I’m trying to make a simple request to the OpenAI API using Python but I keep running into issues. I followed their basic example code but modified it slightly for my needs:
import openai
client = openai
client.api_key = 'sk-my-secret-key'
response = client.ChatCompletion.create(
model="gpt-3.5-turbo",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hey there"}]
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)
But when I run this code I get a RateLimitError that says I exceeded my quota and need to check billing details. The weird thing is that I haven’t used this API key before and my usage dashboard shows zero requests. Has anyone else encountered this problem? I’m not sure if it’s an account setup issue or something wrong with my code. Any help would be appreciated.
Had this exact same frustrating experience last month. The quota exceeded message is misleading when you’re dealing with a fresh account. Beyond the payment method requirement that Tom mentioned, there’s another common culprit - your API key might be linked to a different organization or project than you think. I spent hours troubleshooting before realizing I had multiple OpenAI accounts somehow and was using a key from an old trial account that had expired. Double-check which account generated that API key and make sure it matches where you’re looking at the usage dashboard. Also, your code uses the older OpenAI library syntax - you’ll want to update to the newer client pattern eventually, but it won’t cause this specific error.
This looks like an account verification problem, not actual quota exhaustion. I hit the same issue when I started with OpenAI’s API - dashboard showed zero usage but I kept getting errors. Turns out OpenAI needs a valid payment method on file before you can make API calls, even if you’re staying within free tier limits. Check your account settings and add a payment method if you haven’t already. There’s usually a delay between adding payment details and the API recognizing your account as active. I had to wait about 30 minutes after adding my card before things started working. Your code looks mostly fine, though you might want to switch to the newer client initialization pattern for better compatibility.
Your code has an initialization problem. You’re setting client = openai instead of creating a proper client instance. This might work with older versions, but it’s not recommended and can cause auth issues. Update to the current syntax:
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(api_key='sk-my-secret-key')
For the quota error with zero usage - I hit this when my account was still pending verification. Even with payment methods added, new accounts sometimes go through manual review that takes 24-48 hours. The error message doesn’t mention this verification delay, so it looks like a billing issue when it’s actually account status.
check your monthly spending limit - openai sets them super low for new accounts. same thing happened to me with a $5 cap, and even though i hadn’t used anything, it kept rejecting calls. go to billing settings, find usage limits, and bump it up or remove it completely. also, you’re using the old client setup which might be causing issues too.
This topic was automatically closed 4 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.