Promo codes for non-Google accounts

We offer email-based authentication to give users an alternative to signing in through Google, Apple, or Microsoft. We recognize that some users prefer not to create accounts with these providers, and we respect that preference. Email authentication allows those users to access T3 Chat without relying on a third-party identity provider.

However, authentication options and promotional eligibility are two separate considerations.

Our introductory promotions are voluntary discounts that we offer as part of our customer acquisition strategy. They are subject to eligibility requirements, and access to a particular authentication method does not automatically confer eligibility for every promotion.

The OAuth requirement exists for a specific business reason: fraud prevention.

Our introductory offers provide substantial discounts, including reducing an $8 subscription to $1 for the first month. Unfortunately, promotions of this nature are susceptible to abuse through the repeated creation of new accounts to claim introductory pricing.

Google, Apple, and Microsoft maintain extensive infrastructure for detecting and limiting fraudulent or automated account creation. By requiring authentication through these providers for promotional eligibility, we can leverage some of those existing protections to reduce abuse.

While this does not eliminate fraud entirely, it provides an additional layer of protection without requiring us to develop and maintain an equivalent system ourselves.

As a small startup, we have to be particularly conscious of these costs. Unlike many traditional software products, T3 Chat incurs direct inference expenses whenever customers use our service. Those expenses remain regardless of whether a customer is paying full price or receiving a heavily discounted introductory offer.

Offering these promotions is already a financial investment on our part. Allowing them to be repeatedly exploited would undermine their sustainability and potentially our ability to continue offering them to legitimate new customers.

We understand that you prefer not to use the supported OAuth providers for privacy reasons. That is entirely your decision, and it is precisely why we provide email-based authentication as an alternative.

However, respecting that preference does not mean we can disregard the additional fraud risk associated with extending promotional eligibility to accounts that do not meet our verification requirements.

The eligibility conditions are the same for customers regardless of their country of residence. Anyone who meets those conditions can take advantage of the applicable promotion.

We also recognize that purchasing power differs between countries and individuals. However, our underlying inference costs are not adjusted based on a customer's location or financial circumstances. Our standard $8/month subscription is priced to make the service accessible while maintaining a sustainable business.

After consideration, we will not be extending introductory promotional eligibility to email-authenticated accounts at this time. The existing requirement is intentional, serves a legitimate operational purpose, and reflects the financial realities of operating our service.

As this is an established policy rather than a missing feature or unintended limitation, I am closing this request.

Thank you for your understanding.