Claude Max and Team subscribers can claim API credits for building applications and use them through Vercel AI Gateway. Claim the credits in a linked Claude Console organization, then add its Anthropic API key to Gateway using Bring Your Own Key (BYOK). Requests billed to that organization can use the grant.
An internal project-update tool is one place to start. Your application can send a set of notes to Claude, produce a draft update, and leave a teammate to review it before sharing. The subscription benefit gives that application's API usage a starting balance.
Copy link to headingWhich Claude subscriptions include API credits?
Claude Max and Team plans include a monthly API grant. Team credits go into a shared pool, including on eligible discounted Team plans.
The Team pool is capped at US$500 per month. Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans aren't eligible. New subscribers can claim after seven days on an eligible plan in good standing. Mobile subscriptions qualify, but you claim the benefit in a web browser.
The credits arrive in your linked Claude Console organization. You don't need to add a payment method to Claude Platform to use them. AI Gateway has its own prerequisite: BYOK requires purchased Gateway credits.
Copy link to headingHow do you use the credits through Gateway?
The Claude grant pays for eligible Claude Platform usage. To use it with Gateway, connect an Anthropic key from the credited organization and route the model request to Anthropic. Calling a Claude model through another provider, such as Amazon Bedrock, doesn't draw from your Claude Platform grant.
Your app sends requests to Gateway with an AI Gateway key. Gateway then authenticates to Anthropic using the provider key you've configured. These are separate credentials with different jobs; your Claude login isn't an API key.
If a request with your Anthropic key fails, Gateway can retry with its system credentials and charge your Gateway balance. Check that balance and your billing settings before running the example.
Copy link to headingWhy use AI Gateway instead of calling Anthropic directly?
AI Gateway gives teams a shared place to manage provider credentials and inspect requests across applications. That can be useful when several projects use the same Claude organization, or when Claude is one of several model providers your team uses.
With team-level BYOK credentials, applications authenticate to Gateway while you manage the Anthropic key centrally. Request logs show the serving provider, token usage, and timing, including the route taken when a request falls back. You can review the project-update tool's requests alongside other Gateway traffic without building that shared view yourself.
Your application can keep the Anthropic SDK through Gateway's Messages API. Update its endpoint, authentication, and model identifier for supported calls. Gateway works with applications hosted outside Vercel too.
Copy link to headingConnect your Claude credits to an application
Copy link to heading1. Claim credits for the intended Console organization
On claude.ai, open Settings > Billing for Max or Organization settings > Billing for Team. In the API credits section, choose Link organization and select or create the Console organization that will receive the grant.
For Team, you must be a Primary Owner or Owner. On the Console side, you need the Owner, Admin, or Billing role. A Max subscriber claims their own benefit. Review the claim requirements before accepting the terms and linking.
Confirm the grant under Promotional credits in Console billing. Each plan links to one Console organization, and changing the link later requires support. For a team application, check that you're funding the organization your developers will use.
Copy link to heading2. Configure the Anthropic key in Gateway
Create an API key in that Console organization. In your Vercel team's AI Gateway settings, open Bring Your Own Key (BYOK), choose Anthropic, and select Add Key. Enter the provider key, leave it enabled, and use Test API Key to validate it.
Provider credentials added through Gateway BYOK are available across projects in the Vercel team. For a shared grant, consider which applications should use those credentials before connecting them.
With Zero Data Retention (ZDR) enabled, Gateway excludes BYOK keys that aren't marked ZDR-compliant. Your own Anthropic agreement must support that designation before you mark the key; possessing API credits doesn't establish ZDR eligibility.
Copy link to heading3. Generate a draft project update
With Node.js 22.18 or later, install the AI SDK using pnpm add ai. Set an AI Gateway key from the same Vercel team as AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY in your server or local shell environment. Keep the key private. You can follow the Gateway text generation setup for the initial environment configuration.
Save this as draft-update.mjs and run node draft-update.mjs:
import { generateText } from 'ai';
const { text } = await generateText({ model: 'anthropic/claude-sonnet-5.5', prompt: `Turn these fictional project notes into a short update.Separate completed work from blockers. Don't invent dates.Notes: Invoice export is deployed. The team is testing CSVimports. Production rollout is waiting for finance approval.`, providerOptions: { gateway: { only: ['anthropic'], }, },});
console.log(text);The example prints a draft for review. The provider restriction selects Anthropic as the serving provider. Selecting a Claude model alone doesn't establish which provider or billing account handled the request.
Check the request's billing and routing details in AI Gateway Logs. Confirm BYOK usage and compare it with activity in the credited Console organization before relying on this setup for ongoing traffic.
