Are API access restrictions applied for free and paid accounts in specific regions?

Below is some guidance related to your questions:

1. Free Account and Charges

• Free Trial Credits: Free accounts typically come with a set of free trial credits. You won't be charged until those credits are exhausted.
• Billing After Credits: Once your free credits run out, continued usage requires a paid plan. In other words, the API key itself doesn’t change billing behavior—instead, you get free usage up to the provided credits and then you’re billed for additional usage.

2. VPN and Regional Access

• Web vs. API Access: Even if the website appears blocked in Hong Kong, API access may be subject to separate policies. OpenAI’s API services are available only in specific supported countries or territories.
• Supported Territories: Using a VPN from a country that isn’t on the supported list can result in your API requests being blocked or the account being suspended. Check the current list of supported territories in the API documentation to verify if Hong Kong is allowed.
• Payment and Regional Restrictions: Paying for the service does not bypass these geographic restrictions. Even with a paid account, you must access the API from one of the supported countries or territories. Requests coming from outside these regions could lead to issues regardless of the billing plan.

In summary, the free account does provide initial credits (after which billing applies), and both free and paid access are subject to supported-country restrictions. If you’re connecting from a region not on the supported list (such as through a VPN set to Hong Kong, if that region isn’t supported), you may experience access issues.