OpenAI moves API container sessions to per-minute billing with a 5-minute minimum
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OpenAI changed how container sessions are billed on the API, swapping the flat 20-minute session charge for per-minute billing with a 5-minute minimum. The shift trims cost for short-running container sessions on the code execution and tool-use surface, where workloads previously paid the full 20-minute rate even when they ran for far less.
Corroborating sources
- Developers.openai
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/changelog
“Starting June 2, 2026, eligible container sessions will be billed per minute with a 5-minute minimum, instead of being billed at the full 20-minute session rate.”