Rockstar realise they have messed up and in doing so have bitten the biscuit and decided to ease a lot of the pain by bribing us all. Personally I am cool with this and to be honest didn't expect it, however is it a soother to the fact they can't restore characters perhaps? Who knows but either way this a nice way of fixing some of the ill-will felt towards them due to the issues and hassles with GTA Online since it's launch.
Grand Theft Auto Online: Half a Million GTA$ Stimulus Package this Month | Rockstar Games