With the release of GPT-4, there has been a wave of enthusiasm for ChatGPT in my circle of friends. Some friends have also consulted me on how to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus. Therefore, I wrote this article to share my experience of subscribing to ChatGPT Plus. This is not the only way, but friends who want to try it out can refer to it. I have no affiliation with any of the services, platforms, or products mentioned below. I am only sharing my personal subscription experience.
Why Subscribe to ChatGPT Plus#
If you are reading this article, I assume that you are familiar with ChatGPT. Here, I will briefly introduce the advantages of ChatGPT Plus compared to the free version:
The latest GPT-4 is only available to those who have applied for the OpenAI API GPT-4 and ChatGPT Plus subscribers. However, there are some obstacles to subscribing to this service in China, including network, SMS verification, and credit card issues. I will share my experience in these three aspects.
For friends who have already registered a ChatGPT account, you can skip to the credit card section.
Network#
First, you need a VPN to access the OpenAI website. In addition, ChatGPT currently only provides services to certain countries, such as South Korea, Japan, Singapore, India, and the United States. Therefore, you need to choose nodes in these countries and ensure that you can connect directly. Otherwise, you may be redirected to a page without a registration or login entry. This should not be a problem for the readers of this article, so I won't go into too much detail.
SMS Verification#
When registering a ChatGPT account, you need to use a mobile phone number from a region within its service range to receive the verification code. Our commonly used +86 mobile phone numbers won't work. There are two options in this case. The first option is to use a virtual number platform, which can be found through an internet search. I haven't personally tried it, so I won't introduce it. However, according to feedback from friends who have used it, there may be issues with not receiving SMS messages. I chose another method that is more convenient in the long run: Ultra Mobile PayGo SIM card.
You can buy it on Taobao. It costs $3 per month and is convenient for receiving and sending SMS messages. After receiving the SIM card, you also need a phone that supports WiFi Calling (most iPhones support it, for other phones, you need to search for the model to confirm). WiFi Calling allows users to make and receive calls and messages through WiFi networks instead of the network provided by the telecommunications company. Since my phone does not support dual SIM cards, I used my old iPhone XS. After inserting the SIM card, I went to Ultra Mobile to activate the card and followed the instructions to complete a few steps.
After that, I set the mobile network to China Mobile, and after a while, I received a welcome message from Ultra Mobile. Then I could proceed to activate WiFi Calling. On the iPhone, the entrance is in "Settings" - "Cellular" - "Wi-Fi Calling." This entrance will only appear if you have inserted this SIM card. After turning on the switch, a popup window for entering the address will appear. Fill in the following information:
Address: 18976 honore st
City: rowland heights
State: CA
Zip Code: 91748
Note: The activation process went smoothly for me, and I encountered almost no problems. If you encounter any issues during the process, I recommend searching for specific solutions. I cannot provide verified suggestions.
Credit Card#
With the appropriate VPN and phone number, you can now go to the ChatGPT website to register an account. To subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, you will need an overseas credit card. I used nobepay, a platform that allows real-name authentication using WeChat and recharging using Alipay, which is more convenient than other platforms that require cryptocurrency payments. When registering an account, you need to enter an invitation code. You can search for the nobepay invitation code online. Before applying for a card, I recommend going to the "Funds Center" - "Quick Recharge" in the left menu to deposit funds into your account. You will need this later when filling out the card application form. The minimum recharge amount is 500 RMB, and you can pay with Alipay. After deducting the card issuance fee and service fee, you will have more than 60 USD left, which is enough to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus for three months.
Next, go to the "My Cards" - "Quick Card Issuance" in the left menu to apply for a card. First, choose a card number range. I chose the Mastercard 556305 range (I recommend using this range, as it has been verified to work). Click the "Random Address" button on the right, and most of the form fields will be automatically filled. The two fields that need to be filled manually are "Debit Account" (you can see the funds deposited in the previous step) and "Recharge Amount" (fill in as needed). After completing the card issuance, you can find your credit card in the "Card List."
Note: There are card issuance fees and service fees. Taking a deposit of 60 USD as an example, the card issuance fee is $1.00 and the service fee is $60.00 * 3.00%. The fees may vary, so you can decide whether to use this platform based on your own situation.
Subscribe to ChatGPT Plus#
Finally, with all the preparations done, log in to your registered ChatGPT account and click "Upgrade plan" in the lower-left corner of the page. The subscription form will appear. Fill in the credit card information you registered earlier. Pay attention to the delivery address, as it may involve tax issues. You can use an Oregon address generator to obtain a tax-free state address.
After completing the subscription, a celebration page will appear, and you can now select the GPT-4 Model in the chat instance.
Note: Some friends encountered the following error when subscribing with nobepay. After troubleshooting, it was found to be a network issue. In my computer's network environment (direct VPN connection in Los Angeles), filling out the subscription form successfully. Therefore, if you encounter this problem, I suggest starting with network troubleshooting. You can use https://ipinfo.io/ to check the location of your current IP address.
Finally
This solution is quite versatile and can also be used to subscribe to other overseas services. I hope that the readers of this article can experience the most advanced AI technology as soon as possible. Thank you for reading.