[BUG] Billing: $1,400 gift subscription credit destroyed by Stripe proration logic (14 Max 20x gift codes)
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
- [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
- [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code
What's Wrong?
$1,400 in gift subscription credit is missing from my account. I redeemed 14 Claude Max 20x gift codes ($200 each = $2,800 total) between March 17–22, 2026. My account currently shows only $1,400 credit.
Each gift redemption triggers Stripe to cancel the previous subscription period with a $0.00 "Unused time" proration invoice (because gifts use a 100% off coupon). This destroys the remaining gift value. 13 such cancellation events occurred.
Credit is also actively decreasing with no new invoices: $2,600 (Mar 22) → $1,600 (Mar 26) → $1,400 (Mar 28). Extra usage is NOT enabled.
Support ticket (Conv ID: 215473641626850) submitted Mar 26 and email to support@anthropic.com sent Mar 28 — no human response received.
What Should Happen?
Each gift code should add $200 to subscription credit. 14 codes × $200 = $2,800 credit. Gift redemptions should stack additively without destroying previously redeemed gift value.
Error Messages/Logs
No error messages displayed. The system silently accepted all 14 gift codes.
However, Stripe generated 13 "Unused time" proration invoices (all $0.00):
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0009: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 20 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0014: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 21 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0015: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 21 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0016: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 21 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0017: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 21 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0026: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 22 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0027: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 22 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0028: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 22 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0029: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 22 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0030: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 22 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0031: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% off) after 22 Mar 2026" = $0.00
Invoice G1SCCI4M-0032: "Unused time on Max plan - 20x (with 100.0% offSteps to Reproduce
- Have an active Claude subscription (Pro or gift Max 20x)
- Go to claude.ai/gift/redeem
- Redeem a Claude Max 20x gift code → subscription period starts, credit +$200
- Redeem a second Max 20x gift code on the same account
- Observe in Settings > Billing: Stripe cancels first gift period, generates "Unused time" invoice at $0.00
- Repeat with additional gift codes
- Check credit balance → does NOT equal (number of gifts × $200)
My specific case:
- Mar 17: Redeemed 1 gift (Pro → Max transition) → Invoice #0007
- Mar 20: Redeemed 1 gift → Invoice #0008
- Mar 21: Redeemed 4 gifts → Invoices #0010-0013
- Mar 22: Redeemed 8 gifts → Invoices #0018-0025
- Total: 14 gifts × $200 = $2,800 expected
- Actual credit: $1,400 (missing $1,400)
Account: volehuy1998@gmail.com
Stripe Customer: G1SCCI4M
Support Ticket: Conversation ID 215473641626850 (no human response after 5 days)
Claude Model
None
Is this a regression?
I don't know
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
2.1.87 (Claude Code)
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
VS Code integrated terminal
Additional Information
Account Information
- Account: volehuy1998@gmail.com
- Plan: Claude Max 20x (via Gift Subscription)
- Stripe Customer Prefix: G1SCCI4M
- Support Ticket: Conversation ID 215473641626850 (submitted Mar 26, no human response)
- Email: Sent to support@anthropic.com Mar 28 (no response)
Detailed Evidence
Between March 17–22, 2026, I redeemed 14 Claude Max 20x gift codes ($200 each) in 4 sessions:
| Date | Gifts | Invoice Numbers |
|------|-------|----------------|
| Mar 17 | 1 (Pro → Max transition) | #0007 |
| Mar 20 | 1 | #0008 |
| Mar 21 | 4 | #0010, #0011, #0012, #0013 |
| Mar 22 | 8 | #0018 through #0025 |
| Total | 14 × $200 = $2,800 | |
Credit Balance Tracking
| Date | Credit | Change | Explanation |
|------|--------|--------|-------------|
| Mar 22 | $2,600 | — | Already $200 short after all redemptions |
| Mar 26 | $1,600 | -$1,000 | No new invoice |
| Mar 28 | $1,400 | -$200 | No new invoice |
Total missing: $2,800 - $1,400 = $1,400
Extra usage is NOT enabled.
