GPT 5.6 Discounts & Jevons Paradox

OpenRouter’s analysis of OpenAI’s discounted Terra and Luna models from July 27 to August 14, 2026 found that lower prices coincided with major increases in usage, with daily token volumes rising 5.6-fold for Terra and 13.8-fold for Luna, compared with a modest 1.1-fold increase for the undiscounted Sol model. Terra and Luna’s combined OpenRouter token share grew from 0.7% before the promotion to 7.8% during it, with roughly three quarters of that gain attributed to share lost by competing providers rather than other OpenAI models; OpenAI’s overall family share rose from 7.1% to 12.4%. Of more than 100,000 customers who used Terra or Luna during the discount period, about 32% continued using them afterward and 18% maintained at least their promotional-period pace, while post-discount token volume averaged 1.38 times the program-period level, suggesting retained users were comparatively high-volume. The report notes that effective discounts became deeper after OpenAI reduced list prices on July 30, that the post-period covers only six days, and that Sol served as a control only until receiving its own 50% discount on August 17, when its usage similarly rose.

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