This guide covers what Claude billing accepts, what Anthropic's decline checklist says, and where card risk comes from. Earlier versions listed "success rates" and "high-success BINs". Those figures had no source and have been removed: Anthropic does not publish which cards or BINs it blocks.
1. What Claude accepts
- Pro and Max on the web: credit or debit cards only. PayPal, Venmo, and other third-party payment processors are not accepted.
- Team plan: credit, debit, or prepaid cards. ACH bank transfers are not accepted.
- App Store and Google Play: if you subscribe in the iOS or Android app, the store handles payment, invoices, and cancellation, and Apple or Google decides which payment methods are available.
- Tax: calculated from the billing address, which is taken from the payment method's address.
2. Card type and risk
Anthropic's decline article states that it does not receive the issuing bank's reason for a decline, and no official page lists blocked card types or BINs. Treat any BIN list or success-rate table from other sites as unverified.
- What the official pages support: Pro and Max list credit and debit cards. Prepaid cards are listed only for the Team plan, so a prepaid card on Pro or Max can be declined for that reason alone.
- What field reports suggest: some reports describe a ban after paying with a virtual card, and a stable account paying with a bank-issued US credit card. These are individual cases, not a rule. See the community field reports.
- Cards sold by third parties: you cannot know who else uses the card, whether the issuer will freeze it, or whether the balance will still cover the next renewal. There is no recourse if the card is declined or reversed.
- Crypto-funded cards: these are usually prepaid, so the Pro and Max limitation above applies.
3. Why a payment fails
Anthropic's checklist, in the order it gives it:
- Billing location: the billing address and the card's country of origin must be an eligible billing location, and the billing address must match the origin country.
- Billing address: it must match the address your bank has on file. A missing accent or a misspelled street name can cause a decline.
- 3D Secure: complete the one-time password or banking-app confirmation when your bank asks for it.
- Accepted method: use a credit or debit card, not PayPal or Venmo.
- Funds: the balance must cover the full amount.
- Retry: try another card, or the same card later, because temporary network problems also cause declines.
- Ask your bank: only the issuer can say why it declined the charge.
4. Subscribing through the App Store or Google Play
Store subscriptions use the store's payment methods and billing, and Anthropic does not issue the invoice. For App Store purchases Apple handles refunds; for Google Play, contact Claude Support. Some field reports recommend this route as a refund fallback. Anthropic does not document whether it changes account risk.
5. Renewals, refunds, and chargebacks
- Failed renewal: if the payment method fails, the account can drop to the Free plan. Check Settings > Billing for the payment status and update the card there.
- Refunds: payments are generally non-refundable unless the Consumer Terms or local law say otherwise. Outside Europe, request a refund in the app under Get help > Claude Refund Request.
- Chargebacks: Anthropic has not published how a bank dispute affects an account. Use the refund request first, and keep the receipt emails ("Your receipt from Anthropic") in case you need them later.
6. Checklist before you subscribe
1. A credit or debit card issued by a bank, held in your own name
2. The billing country is an eligible billing location (check the Help Center)
3. The billing address matches your bank's record character for character
4. The card supports 3D Secure and you can receive the code
5. The balance covers the first charge and the next renewal
6. The card is not shared with other Claude accounts
7. Keep the receipt emails