Claude API Key Without a Credit Card: Anthropic Console vs QCode
As of 2026-11-05 there are two ways to get a Claude API key: in Anthropic's Console, creating a key that starts with sk-ant- and buying credits with a credit or debit card are two separate steps; on QCode you sign up, top up with Alipay, WeChat Pay, a card, crypto and more, buy a personal plan or a Pay-as-you-go Pack, and the console creates a key starting with cr_.
Updated 2026-11-05
Point this tool at the QCode endpoint — one key for Claude, GPT and Chinese models.
- Billed per token — live rates on /models
- Pay by card (Visa / Mastercard), Apple Pay, Google Pay or crypto
- Self-service: top up and activate instantly
Four takeaways
Official route and requirements
Sign in to the Claude Console, create a key on the API keys page (name, expiration, linked account), then buy credits on the Billing page. The full key is shown only once, and a lost key means creating a new one; you pay by credit or debit card, and the payment method's billing address and origin country must be in a supported billing location.
QCode route
Sign up, then follow the order the console lays out: top up, buy a personal plan or a Pay-as-you-go Pack with the balance, start using; the cr_ key is created when the purchase succeeds, and you reveal it with the eye button and copy it. A pack account has a single pack key, and later packs add quota to it.
Where the key works
QCode docs say the same cr_ key works with Claude Code, Codex CLI and many IDEs, CLIs and desktop apps including Cursor; Claude models use the Anthropic protocol with the base URL https://api.qcode.cc/api. The /models page captured on 2026-11-05 lists claude-sonnet-5-5, claude-opus-5-5 and claude-haiku-5-5.
Payment and arrival
The top-up page offers Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards (Visa · Mastercard · Apple Pay · Google Pay), crypto (USDT · USDC · BTC · ETH and more), SBP and Russian bank cards. Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay usually arrive within a minute; SBP and Russian cards can take a few minutes; crypto is checked by hand and credited within one day.
An official key and a QCode key are different things
A Claude API key comes from one of two places: a key starting with sk-ant- created in Anthropic's Console, or a key starting with cr_ in the QCode console. An official key is a metered credential on the developer platform, and its credits have to be bought first on the Billing page; a paid Claude plan is billed separately, and Anthropic's help centre has a dedicated article on why API usage is not part of it. A QCode cr_ key is a gateway key, not an official Anthropic key. QCode docs describe a subscription, an official API key and a QCode key as three independent things that never consume each other and can sit on the same machine.
What the official help centre and QCode docs say
Anthropic's help article on paying for Claude API usage (updated 2026-10-30) says most organizations pay with prepaid credits bought before calling the API, that purchased credits cover API access, playground usage and Claude Code, and that you buy credits by logging in to the Console with an Admin or Billing role. QCode's page on subscriptions versus API keys says personal plans have a daily cap and Pay-as-you-go Packs have a total quota for their validity period.
Timeline
The date shown on Anthropic's help article on declined cards. It lists what to check when a card is declined: whether the payment method's billing address and origin country are in a supported billing location, whether the billing address matches your bank's records, whether 3D Secure verification was completed, and whether there are sufficient funds.
The date shown on Anthropic's help articles on paying for API usage and on monthly API credits. The latter says Max, Ultra and Team plans include monthly credits for the Claude Platform, no card on Claude Platform is needed to claim or use them, and new subscribers can claim once they have been on the plan for 7 days.
The date shown on Anthropic's help article on paid-plan billing. It says a paid plan bought on the web is paid for by credit or debit card only.
Confirmed vs common misconceptions
Confirmed (verifiable word for word)
Anthropic says: the full key is shown only once, at creation, cannot be viewed again if lost, and has to be replaced with a new one; if the Create key button on the API keys page is disabled, your role might not allow you to create keys there. QCode says: a pack account has a single pack key that stops working after expiry (HTTP 401) and works again when you buy any pack; the base URL takes no trailing slash.
Common misconceptions
One: a Claude subscription does not come with an API key — Anthropic bills API usage separately from paid plans; Max, Ultra and Team plans add monthly API credits that you claim by linking a Console organization. Two: official credits cannot be bought with Alipay or WeChat — they are not among the payment methods the help centre lists, and it says third-party payment processors are not accepted. Three: a cr_ key is not an official Anthropic key — the docs call it a third-party gateway key. Four: the personal console does not hand out self-service sub-keys for colleagues — it has one main key per plan and no sub-key screen.
Official API key vs QCode key
A. Official API key (Anthropic Console)
Key prefix sk-ant-; how you get it: create the key in the Console and, separately, buy credits on the Billing page; payment: credit or debit card; credits expire one year after purchase. Suits people who have a usable card and want an account directly with Anthropic.
B. QCode key
Key prefix cr_; Claude uses the Anthropic protocol; how you get it: top up, buy a personal plan or a Pay-as-you-go Pack, copy the key in the console; payment: Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards, crypto and more; billed per token, rates on /models. Suits people without a credit or debit card, or who want to run Claude Code and Codex on one key.
