Get an OpenAI API key
How to create an OpenAI API key, add prepaid credit, and why ChatGPT Plus does not include API access.
1. Create your account
- 1Go to platform.openai.com and sign in, or create an account if you don't have one.
- 2Verify your email address and phone number if prompted — OpenAI requires this before issuing keys.
2. Create the API key
- 1Open the API keys page at platform.openai.com/api-keys (also reachable from the left sidebar → API keys).
- 2Click "Create new secret key".
- 3Give it a name (for example "BizWax"), optionally scope it to a project, then click "Create secret key".
- 4Copy the key immediately and store it somewhere safe — OpenAI shows the full key only once.
The key starts with "sk-". If you lose it you can't view it again — just create a new one and delete the old.
3. Add billing
New OpenAI accounts need a payment method and credits before the API will return results.
- 1Go to Settings → Billing (platform.openai.com/settings/organization/billing).
- 2Add a payment method and buy a starting credit balance (you can set an amount as low as a few dollars).
- 3Optionally set a monthly usage limit so spending can't run away.
4. Keep it safe
Treat an API key like a password. Anyone who has it can spend on your account. Never post it publicly, commit it to a git repository, or paste it into a chat. If a key is ever exposed, revoke it in the provider console and create a new one.
What your OpenAI key runs on BizWax.Ai
Paste the key in once and these tools use it, with OpenAI billing you directly at its own rates and nothing added on top.
AI Consensus
Compare AI Models Side by Side
Five minds. One answer.
BizChat
Multi-Model AI Chat
One chat. Every model.
Hook Lab
AI Headline Generator
Describe it once. Get 20 headlines, scored.
Repurposer
AI Content Repurposing Tool
One asset in, five platforms out.
Common questions
Is the OpenAI API free?
Creating a key costs nothing, but the API is paid by usage. You add prepaid credit in the billing settings of the OpenAI platform, and requests draw it down.
Does ChatGPT Plus include API access?
No. OpenAI bills API usage separately from ChatGPT, so a ChatGPT Plus subscription does not include API credit. You need credit on the OpenAI platform as well.
Where do I find my OpenAI API key?
On the API keys page of the OpenAI platform (platform.openai.com/api-keys). It lists your keys by name, but the full key is shown only once, when you create it.
What does an OpenAI API key look like?
It starts with "sk-" (project keys start with "sk-proj-") followed by a long string of letters and numbers. Treat it like a password.
Checked against OpenAI's own pages on 28 September 2026. Providers change free tiers and minimums often.
You have the key. Give it something to do.
Most people create a key for one project and never use it again. On BizWax.Ai you add it once and it works across every tool built on OpenAI, with everything you make saved to one Library. Creating an account is free and includes some tools outright, plus free credits each week. The $20-a-month plan runs everything.
Create your account