$5 isn’t a huge number, but as Anthropic free credits go, it’s enough to build a real prototype and test Claude in your stack without pulling out a card. New developer accounts can claim $5 in Claude API credits by completing phone verification in the Anthropic Console.
Solo developers wiring up a new agent, startup engineers trying to keep spend near zero, and researchers who just need quick iterations on prompts all get something useful out of this. The catch is simple: you only get 14 days once you activate the credits.
This guide covers eligibility, the exact signup flow, what the credits cover (and don’t), the free-tier limits, and a few practical ways to stretch $5 further.
Program at a Glance
| Provider | Anthropic |
| Credit Amount | $5 free API credits |
| Duration | 14 days after you click “Claim” |
| Eligibility | New console accounts with SMS phone verification |
| Credit Card Required? | No (card needed only to deposit/upgrade) |
| Difficulty | Moderate. Phone verification has region/number rules. |
| Best For | API prototyping, prompt testing, small demos |
| Official Page | Anthropic Program Page |
What You Actually Get
The program is straightforward: new developer accounts on console.anthropic.com can claim $5 in free Claude API credits after verifying a phone number. No credit card is required to get the free credits. Those credits work across all available Claude models, including Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus, and they’re consumed by API calls, Workbench usage in the Console, and Claude Code.
In practical terms, $5 can go surprisingly far if you start with cheaper models. Anthropic’s own guidance says $5 is roughly 5 million input tokens on Claude Haiku 4.5 or about 1 million input tokens on Claude Opus 4.5. That’s enough to test an end-to-end flow (auth, prompts, tool calls, retries, logging) and still have budget left for iteration.
Who Qualifies (and Who Doesn’t)
You qualify if you are creating a new Anthropic Console developer account and you can complete SMS-based phone verification during signup. The $5 is tied to the account and is claimed via a dashboard banner after verification, so if you can’t pass the phone step, you won’t see the credit.
- You need a new developer account on console.anthropic.com (the offer is for new accounts).
- Phone verification requires a mobile number that can receive SMS, because you must enter a six-digit code.
- Use a long-term number you control, since you cannot change your phone number after verification.
- No credit card is needed to claim the $5, but a card is required if you later deposit $5 to unlock higher rate limits.
If you plan to “farm” credits with multiple accounts, don’t. Anthropic explicitly says one free credit claim per account and that creating multiple accounts violates the Terms of Service and can trigger a permanent ban.
How to Sign Up
Plan for about 10 minutes, mostly because SMS codes can take a few minutes to arrive.
- Go to console.anthropic.com.
- Click “Sign Up”; you can register with Google, Microsoft, Apple, or with an email and password.
- Verify your email by clicking the confirmation link in your inbox.
- Complete phone verification by entering a mobile phone number that can receive SMS, then enter the six-digit code you receive (it may take up to 5 minutes).
- After successful verification, look for a banner at the top of the Console dashboard.
- Click the “Claim” button on the banner to activate your $5 credit.
- Go to Settings > API Keys and generate your first API key.
Two important timing notes: the 14-day expiration clock starts when you click “Claim” (not when you create the account), and Workbench usage will spend the same credits as your API calls.
What the Credits Cover
The $5 credit applies to Claude usage on Anthropic’s platform, including direct API calls and the Console’s Workbench playground. It also covers usage across the available Claude model lineup, so your main decision is which model to use and how quickly you burn tokens.
| Service / Feature | What It Does | Included? |
|---|---|---|
| Claude models (Haiku, Sonnet, Opus) | Run text generation/reasoning via API | ✓ |
| Console Workbench | Playground for prompts and model testing | ✓ |
| Claude Code | Claude-assisted coding workflow that consumes credits | ✓ |
| Cost optimization features | Batch API and Prompt Caching to reduce cost | ✓ |
Notably, the free credits don’t “unlock” higher throughput by themselves. If you hit rate limits and need more RPM, that’s a tier/deposit issue, not a credits issue.
Limitations to Know About
Every free program has catches. With this one, the biggest gotchas are the phone verification rules and the short expiration window.
- The $5 free credits expire 14 days after you click “Claim,” so don’t activate them early.
- VoIP numbers, Google Voice, app-generated numbers, and landlines are not accepted for phone verification.
- US-based phone numbers work reliably, UK numbers are explicitly excluded, and other regions can be inconsistent.
- New accounts start on the Free usage tier at around 5 requests per minute, which can slow down testing.
When your free credits run out, your API calls return errors and you will not be charged automatically. To continue, you must prepay for more credits (minimum $5 purchase) with a credit card. Anthropic uses a prepaid model for standard accounts, so there’s no post-pay billing surprise, and your API keys, projects, and settings remain intact.
Have Unused Anthropic Credits?
Credits are great until you’re staring at an expiration date and a backlog of other work. A lot of teams get Anthropic credits via promos or startup programs and simply don’t use them all in time. If you end up with surplus Anthropic credits you can’t realistically burn, AI Credit Mart lets you sell unused credits at a steep discount instead of watching them expire.
Need More Anthropic Credits?
Once the $5 is gone, you have to prepay to keep using the API, and that can add up fast if you’re iterating daily. You don’t necessarily have to pay retail though. AI Credit Mart lists discounted Anthropic credits from companies with surplus allocations, typically around 30–70% below face value, which is an easy way to extend your runway.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Credits
- Start prototyping with Claude Haiku 3 or 3.5 so your $5 lasts for real iteration.
- Plan before claiming, because the 14-day timer starts when you click “Claim,” not when you sign up.
- Use Prompt Caching for repeated system prompts; cache reads are priced at about 10% of input cost.
- Batch API can cut input and output costs in half if asynchronous results within 24 hours are acceptable.
- Avoid using a VPN during signup, since it can trigger security reviews and block the credit claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
They’re worth $5 of prepaid Anthropic usage across Claude models (Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus), and you can spend them via API calls, the Console Workbench, or Claude Code. In terms of scale, Anthropic estimates about 5 million input tokens on Claude Haiku 4.5 or about 1 million input tokens on Claude Opus 4.5. Your real mileage depends on output tokens too, since generation is billed separately. If you keep prompts tight and prototype on Haiku first, $5 is enough for a meaningful test run.
No.
The free $5 expires 14 days after you click the “Claim” button, not when you create the account.
Yes. If you have Anthropic credits you won’t use before they expire, you can list them on AI Credit Mart and sell them at up to 70% of face value. Companies regularly list surplus credits from startup programs and enterprise agreements.
AI Credit Mart has discounted Anthropic credits available from companies with surplus allocations. Prices are typically 30-70% below retail.
Once the free credits expire (or you use them up), API calls return errors and you must prepay to continue; you are not charged automatically.
Most failures come down to number type or region. VoIP numbers (including Google Voice), app-generated numbers, and landlines are not accepted. US-based phone numbers tend to work reliably, UK numbers are explicitly excluded, and other regions can be hit or miss, so try a different eligible mobile number if you’re stuck.
Yes, but it requires a separate $5 deposit to reach Build Tier 1, which needs a credit card and is not the same as the free credits.
$5 in free Anthropic Claude API credits is small but genuinely useful if you claim it at the right time and prototype on Haiku first. Build your proof of concept, watch the 14-day clock, and if you end up with extra credits later, you’ve got a clean way to buy or sell them.
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