The short answer
Anthropic includes monthly API credits with eligible Max, Ultra, and Team plans. To claim them, link a Claude Console organization to your plan. The published amounts are $100 USD/month for Max, $200 for Ultra, and $20 per Team Standard seat or $100 per Premium seat, pooled up to a $500 monthly cap. Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans are not eligible for this monthly-credit offer. (Anthropic Help Center)
If you don’t have an eligible plan, you can use the Console’s prepaid-credit billing route. The official billing guidance describes buying credits; it does not establish a universal free API signup credit. Check your Console and the terms for any specific offer rather than relying on third-party estimates. (API billing help)
Check eligibility and claim monthly API credits
| Claude plan | Monthly API credit | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Max | $100 USD | Plan must be active and in good standing |
| Ultra | $200 USD | Plan must be active and in good standing |
| Team, Standard seats | $20 USD per seat | Pooled across the organization |
| Team, Premium seats | $100 USD per seat | Pooled across the organization, up to a $500 monthly cap |
| Free, Pro, Enterprise | Not eligible for this offer | Other Console billing options may be available |
Team credits are pooled. The monthly amount is calculated from the seats on the plan at the start of that billing month, including for the first credit, and is capped at $500. For example, three Standard seats and two Premium seats calculate to $260 ($60 + $200). New subscribers can claim after seven days on an eligible plan. (Anthropic Help Center, API credits documentation)
To claim:
- Sign in to Claude in a web browser. The claim is completed on
claude.ai. - On Max or Ultra, open Settings → Billing. On Team, open Organization settings → Billing.
- In API credits, select Link organization. Choose an existing Claude Console organization or create one during the claim flow.
- Review the Supplemental Credit Terms, then confirm the link. Check the linked organization’s Billing page in the Claude Console for its balance.
For Max or Ultra, the subscriber claims the credit. For Team, the plan account must be a Primary Owner or Owner. In the Console organization, the required role is Owner, Admin, or Billing. You can link only one Console organization to a plan, and each Console organization can receive credits from only one plan; contact support if you need to change the linked organization. Review the claim flow and Supplemental Credit Terms for any payment-method requirements before confirming, and check the Console billing terms for the organization before relying on these credits. (Anthropic Help Center, API credits documentation)
These monthly credits apply only to Claude Platform usage in the Claude Console—not to Claude on Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, Microsoft Foundry, or other platforms. They cover the Claude API, Claude Managed Agents, the Claude Agent SDK, and the Playground. They do not cover Claude Code or extra usage in Claude apps. (API credits documentation)
If you do not have an eligible plan: buy prepaid credits
Most Console API organizations use prepaid usage credits; organizations with an invoicing arrangement are billed monthly instead. A Console user with the Admin or Billing role can open the Billing page, choose Buy credits, enter an amount, and confirm. Purchased credits are available immediately, and the same page shows the balance and usage. Purchased credits expire one year after purchase. (Anthropic API billing help)
You can also set up auto-reload by choosing a balance threshold and a target balance. If your balance is already at or below the threshold when you turn on or update auto-reload, the Console offers a Turn on and purchase or Update and purchase action; confirming it charges enough to bring the balance to the target, plus applicable taxes. Review the threshold and target before enabling auto-reload, since it authorizes additional purchases. (Anthropic API billing help)
Use the credits in an API request
The credit is a balance attached to a Console organization; it is not an API key and does not change your request code. For a direct Claude Platform API request, use an API key associated with the organization whose balance you intend to spend. (API overview, Python SDK, Messages API guide)
Install the SDK:
pip install anthropic
Set the API key in your deployment environment rather than hard-coding it. For example, in a local shell:
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key"
Then make a minimal Messages API request:
import anthropic
client = anthropic.Anthropic() # Reads ANTHROPIC_API_KEY from the environment
message = client.messages.create(
model="claude-opus-5-5",
max_tokens=64,
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Reply with: API ready"}],
)
for block in message.content:
if block.type == "text":
print(block.text)
The model identifier and request pattern above appear in Anthropic’s Python SDK and Messages API documentation. Before deploying, confirm that the key belongs to the Console organization you linked and that its Billing page shows the intended credit balance. This example shows the request shape; it is not a claim that a live request was tested. (Python SDK, Messages API guide)
What happens when credits run out?
Monthly Max, Ultra, or Team credits are spent before purchased credits. Unused monthly credits expire at the end of each billing cycle, with no rollover. For annual plans, the credits refresh and expire monthly. If the monthly credits run out and the organization has no purchased credits or auto-reload, API requests stop until the next monthly credit grant. If purchased credits or auto-reload are available, usage can continue against those. (Monthly API credits documentation, API billing help)
For a standard prepaid Console organization, API and Playground requests stop when the balance is exhausted until more credits are added. Organizations invoiced through Anthropic Sales follow their invoicing arrangement. Check the official pricing page for the models and features you plan to deploy, and check your Console balance and auto-reload settings before production use. (Anthropic API billing help)
Keep the billing channels separate
- Claude subscription: Eligible Max, Ultra, and Team plans can include the monthly API credits above when claimed and linked. Claude app usage and API usage are not the same balance.
- Claude Console API: Usage is funded by eligible linked monthly credits, purchased prepaid credits, or an invoicing arrangement, depending on the organization.
- Cloud-provider access: The documented monthly plan credits apply only to the Claude API in the Claude Console. Do not assume they pay for Claude usage billed through another cloud provider.
Check the relevant offer terms and Console organization before budgeting production usage. (API credits documentation, Anthropic API billing help)
Sources
Monthly API credits for Max, Ultra, and Team plans
API credits for Max, Ultra, and Team plans