On Nov 9, multiple users on the V2EX community reported that ChatGPT accounts had been banned en masse since the evening of Nov 8, affecting Plus, Pro and even Team paid account types. Users received no warning before the bans, and some lost their chat history. On the same day, another user posted that Claude's web interface had seen similar bans, with accounts suddenly becoming inaccessible during normal use. As of publication, neither OpenAI nor Anthropic has issued a public statement on the matter.
Scope of bans and user feedback
According to V2EX user posts, the ChatGPT bans began appearing in clusters on the evening of Nov 8, with Plus, Pro and Team accounts all affected. One user said a Pro account costing $200 a month, just renewed, was gone "just like that," causing direct financial loss; all chat history was lost, a significant blow for users who rely on past conversations.
On Claude, one user posted on Nov 9 that they had asked a few questions normally around noon, using the service no differently than usual, and the account then became abnormal. The post offered no further details but indicated that Claude's web interface saw bans during the same period.
"Since last night, a lot of people's ChatGPT accounts have been suspended without warning — Plus, Pro and even Team are hit, chat history is all gone... someone's freshly renewed $200/month just went down the drain..." — V2EX user post
Virtual-card payments cited as hardest hit
The ChatGPT ban post said virtual-card payments were the hardest-hit area in this round of bans. The claim comes from the user's personal observation and has not been officially confirmed. On that basis, the author advised users to switch to pay-as-you-go API billing to avoid prepaid subscriptions and virtual-card payments, and said top-ups can be completed via WeChat Pay.
The post also promoted a third-party API relay service, Mizumi.co, saying its models run through official channels, its prices are 10% to 28% cheaper than official rates, and new users get $3 in trial credit. Note that the content is promotional in nature; the pricing and service descriptions come from the poster and have not been independently verified.
Impact and what to watch
Based on user feedback, the bans affect paid subscribers and team collaboration scenarios, raising concerns about account security and subscription stability. For heavy users who rely on ChatGPT and Claude as primary work tools, a sudden ban can disrupt work, and it remains unclear whether paid subscription fees can be refunded or chat history recovered.
Questions to watch: whether OpenAI and Anthropic explain the cause and scope of the bans; whether banned users can restore accounts through appeals; whether there are arrangements for subscription fees and data recovery; and whether virtual-card payments are indeed linked to the bans. None of these questions has received an official response, and the claims remain based mainly on user feedback.