# How can my startup get free AWS or OpenAI credits? > Learn how your startup can qualify for AWS and OpenAI credits, apply for available programs, and manage expiration dates. Explore ongoing AWS savings with NachoNacho’s 3% cashback offer. - **Page:** https://nachonacho.com/blog/how-can-my-startup-get-free-aws-or-openai-credits - **Author:** Ana Buadze - **Published:** November 10, 2026 - **Category:** SaaS Guides (https://nachonacho.com/blog/category/saas-guides-blog) - **Reading time:** about 7 minutes --- Your startup’s cloud and AI bills don’t wait for your first paying customer. Hosting your product, storing data, and testing AI features can start costing money while you’re still figuring out what customers want. Free AWS and OpenAI credits can give you more room to build. The challenge is finding an offer your startup qualifies for—and making sure it covers the services you actually use. AWS offers options for both self-funded and investor-backed startups. OpenAI has a partner-backed startup route, plus API credit benefits for eligible paid ChatGPT subscribers. This guide explains which options to check first, how to apply, and how to keep saving after the credits run out. Program information reviewed November 9, 2026. Eligibility and offers can change. ## Compare AWS and OpenAI startup credit options Table: Option Published benefit Main requirement AWS Free Tier Up to $200 in credits Eligible new AWS customer AWS Activate Founders $1,000 initially; selected participants may qualify for up to $5,000 over time Eligible self-funded startup AWS Activate Portfolio Up to $200,000 Eligible startup affiliated with an Activate Provider OpenAI startup program Award amount is not standardized on the public startup page Access through a participating VC partner ChatGPT subscription API benefit Allowance depends on the eligible paid plan Qualifying subscription and activation ## How to get free AWS credits Choose the AWS Activate tier that matches your startup AWS Activate Founders serves eligible self-funded businesses. AWS Activate Portfolio supports startups affiliated with approved providers, including investors, accelerators, and startup organizations. AWS’s published baseline includes being pre-Series B, founded within the last 10 years, and using an AWS account on a Paid Tier Plan. Previous Activate awards also affect eligibility. Before applying, ask your investor or accelerator whether it offers an Activate package. Confirm the amount available through that specific relationship rather than assuming the program’s maximum applies to you. Follow the AWS Activate application process The official AWS application guide explains the process: Sign in with an AWS Builder ID. Complete your Activate profile using a business email matching your company’s domain. Select Founders or Portfolio. Portfolio applicants need their provider’s confidential Organization ID. Provide startup details, including your product, funding stage, and latest funding date where applicable. Link your company’s AWS account and review the application before submitting. AWS also lists a functioning company website among the requirements. For Portfolio, its guide specifies a funding round within the previous 12 months, where applicable. Prepare these details together before starting. Inconsistent company names, an outdated website, or the wrong billing account can create avoidable confusion. Use AWS Free Tier for smaller experiments AWS Free Tier is a separat e option for eligible new customers. It provides $100 in credits at signup, with up to another $100 available through qualifying activities. The Free plan ends after six months or when its credits run out, whichever happens first. Paid plans have different billing rules and can incur charges beyond available credit coverage. Check your account plan before deploying a workload you intend to keep running. ## How to get free OpenAI API credits There are different routes to investigate. Start with benefits your company can already access before considering a new paid commitment. Apply through a participating VC partner OpenAI’s startup program directs founders to the ir VC for credit access. Ask whether your investor participates and request the application instructions and referral code. Prepare: Your product description and planned API use. Company contacts and a valid business email. Basic funding details. Your OpenAI organization ID. The public startup page does not promise a universal grant amount. Confirm your specific award and conditions before including it in your budget. Make your product description concrete. For example: “We are testing an assistant that summarizes support tickets for customer success teams.” Then explain the stage of development and what you need to validate. Check benefits attached to an existing ChatGPT subscription Eligible paid ChatGPT Pro and Business subscriptions can include promotional API credits. Availability depends on the plan and account conditions; Plus and free trials do not qualify for this particular offer. The eligible paid subscription must have been active for at least seven days. To claim the benefit, follow the OpenAI activation guide : Open the API credit benefit in ChatGPT or API Platform billing. Confirm that you meet the ownership and account-linking requirements. Select the API organization that should receive the grant. Activate the benefit and verify the issued balance. Do not assume that