[BUG] double billed for claude max plan 2 months in a row and then account degraded to FREE PLAN
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?
To Anthropic Support & Billing Team,
I am writing to formally escalate an unresolved billing dispute that has gone unanswered despite prior support contact.
I am a paying Claude Max subscriber who has used Anthropic's official tools exclusively — Claude Code CLI, claude.ai, and Claude Desktop. I have never used third-party tools such as OpenClaw, and I have not attempted to circumvent any usage policies. My entire business has been built on Anthropic's platform, and I have paid every invoice on time.
The issue:
- My account was silently downgraded from Max to Free plan without any action on my part
- I have been charged approximately $600 in fees I should not owe, resulting from billing system errors that Anthropic has acknowledged publicly
- I submitted a support ticket [INSERT TICKET NUMBER/DATE] and have received no substantive response
- I have also attempted to reach Fin support with no resolution
This is not a usage dispute. These are erroneous charges caused by known bugs in Anthropic's billing infrastructure — bugs that have been reported by multiple users on GitHub (issues #41581, #43257, #45890) and acknowledged by Anthropic on March 31, 2026.
What I am requesting:
- Full refund of the $600 in erroneous charges
- Restoration of my Max plan status
- Written confirmation that this has been resolved
I am requesting a response within 5 business days. If I do not receive one, I will have no choice but to initiate a chargeback with my card issuer and file a formal complaint with the relevant consumer protection authority.
I want to resolve this directly with Anthropic. I remain a committed customer and I am not looking for a dispute — I am looking for what I have already paid for.
Please treat this as urgent.
[Joe taveras]
[rcpixel8@gmail.com]
[]
[
Date | Total | Status | Actions
-- | -- | -- | --
Apr 12, 2026 | $217.75 | Paid | View
Apr 11, 2026 | $217.75 | Paid | View
Feb 12, 2026 | $200.00 | Paid | View
-- | -- | -- | --
Feb 10, 2026 | $54.44 | Paid | View
Feb 10, 2026 | $200.00 | Paid | View
Feb 12, 2026
$200.00
Paid
Feb 10, 2026
$54.44
Paid
Feb 10, 2026
$200.00
Paid
Date
Total
Status
Actions
Apr 12, 2026
$217.75
Paid
Apr 11, 2026
$217.75
Paid
View]
What Should Happen?
send me some sort of word
i am not concerned about the $
i must be able to work , i have spent hundreds of hours and i am very happy but to get cut off this way is so stresfull i am concerned for my business survival
i want my max plan restored so i can work .
<img width="1539" height="1104" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/dba80b34-2712-4d64-8191-ede932f87f11" />
<img width="1524" height="1127" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c3797384-2bb1-4959-9e3e-284592cb2b95" />
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
there are like 8000 cases of same thing Recent reports indicate users have experienced double billing or unauthorized charges with Claude (Anthropic), particularly around February and March 2026. These issues range from duplicate subscription charges to fraudulent "gift" purchases.
Reddit
Reddit
+1
Key Issues and Reported Causes
Duplicate Charges: Users reported being billed twice for a single subscription period or seeing "pending" charges that finalized as duplicates.
API Billing Bug: A known issue exists where Claude Code users are charged twice per request—once via API billing and again through prepaid credits.
Unauthorized Gift Purchases: Multiple users have reported unauthorized charges for "gift" subscriptions on their accounts, with some reporting charges up to £720.
Virtual Card Issues: Problems have been noted with prepaid or virtual cards, such as M-Pesa Global Pay Visa, failing and causing subsequent double billing.
Failed Payment Errors: Some users were charged after receiving error messages stating that their card was not accepted, leading them to use a second card, resulting in charges for both.
GitHub
GitHub
+3
Recommended Actions
Contact Your Bank: Immediately contact your bank or credit card company to dispute the charges and initiate a chargeback.
Remove Payment Method: Remove your credit card from the Claude settings to prevent further unauthorized charges.
Submit a Support Request: Contact Anthropic support via the "Get help" option in the chat settings for a "Claude Refund Request," though some users have reported slow responses.
Check for Multiple Accounts: Ensure you have not accidentally signed up for multiple, separate subscriptions.
Reddit
Reddit
+3
Important Notes
Non-Refundable Policy: Anthropic’s policy states that payments are generally non-refundable, except as required by law.
Increased Usage Scam: Some users have reported that fraudulent activity often involves buying gift subscriptions, which are then used by unknown third parties.
Reddit
Reddit
+2
Claude Model
Opus
Is this a regression?
Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version
Appril 12 20206
Claude Code Version
claude code
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
macOS
Terminal/Shell
Terminal.app (macOS)
Additional Information
_No response_
8 Comments
I was just double billed as well. Unsure why or how?
<img width="981" height="590" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b72c233c-b5da-4154-aec7-b35b39b13893" />
I can take anthropics/claude-code#48780.
For "[BUG] double billed for claude max plan 2 months in a row and then account degraded to...", I will start by reproducing the reported issue first, then applying a focused fix with clear validation.
Target: draft PR in ~8h.
Deliverables: repro + root-cause summary; focused patch (plus tests/docs if needed); review-ready PR with validation notes.
I keep changes minimal and aligned with existing style. (@Asobu01)
Quick follow-up on
anthropics/claude-code#48780. 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.
Charge three time, and now no way to contact. and still no subscription is active.
I am experiencing the exact same critical provisioning bug, but with an even worse outcome.
Here is my timeline:
June 9, 2026: Subscribed to the Claude Max tier. The payment went through perfectly, and the invoice status in my billing history is marked as "PAID".
June 16, 2026: After just one week, the UI completely downgraded me back to the Free Plan.
The Double Charge: Thinking there was a glitch or that the first payment hadn't registered properly, the system allowed me to execute the payment a second time. I paid again, but the backend completely ignored BOTH of my active payments. I am still stuck on the Free Plan today.
Troubleshooting done so far (all failed):
Logged out and logged back in using the manual email/magic link method instead of Google/Apple OAuth.
Cleared browser cookies, session data, and hard-refreshed cache.
Tested on multiple clean browsers and incognito mode.
Restarted router to clear any potential IP/DNS caching issues.
Checked the Billing section, but the UI is locked—there is no option to update card details, only buttons to pay again.
To top it off, the official Intercom/Fin support bot on the website has completely stopped responding (ghosted me) mid-conversation.
This is a severe backend database desync between Stripe/Link and Anthropic's user entitlements. We are literally getting wrongfully double-charged for a service we cannot access. It's causing massive downtime for my production development workflow.
Has anyone from Anthropic acknowledged this specific loop yet?
I've paid for max, used it for about 10 days, charged for pro and downgraded without the ability to upgrade again, I resolved it last month by cancelling through my cc provider and Google play, who responded by cancelling my account, and not issuing a refund. My cc provider is in contact with me, I've submitted to them my transaction records, but again paid for it twice.
Extra usage, my extra usage is set to 5.00/Month, and I am constantly being billed extra usage, almost daily.
I've reached out with definitive proof of the matter to Find(AI Agent), who acknowledged the matter, and has since ghosted me.
I've requested my account to be upgraded, to no avail or response.
Why would Fin not be provided the means to resolve this matter? The information is clear, even if they were to perform a search/sweep they could pro-actively catch and restore the accounts.
The problem is Google, I believe they have a part to play here, as I don't believe anthropic is its own payment provider and is vendor locked to Google/Apple, as such have forfeit the control of their own customer base.
Or they are not capable of resolving this on their own. For brand recognition and on a legal dialogue I would like to believe this would be taken much more seriously than it is.
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.