How each route works
Official: ① sign in to the Claude Console at platform.claude.com, or create an account first; ② on the API keys page click Create key, enter a name, pick an expiration and a linked account, and copy the full sk-ant- key straight away because it is shown only once; ③ on the Billing page (platform.claude.com/settings/billing) enter an amount and buy credits, which are available immediately. QCode (register at qcode.cc and sign in to the console first): ① top up: pick a payment method on the top-up page; ② buy a plan: buy a personal plan or a Pay-as-you-go Pack with the balance, and the purchase reports the key as created; ③ start using: reveal the key with the eye button in the console, copy it, and set export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.qcode.cc/api and export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=cr_your_key.
Start on QCode
After you register and sign in, follow the console's three steps: top up → buy a personal plan or a pack → start using (copy the cr_ key into ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN). Billing is per token, with per-model rates on /models. Not ready for a monthly plan? Pay-as-you-go Packs start at $4 for a one-time quota you use within 7 days; if you already have a Personal Plan, add a booster pack when you need more quota.
FAQ
How do I get a Claude API key without a credit card?
Anthropic's Console also takes debit cards; if you have neither a credit nor a debit card, top up on QCode with Alipay, WeChat Pay or crypto, then buy a personal plan or a pack to get a key starting with cr_. Anthropic does not accept third-party payment processors, and web subscriptions are card-only too; one official option needs no card on Claude Platform: the monthly API credits in Max, Ultra and Team plans, provided you already subscribe to one of them, and those credits cannot be used in Claude Code.
How soon can I use the key after buying?
Official credits are available immediately, and a key can be copied as soon as the Console creates it. On QCode, Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay usually arrive within a minute; SBP and Russian cards can take a few minutes; crypto is checked by hand and credited within one day. The key is created as soon as you buy a plan or pack with the balance; a freshly ordered key can first show as being activated, with a link to online support.
Does a Claude API key expire?
It can, and the rules differ. In the Console you pick an expiration when you create a key, and purchased credits expire one year after purchase with no extension. A QCode pack key stops working after the pack expires (HTTP 401) and the remaining quota is forfeited; buy any pack later and the same key works again with no config change. Personal plans are bought by the month, keys that ran out sit in the console's collapsed Expired keys list, and a key you already own can show a Renew button.
Can a team share one key?
Yes, but the personal console has one main key per plan and no self-service sub-key screen, so everyone sharing it draws on the same allowance. To give each person a key, the docs point to the Enterprise Team Edition, where an admin creates a sub-key for each member or group in a dedicated console. Details are on /claude-code-team-shared-keys.
How are official credits different from a QCode balance?
Official credits are prepaid credits in the Console that cover the API, the playground and Claude Code. A QCode balance is prepaid money in your QCode account that buys a personal plan or a pack, and the CNY and USD balances are separate. The two are independent and never offset each other.
What base URL do I enter?
For Claude Code set export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.qcode.cc/api and put the cr_ key in ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN, which the docs recommend over ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Leave off the trailing slash, or the request becomes //v1/messages and returns 404. Claude models use only the Anthropic protocol; Codex takes the base_url https://api.qcode.cc/openai. Full setup is on /claude-code-relay-api.
Sources
Anthropic: the get-your-API-key page on platform.claude.com, four support.claude.com help articles on paying for API usage, declined cards, paid-plan billing and monthly API credits (self-dated 2026-07-10 to 2026-11-02), and the supported regions policy on anthropic.com, all captured 2026-11-05. QCode: /models and /pay-as-you-go on qcode.cc, and the console guide, endpoints and API paths, Claude Code tutorial, subscriptions versus API keys, payment methods overview and choosing-a-plan pages on docs.qcode.cc, plus /claude-code-team-shared-keys, also captured 2026-11-05; payment methods and arrival times come from the wording of the site's top-up page.
Get one key in hand first
Payment methods and arrival times are on the top-up page; model availability follows /models.
Related reading
Claude Code Pay-as-you-go Packs: No Subscription, 7 Days
Buy a one-time quota with no subscription; later packs add to the same key, and the models match the personal plans.
Buy Claude API Credits (2026): No Third-Party Processors, 1-Year Expiry
How to buy credits on the Console Billing page and set up auto-reload.
Claude Code API relay: setup, key and billing (2026)
The two environment variables that point Claude Code at QCode, and which features work.
Crypto payment guide
Nine coins, 56 networks, zero platform fee for AI coding API credits.
The Anthropic details on this page were checked on 2026-11-05 against official pages captured that day (help articles are self-dated 2026-07-10 to 2026-11-02); QCode statements were checked against qcode.cc and docs.qcode.cc captured the same day. Official pages prevail, model availability follows /models, and changes on the official side are not announced separately.