Unlock Claude AI in China 2026: Step‑by‑Step Registration, Subscription & API Guide

What is Claude and its pricing?

Claude, developed by Anthropic, is a leading AI assistant excelling at code generation, long‑form reasoning, and complex tasks. The service offers several subscription tiers:

Free account : $0, limited usage, suitable for light experimentation.

Claude Pro : $20 / month (≈145 CNY), intended for frequent personal use.

Claude Max 5× : $100 / month (≈725 CNY), provides five times the Pro usage quota for heavy users.

Claude Max 20× : $200 / month (≈1450 CNY), for extremely high‑volume needs.

Claude Team : $25 / person / month (≈180 CNY), designed for collaborative teams.

Free accounts have a daily message limit; Pro removes most limits and grants priority access to high‑end models such as Opus.

Registration steps for Chinese users

Before starting, prepare three items:

Gmail email address (domestic email services are not accepted).

Foreign virtual phone number to receive the verification code (Chinese +86 numbers will not work).

Stable VPN connection using a single US node throughout the process.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Claude website and enter your Gmail address

Visit claude.ai and click “Continue with email” (or “Continue with Google”).

2. Verify your email

Check your Gmail inbox for an email from Anthropic, copy the verification code, paste it into the website, and confirm.

3. Provide a foreign phone number

Purchase a virtual number from services such as Hero‑SMS or sms‑activate (a few RMB per number) and enter it to receive a SMS verification code.

4. Complete registration

Enter the SMS code on the Claude page and click “Verify & Create Account”. After this, you can use the free tier; upgrading to Pro requires solving the payment hurdle described below.

Subscription challenges in China

Claude Pro requires a foreign credit card; domestic Visa/Mastercard‑linked dual‑currency cards are blocked by Claude’s payment system. The previously common workaround—Wildcard virtual cards—ceased operation in July 2025.

Four practical alternatives exist:

Buy a pre‑configured Claude Pro account from a third‑party platform (suitable for heavy users).

Top‑up an existing account via a service (around 216–230 CNY / month).

Share a Pro subscription with others (100–130 CNY / month, limited usage, good for occasional users).

Developer‑focused solution: Claude Code via Code80 (detailed below).

Developer‑focused solution: Using Claude API with Code80

For programmers, the most efficient way to access Claude is through the API, bypassing the web‑based subscription model. The official Pro plan costs $20 / month, but API usage is billed per token and can become expensive at scale.

Code80 provides a service that converts a genuine Anthropic subscription into an API endpoint, eliminating the need for an overseas credit card and stable VPN for each request. The endpoint works with Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, or custom scripts.

# Install Claude Code
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Run Claude Code with Code80 endpoint
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.code80.vip claude

In other tools, simply replace the base_url configuration with the Code80 URL.

More details are available at https://code.ai80.vip.

Account suspension risks and mitigation

Claude applies strict risk controls to accounts originating from mainland China. Common triggers include:

Unstable IP or frequent node switching.

Reusing a phone number that has been used before.

Abnormal payment behavior (repeated failed credit‑card attempts).

High‑frequency, repetitive requests that appear automated.

To reduce the chance of suspension, follow these habits:

Use the same US VPN node for the entire session.

Avoid logging in and out on multiple devices.

Maintain a stable network connection.

Do not send large bursts of identical requests in a short period.

API‑based usage (through Code80 or the official Anthropic API) is less likely to be flagged because requests are programmatic and bypass the front‑end risk engine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are domestic credit cards completely unusable? A: Yes. Both Visa and Mastercard‑linked Chinese dual‑currency cards are rejected by Claude’s payment gateway, and repeated attempts may trigger additional account risk controls.

Q: Can Hong Kong users access Claude more easily? A: Hong Kong is not subject to the Great Firewall, so the website is reachable, but registration still requires a foreign phone number and payment still needs an overseas credit card.

Q: Is the free tier sufficient for daily work? A: The free tier is fine for light experimentation, but the daily message limit is quickly reached for regular development tasks.

Q: What can Claude Code do? A: Claude Code is an AI programming agent that can read/write local files, execute terminal commands, refactor across files, run tests, and debug errors—all driven by natural‑language prompts. It is available via CLI and a VS Code extension.

Q: What is the simplest way for Chinese developers to use Claude Code? A: Using the Code80 service to obtain a custom API endpoint is the most straightforward method—no overseas credit card or VPN juggling is required.