Copy link to headingCan you use Claude Code or the Agent SDK with Gateway?
You can connect Claude Code and the Claude Agent SDK to AI Gateway for coding workflows, with requests visible in Gateway observability. Credit eligibility depends on how you run the tool and which account pays for its requests.
For API-key authentication, run npx vercel@latest ai-gateway setup --agent claude-code. The command configures Claude Code's Gateway endpoint and authentication. Add --dry-run to inspect the changes first. After setup, start claude, choose a Gateway model with /model, and check the requests in your dashboard.
If you want to keep using your Claude subscription for interactive sessions, follow the guide's With Claude Code Max setup instead. That flow uses subscription sign-in and an additional Gateway authentication header. The CLI setup command configures API-key authentication and doesn't set up subscription sign-in.
Interactive Claude Code doesn't consume the API grant. For a programmatic coding workflow, self-run claude -p and Claude Agent SDK usage can use the credits when billed through a key from the linked Console organization. Signed-in subscription usage draws from plan limits instead. Runs started by the Claude Code GitHub Action, an IDE extension, or the desktop app remain excluded, even with -p.
For an eligible Agent SDK workflow through Gateway, follow the guide's With the Claude Agent SDK configuration and use the credited organization's Anthropic key through BYOK. Confirm the provider and billing route as you did for the application example; choosing a Claude model alone doesn't establish grant coverage.
Copy link to headingWhat should you expect from billing and renewal?
Claude spends included credits before purchased credits. Grants refresh each billing cycle, or monthly for annual plans, and unused credits don't roll over. A Team application's requests share the organization's balance with its other API keys and workspaces.
If the included grant runs out, purchased credits or auto-reload can keep Claude API usage going. Otherwise, API requests stop until more credits arrive. Organizations invoiced through Anthropic sales continue under their usual billing arrangement.
Restricting the provider to Anthropic doesn't disable Gateway's system-credential fallback. Gateway adds no fee to BYOK requests themselves; enabled Gateway add-ons can have separate charges.
Use provider-side spend limits to manage the shared balance where appropriate. Gateway budgets don't cap provider charges made through your own key. The credits also don't raise your Claude app usage allowance or cover interactive Claude Code.
Copy link to headingWhat should you check if your Claude API credits aren't being used?
Questions about a missing grant, eligibility, the linked Console organization, or an unexpected amount or expiration belong with Anthropic Support. Anthropic administers the benefit and can investigate the account. Gateway can show the route a request took, while the provider determines how its credit balance applies.
To check the Gateway setup:
Review the Anthropic key in Bring Your Own Key (BYOK). Confirm that it is enabled, marked In Use, and belongs to the Console organization receiving the grant. The key test checks the credentials without establishing whether the grant covers a particular request.
Inspect the request in AI Gateway Logs. Check that Anthropic served it through BYOK. A request that fell back to system credentials uses Gateway billing, so review the recorded attempts before comparing balances.
If the route looks correct and you still have a question about the grant or a provider charge, share the relevant account and request details with Anthropic Support. These connection checks don't diagnose credit-program or account-specific billing issues.
Copy link to headingFrequently asked questions
Copy link to headingDoes Claude Pro include the API credit benefit?
No. The included API credits are available with eligible Max and Team plans. Claude Pro subscribers need a different source of API credits to fund their applications.
Copy link to headingDoes each Team member get a separate API balance?
Team seat contributions form one pool in the linked Console organization, capped at US$500 per month. API keys and workspaces in that organization draw from the shared balance, so plan spending across the applications using it.
Copy link to headingCan I use these Claude credits through Bedrock or Vertex AI?
No. The benefit applies to Claude Platform usage and doesn't fund Claude requests through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, or Microsoft Foundry. Through Gateway, use the credited organization's Anthropic key and select Anthropic as the provider.
Copy link to headingCan I use the grant with Claude Code or the Agent SDK?
Self-run claude -p and Claude Agent SDK requests can qualify when billed to the linked Console organization through its API key. Interactive Claude Code and runs started by the Claude Code GitHub Action, an IDE extension, or the desktop app are excluded. Signing in with your Claude subscription uses plan limits instead of this API grant.
Copy link to headingDo unused Claude API credits roll over?
Unused included credits expire at the end of their applicable cycle. Even when you pay for a plan annually, API credits arrive monthly rather than as one annual pool.
Copy link to headingDo I need to replace the Anthropic SDK to use Gateway?
No. The Anthropic SDK can send supported Messages API requests through AI Gateway. Configure the client for Gateway and keep the credited organization's Anthropic key in BYOK so eligible provider-billed usage can draw on its balance.