[BUG] Gift subscription auto-canceled — account reverted to Free plan without user action
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?
Hello Anthropic Support,
I'm writing regarding a known billing bug affecting gift subscriptions.
Account email: [ilatalion@gmail.com]
Gift plan activated: Claude Pro ]
Date of activation: [April 8, 2026]
Date reverted to Free: [April 8, 2026]
I redeemed a gift subscription code. The redemption was confirmed. I had full access for 7 days, after which my account was silently downgraded to the Free plan without any action on my part.
This is a known systemic issue documented in multiple GitHub reports:
- Issue #45335: Max gift subscription auto-canceled after ~1 week
- Issue #44163: Gift Pro auto-canceled + broken redemption link
- Issue #1298: Gift redeemed but account stuck on Free plan
Requested action:
Please manually restore the remaining paid access on my account. The gift period has not expired — this is a backend synchronization error on Anthropic's side.
Please escalate this to a human specialist, not the Fin AI agent.
What Should Happen?
The Pro gift subscription must remain active for the entire gift subscription term (from April 8 to May 8, 2026). The account must not become free before the gift subscription expires.
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
Redeem a Claude Pro gift subscription on claude.ai
Use Pro features normally for several days
Account is automatically downgraded to Free plan without any user action
Settings → Billing shows Free plan despite valid gift invoice
Claude Model
None
Is this a regression?
Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
This is a bug in the claude.ai invoicing system, not a problem in Claude's code.
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
PowerShell
Additional Information
<img width="3090" height="1570" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5a6676b7-938f-4150-ab93-1e439000d20e" />
9 Comments
Hello Anthropic Support,
I have same problem with subscription.
Redeemed my gift Claude Pro sub for 1 month in April 10, and in April 15 it not working.
Account email: [sulikphoenix62@gmail.com]
Gift plan activated: Claude Pro
Date of activation: [April 10, 2026]
Date reverted to Free: [April 15, 2026]
Receipt-2434-9193-8626.pdf
<img width="1410" height="755" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ede0c4fa-20e1-4b4d-af27-57a143c458bd" />
@TechWisard let's try to reach them together, if you have any updates from them, pls share with me, ill also share with you.
@GEK62
Yes, I’ll let you know if anything changes. But for now, they’re ignoring all such complaints, even though there are already quite a lot of them.
also the SAME problem here... but my subscription was set back to free after 1 day already......
<img width="1079" height="579" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f6589755-08f3-4ae5-8702-b645eec6fc4c" />
E-Mail: oezacar.erim@gmail.com
Same issue here.
Account: [urasav12061997@gmail.com](mailto:urasav12061997@gmail.com)
Plan: Claude Max 5x Gift – 1 Month
Activation date: April 5, 2026
Expected end date: May 5, 2026
Date access disappeared: April 16, 2026 — no notification, no user action
According to my receipt (Invoice 4RZZZAVR-0001, Receipt 2033-3519-3567), approximately 66% of the subscription period was cut off silently.
I've already contacted support via chat and email — both times a bot responded that a manager would reply shortly, but after a full day there was still no response.
Attaching receipt as proof. Please escalate to a human specialist.
Receipt-2033-3519-3567 (1).pdf
Has anyone made any progress on this? They haven't responded or activated my subscription for 10 days. It's just wasting my money. I wanted to sign up for Max, but I'm glad I signed up for Pro.
<img width="1277" height="761" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/80e984ca-7785-492a-be64-480002bbf68e" />
It's useless. As far as I know, no one has been able to return a subscription or get a refund. The problem is with the gift. Most people receive gifts from third-party sites, and sellers buy them with stolen credit cards. On April 16th, I paid for the Max x5 plan directly with my card again, and so far so good. However, I've always paid for subscriptions with my card before, and there were no problems. So there's no point in waiting; no one will refund anything. The only option is for the seller of the gift to refund you or your friend's money.
This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.