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Pay for a Claude API key with your Claude Max, Claude Ultra or Team credits

Claude Max, Claude Ultra and Team plans include monthly credits for the Claude API. The credits are not an API key: you link a Claude Console organization to your plan, create a key in that organization, and the credits pay for the key's usage in AskWatch.

Last updated 31 October 2026.

What you get

  • Claude Max and Claude Ultra: $100 of API credits a month on Max and $200 a month on Ultra. Anthropic renamed the plans in October 2026: Max 5x is now Max and Max 20x is now Ultra, at the same prices.
  • Claude Team: $20 for every Standard seat and $100 for every Premium seat, pooled into one monthly balance for the organization and capped at $500. The credit of a month is based on the seats you have at the start of that billing month. Discounted Team plans (Nonprofit, Scientists) get the same amounts.
  • The credits arrive each billing cycle, shortly after your plan payment is processed, and monthly on annual plans. Unused credits expire at the end of the cycle and do not roll over.
  • No payment method is needed on the Claude Platform to use them.

What you need first

  • An active Claude Max, Claude Ultra or Team plan in good standing. New subscribers can claim after 7 days on the plan. Free, Pro and Enterprise plans are not eligible. A plan bought in the Claude app for iOS or Android is eligible; claim it on claude.ai in a web browser.
  • The right role on the plan: the subscriber on Max or Ultra, the Primary Owner or an Owner on Team.
  • The Owner, Admin or Billing role in a Claude Console organization. If you have none, create one at platform.claude.com first or during the claim.
  • Sign in to the Claude Console with the same email you use on claude.ai.

Step by step

  1. On claude.ai open Settings, Billing on a Max or Ultra plan, or Organization settings, Billing on a Team plan. In the API credits section choose the Console organization that should receive the credits and accept the program terms by linking.
  2. In the Claude Console your credits appear in the Promotional credits section of the Billing page. Create an API key in that organization.
  3. In AskWatch, open the AI tab, choose Anthropic and paste the key. On Mac it is Settings, Providers, Anthropic.
  4. Think before you link: each plan links to one Console organization and each organization can receive credits from one plan. You cannot change the link yourself; only Anthropic support can, so link the organization you will build in.

What the credits cover

  • The Claude API, Claude Managed Agents, the Claude Agent SDK and the Playground in the Claude Console. Interactive Claude Code (terminal, IDE, desktop, web) is not covered. Every API key and workspace in the linked organization draws from the same balance.
  • Extra usage in the Claude apps is not covered, and neither are Claude on AWS, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry. The credits do not change your usage limits in Claude or Claude Code.
  • When the credits are used up and the organization holds no others, requests fail with "Your credit balance is too low to access the Anthropic API" until your next credits arrive. You can buy credits or turn on auto-reload on the Billing page of the Console.

What we have not checked

  • We have not claimed the credits ourselves, because AskWatch has no Claude Max, Claude Ultra or Team plan. This page follows Anthropic's guide as of 31 October 2026, not a test with a live account, and we have not run an AskWatch request against the credits.
  • Anthropic's guide does not say in which countries the credits are offered.
  • Anthropic can change the amounts and the rules. Read the guide and your own billing page before you rely on this.

Frequently asked questions

Does Claude Pro include API credits?

No. Free, Pro and Enterprise plans are not eligible. The credits come with Max, Ultra and Team plans.

Does Claude Max or Claude Ultra include an API key?

No. The credits are a balance for a Claude Console organization that you link to your plan. You create the API key yourself in that organization, and the credits pay for its usage.

How much can I claim?

Max: $100 a month. Ultra: $200 a month. Team: $20 per Standard seat and $100 per Premium seat, pooled for the organization up to $500 a month.

Do the credits roll over?

No. Unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle, or monthly on annual plans. New credits arrive each cycle.

Can I use the key in AskWatch?

Yes. It is an ordinary Claude API key. Paste it in the Anthropic provider in AskWatch like any other key.

API credits of other plans: OpenAI · Google

Sources