the 1M context window?

These will be available in Copilot CLI and VS Code. In Copilot CLI, once you select a model you’ll be asked if you want default or long context. Select long context for the 1M context window. In VS Code, you can configure this through a separate context size dropdown menu.

Why should I pay GitHub API prices when I can just go pay the model provider directly?

Copilot gives you a single subscription across every model family we support, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI , with model availability varying by plan— without managing separate API keys, billing relationships, or rate limits with each provider. You get one bill, one set of usage controls, and access to all of it across VS Code, the Copilot CLI, the Copilot SDK, Copilot Code Review, and tools like OpenCode — without configuring each one separately.

For a lot of developers, the value isn't just "access to a model." It's that Copilot is deeply integrated into the tools they already use: pull requests, code review, the editor, the terminal. That integration work, including the context from your repo, your PR diff, your open files, and more, is what turns a model call into something more useful.

Will users continue to see the same level of restrictive rate limiting we’ve seen over the past few months?

We’ve loosened rate limits considerably, and users should not experience them with normal use.

Can I set up budgets at the user-level for my organization?

Yes, admins can now set a universal budget for users or override for specific sets of users. As users approach their budgets, admins will receive email notifications and can adjust budgets anytime from their billing settings. See our budget management documentation for details.