Root Cause
Each gift redemption triggers Stripe to cancel the current period and generate "Unused time" proration at $0.00 (because gifts = 100% off coupon). Stripe calculates proration on amount paid ($0), not gift face value ($200).
13 cancellation events documented:
- #0007 cancelled by #0008 → #0009 ($0 proration)
- #0008 cancelled by #0010 → #0014 ($0 proration)
- #0010 cancelled by #0011 → #0015 ($0 proration)
- #0011 cancelled by #0012 → #0016 ($0 proration)
- #0012 cancelled by #0013 → #0017 ($0 proration)
- #0013 cancelled by #0018 → #0026 ($0 proration)
- #0018 cancelled by #0019 → #0027 ($0 proration)
- #0019 cancelled by #0020 → #0028 ($0 proration)
- #0020 cancelled by #0021 → #0029 ($0 proration)
- #0021 cancelled by #0022 → #0030 ($0 proration)
- #0022 cancelled by #0023 → #0031 ($0 proration)
- #0023 cancelled by #0024 → #0032 ($0 proration)
- #0024 cancelled by #0025 → #0033 ($0 proration)
Only #0025 (Mar 22–Apr 22) survived.
Documentation Contradiction
Anthropic help center states: "It's not possible to redeem multiple gifts at one time or stack redemptions." But the system accepted all 14 codes without error or warning.
Invoice Summary
- 14 GIFT invoices (all confirmed $200 with 100% off)
- 13 UNUSED TIME invoices (all $0.00 proration)
- 1 EXTRA USAGE invoice (#0004, $0.00)
- 2 PRO plan invoices (#0002 $20, #0003 $20)
- 3 missing (#0001, #0005, #0006 — likely Pro transition)
- 28 receipts cross-verified
Request
- Restore missing $1,400 credit
- Halt ongoing credit erosion
- Fix proration logic for gift subscriptions
- Block or warn on multiple gift redemptions if unsupported
Related Issues
- #23674 — $50 credits disappeared after renewal
- #25586 — $50 promotional credit disappeared
- #26089 — $50 credit never applied
4-page forensic PDF report with complete analysis available upon request.
19 Comments
UPDATE April 2: Credit dropped to $800. Lost another $400 since March 31. Total missing is now $2,000 out of $2,800. The rate of loss is accelerating - previously $200 every 2 days, now $400 in 2 days. At this rate my entire credit will be gone within a week. Still zero human response across all channels after 7 days. This is urgent.
Same issue. Gift Max 5x redeemed Feb 5 and Mar 21, 2026. Both invoices show $0.00 Account stuck on Free plan since March 31. Support ticket 215473712891046 — 5 days, no human response. Account: [heartnesnev@gmail.com](mailto:heartnesnev@gmail.com)
me too :) pls send help
Same problem. I purchased a Max subscription and received it as a gift on April 3rd. It was supposed to last a month, but it only lasted four days and disappeared completely on April 7th. Now I'm on the free plan.
same
same
23mar -> 7apr (16 day).
No mail, no info about.
Wtf, Anthropic?
Same
I solved the problem by spending all the funds on my balance.
If you're affected by this, I've written a detailed post aggregating multiple reports including yours: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1sgkoxn/anthropic_gift_subscriptions_are_silently/ — also posted on X: https://x.com/Lynne1137561/status/2042189688492953976. The more visibility this gets, the harder it is to ignore.
That's d!sgust!ngi
If you bought a Claude Max/Pro gift code from resellers like GamsGo and your subscription was silently downgraded to 'Free' after a few days, STOP waiting for Anthropic’s support. They will ignore you.
I’ve spent the last 8 days fighting this and successfully escalated it to federal agencies and payment gateways. Here is the exact truth of what is happening and the step-by-step manual to get your money back.
🚨 THE SCAM STRUCTURE (The "Double-Dip" Trap)
There is a systemic billing bug between Anthropic and Stripe. But here is the most malicious part: When the system inevitably cancels your subscription and processes an automated refund, the money goes back to the RESELLER'S original payment card, not you.
GamsGo knows this. They keep your money, they quietly receive the refund from Anthropic, and they blame the AI for the issue, leaving you with no service and no cash.
