Short answer
Claude Code can be paid for in two ways: sign in with a Claude Pro or Max subscription, or use API credits billed per token. Anthropic's own billing for both is set up with a card, and its help center lists no USDT option.
To pay with USDT, top up a TeamoRouter API balance instead. Click Pay with crypto in the top-up dialog and send USDT from Binance, OKX or any exchange app; the minimum is $5. Then set two environment variables, ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.teamorouter.com (no /v1) and your API key, and Claude Code runs on Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5 and the other Claude models at roughly 30% of Anthropic's API list price (see the pricing page).
Two ways to pay for Claude Code
| Pro / Max subscription | API pay-as-you-go | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Sign in to your Claude account inside Claude Code | Use an API key; each request is billed by tokens |
| Billing | Fixed monthly fee with usage limits | Pay for what you use; no monthly fee |
| Anthropic's payment method | Enter payment details under Billing in claude.ai | Buy prepaid credits on the Claude Console Billing page with a card |
| USDT | Not accepted | Not accepted; you can top up TeamoRouter with USDT instead |
From Anthropic's help center (checked 2026-10-22): prepaid credits bought in the Console cover the API, the playground and Claude Code; they expire one year after purchase and aren't refundable; and the "Update payment method" dialog asks for card details. The monthly API credits that come with Max and Team plans can't be used in Claude Code.
A subscription suits people who use Claude Code heavily every day and are happy with a fixed fee. Pay-as-you-go suits occasional use, per-project cost tracking, or handing out separate keys to a team. For a full comparison, see Claude subscription vs. API pay-per-use.
Topping up with USDT
- Sign in to TeamoRouter, open the top-up dialog and pick an amount ($5 minimum).
- Click Pay with crypto to open the checkout page. Accounts registered with a phone number are asked to add an email first.
- Choose USDT, then a network: BEP20 from $5, ERC20 from $10, TRC20 from $30. USDC and ETH also work.
- Within 60 minutes, withdraw from your exchange on the same coin and network, so that the amount received is at least the amount shown.
- Your balance is credited automatically once the payment confirms. Then create an API key.
Network choice, underpayments and expired invoices are covered in How to pay for the Claude API with USDT.
Pointing Claude Code at TeamoRouter
On macOS or Linux, run this in your terminal (on Windows, use setx instead of export and open a new terminal afterwards):
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.teamorouter.com
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="YOUR_TEAMOROUTER_KEY"
export ANTHROPIC_MODEL=claude-opus-5-5
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL=claude-opus-5-5
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL=claude-sonnet-5-5
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL=claude-haiku-5-5
Then run claude. Two things to get right:
- Leave
/v1offANTHROPIC_BASE_URL. Claude Code adds the API path itself. This is the opposite of the OpenAI SDK, whose base URL does include/v1. - Pass the key as
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN.
The full install guide and troubleshooting are in Claude Code setup. For Opus 5.5 pricing and config, see Claude Opus 5.5 API for Claude Code.
Keeping pay-as-you-go costs down
- Match the model to the task. Type
/modelin Claude Code to switch. The variables above map opus, sonnet and haiku to the 5.5 models; use sonnet or haiku for simple edits and switch back to opus for hard problems. - Don't pile unrelated tasks into one session. The longer a session, the more context each request carries. Start a new session when you change topics.
- Watch usage in the console. Every request is billed by tokens and itemized there. When the balance runs out, requests fail until you top up.
- Start small. Crypto payments aren't refundable, so try $5 first.
FAQ
Can I buy Claude Pro or Max with USDT? No. A TeamoRouter top-up is API balance that Claude Code uses through an API key, not a claude.ai subscription.
I set the variables but Claude Code isn't using TeamoRouter. Check them in the terminal you start Claude Code from (echo $ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL). On Windows, open a new terminal after setx.
What happens if I include /v1? The request path gets an extra segment and the endpoint isn't found. Remove /v1.
Can the same balance run Codex and GPT? Yes. See How to pay for the OpenAI API with USDT.
I have USDC or ETH, not USDT. The checkout takes those too. See Paying for AI APIs with USDC or ETH.