having an eligible subscription means credits have already arrived. Check the receiving organization before starting a larger workload. What if your startup has no participating VC? Check whether an existing subscription provides a usable benefit. If it does not, avoid building your launch plan around unconfirmed credits. Before buying a subscription specifically for an allowance, compare: The subscription cost. The credits you expect to use before expiration. Whether your intended API usage is covered. Any additional value your team gets from the subscription itself. For example, paying for an allowance you will barely use may cost more than funding a small API test directly. Evaluate the whole purchase, not just the headline credit amount. ## Confirm which account and services the credits cover ChatGPT billing and OpenAI API billing are separate. Using ChatGPT for writing or research is different from running API requests inside your product. A linked subscription benefit does not merge those billing systems. Similarly, AWS describes Activate coverage for eligible model usage through Amazon Bedrock. Those credits apply to eligible AWS-billed usage; they do not become a balance in your direct OpenAI API account. Before applying, write down the service your application calls and the account receiving its invoices. That simple check helps prevent choosing an offer that cannot cover your workload. For a broader comparison across providers, see NachoNacho’s AI credits for startups guide. ## Use this checklist before accepting a credit offer Save the answers in one place so your technical and finance teams work from the same assumptions. Table: Question What to record What will we actually receive? Approved amount, rather than advertised maximum Where will it be applied? Exact billing account or API organization What does it cover? Eligible services and exclusions When does it expire? The date shown for the specific grant What must we pay to access it? Any subscription or membership requirement What happens afterward? Billing behavior and expected monthly cost This turns a promotional offer into a usable plan. It also makes different programs easier to compare without treating every credit dollar as equally valuable. ## How much can startup credits really save? Consider a hypothetical startup with $1,000 in approved credits and $250 in eligible monthly usage. At steady usage, the balance could cover approximately four months. If usage doubles to $500 per month, it would last approximately two months. Earlier expiration or excluded services would reduce the benefit. A practical planning formula is: Usable credit value ≈ the smaller of your approved balance and eligible spending before expiration. This estimate assumes the award covers that spending fully and has no additional sublimits. Track usage costs before credits as well as the amount you pay. Your first unsubsidized month should be part of the plan from the beginning. ## Get ongoing AWS savings through NachoNacho For savings beyond promotional credit programs, explore the AWS offer on NachoNacho: 3% Cashback — All Cloud Services. Forever. The offer is available to new and existing AWS users. Cashback returns part of qualifying spending, making it different from a credit balance that offsets usage. At the advertised rate, $1,000 in qualifying AWS spending would earn $30 in cashback. Review the redemption requirements for your account. If you already have AWS credits, confirm how cashback applies before assuming both benefits cover the same charges. Explore the AWS cashback offer on NachoNacho. ## Frequently asked questions Can a bootstrapped startup get AWS credits? Yes. AWS Activate Founders provides a route for eligible self-funded startups. Venture capital funding is not required for that tier. Can an existing AWS customer apply? An existing account does not automatically disqualify you. Prior Activate awards and the specific program requirements matter. AWS allows some eligible startups to apply for higher awards, subject to its limits. How long does AWS Activate approval take? AWS currently lists an expected response within 5–10 business days. This is guidance, not a guaranteed application deadline. Do all startups get free OpenAI credits? No. Credit access depends on the particular program or subscription benefit. Verify eligibility and issuance before treating an advertised offer as an available balance. Do credits expire? Yes. AWS says Activate credits typically expire within one to two years, depending on the package. OpenAI’s subscription-linked monthly grants expire at the end of the billing cycle and do not roll over. Always use the expiration date attached to your own grant. What happens when OpenAI API credits run out? It depends on the billing arrangement. For the subscription-linked benefit, remaining purchased API credits can support continued usage; without an available balance, requests can fail. Check billing and recharge settings before a production launch. ## Choose your next step Identify the bill you want to reduce, check the application route available to your company, and confirm the account that will receive the benefit. Budget around approved credits and actual usage—not an advertised maximum. For ongoing cloud savings, review 3% Cashback — All Cloud Services. Forever. on AWS through NachoNacho. --- Blog index: https://nachonacho.com/blog About NachoNacho: https://nachonacho.com/llms.txt