⚔️ ACTION PLAN: HOW TO FIGHT BACK
STEP 1: Nuke their Trustpilot (The only thing they fear)
Do not waste time with GamsGo customer service. Go straight to Trustpilot and leave a 1-star review.
CRITICAL: Include your GamsGo Order ID in the review. If you don't, they will flag it as spam to delete it.
They will email you within 24 hours begging you to delete the review for a refund. DO NOT DELETE OR CHANGE IT until the cash is physically sitting in your bank account. Store credits are a trap.
STEP 2: File an FTC Fraud Complaint (US Federal Trade Commission)
Anthropic is an American company ignoring a massive billing flaw that enriches resellers. Go to reportfraud.ftc.gov and file a complaint against Anthropic PBC.
Keep the FTC Report Number. It transforms your issue from a simple "billing error" to a "reported federal fraud case."
STEP 3: Force a Chargeback with your Bank / Payment Gateway
Call your credit card company, PayPal, or local Payment Gateway (PG).
Do not say "I want a refund." Say: "I bought a digital service, the seller revoked my access after a week, and they are refusing to refund. I have officially reported this to the US FTC for consumer fraud (give them the report number)." * Banks will almost always side with you when a federal report number is involved. If GamsGo asks you to cancel the chargeback first to "process the refund," IT IS A TRAP. Once you cancel a chargeback, you can never open it again.
Stop waiting for Fin AI. Stop begging GamsGo. Hit their Trustpilot, file the FTC report, and chargeback immediately. Good luck.
#51168
same here, charged for gifts I didn't order, and the chatbot was completely useless. It refunded my paid subscription, which I actually wanted to keep, and did nothing to resolve the gift issue.
I'd simply like them to reinstate my annual Pro subscription, which I've already subscribed to and paid for. I have no use for the Max profile for a month.
+1, affected by the same Stripe proration bug.
Summary
Unused time on Max plan - 5x (with 100.0% off) after 12 Apr 2026, Apr 12–May 4, 2026= $0.00What happened
On Apr 4, 2026 I redeemed a Claude Max 5x gift ($100, invoice ZENCLRLG-0002). On Apr 12, 2026 I redeemed a Claude Max 20x gift ($200, invoice ZENCLRLG-0004) to upgrade. Stripe's proration calculated the unused Max 5x time as $0.00 because the 100% off gift coupon was applied to the "unused time" line instead of the original $100 face value. Result: ~$73 of unused Max 5x time was destroyed instead of being credited toward the Max 20x subscription. Current account credit is $20 — only from the earlier Pro → Max 5x transition, which worked correctly.
Support
Fin AI Agent acknowledged the billing error but explicitly refused to escalate ("I cannot escalate this conversation"). No human has reviewed the case.
Also see #52069 — another user reporting the exact same $100 Max 5x case. This appears to be a systemic Stripe proration issue affecting any gift-to-gift upgrade.
UPDATE: Fin has now explicitly confirmed in writing that there is
NO mechanism in Anthropic's consumer support to escalate a billing
dispute to a human agent. Exact quote from support email
(Conversation 215474041046653):
Fin also confirmed the bug and acknowledged the policy violation:
This is a de facto denial of consumer redress for a billing system
bug that Anthropic's own support has acknowledged. Anyone affected
by this bug should proceed directly to chargeback and/or regulatory
complaint — the internal support path is closed by design.
I can pick up anthropics/claude-code#41499 now.
Given "[BUG] Billing: $1,400 gift subscription credit destroyed by Stripe proration logic (14...", I will begin with reproducing the reported issue first, then applying a focused fix with clear validation.
I keep changes minimal and aligned with existing style.
Plan for this thread: repro + root-cause summary -> focused patch (plus tests/docs if needed) -> review-ready PR with validation notes.
Expected first PR: ~8h. @Asobu01
Quick follow-up on
anthropics/claude-code#41499. I am still ready to start immediately and can post the first repro/checklist note before the draft PR if helpful. If you want me on this one, I can begin now. (@Asobu01)Closing for now — inactive for too long. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.