[BUG] Max 5x → Max 20x upgrade blocked by phone verification loop ("already verified")
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?
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing issues and confirmed this matches a known pattern (see related issues below)
- [x] This is a single bug report
- [x] I am attempting this on claude.ai (web), not Claude Code CLI
Summary
I cannot upgrade my Claude Max plan from 5x to 20x. The upgrade flow prompts "Add a phone number to protect your account." When I enter my phone number (already verified on this account), the system responds: "Your account is already verified. Try refreshing the page." This creates an unresolvable loop that fully blocks the upgrade.
<img width="739" height="502" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/2699a521-45a9-4082-be90-0b805173ff9a" />
<img width="739" height="528" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/52ff1280-1cfa-4eb5-afed-f43928b17aab" />
Steps to Reproduce
- Log into claude.ai on an active Max 5x plan
- Go to Settings → Billing → Upgrade to Max 20x
- Complete order details / payment method confirmation
- Modal appears: "Add a phone number to protect your account"
- Enter phone number → error: "Your account is already verified. Try refreshing the page."
- Refreshing does not clear the modal or allow the upgrade to proceed
Troubleshooting Already Completed (all produce the identical error)
- Tested in Firefox, Vivaldi, and Chrome
- Tested on desktop and smartphone
- Tested on both Wi-Fi and mobile data
- Cleared cache and cookies in each browser, full logout (not just refresh), restarted browser
- No VPN active, no browser extensions enabled
- Verified billing details and payment method are current
- Manually entered card details (bypassing Stripe Link) — same error
- Confirmed clock/time settings are automatic
Because the error is identical across every browser, device, and network combination, this appears to be a server-side account flag (verification status) out of sync with the upgrade flow's check against it, rather than any client-side or network issue.
Related Issues (same failure pattern)
- #34229 — [BUG] Phone verification
- #56281 — Can't upgrade Max 5x → Max 20x: payment fails, support unresponsive
- #55266 — Max 5x → Max 20x upgrade fails, reproducible across multiple days/cards
- #62746 — Max 5x → Max 20x upgrade fails — same PaymentIntent pattern
- #59027 — Same bug family, marked resolved — requesting similar fix applied here
Impact
This is blocking a paid upgrade ($100 → $200/month) on an active subscription. I've already opened a support ticket via Fin (in-app chat) with no resolution yet.
Request
Could someone confirm whether this is the same backend verification-flag issue as #34229/#59027, and clear it on my account? Happy to provide account email via DM/private channel if needed.
What Should Happen?
Entering an already-verified phone number should either skip the verification step entirely (since the account is already verified) or successfully re-verify and allow the Max 5x → 20x upgrade to complete and process payment. Instead, the modal returns "Your account is already verified. Try refreshing the page." and blocks the upgrade indefinitely with no path forward.
Error Messages/Logs
"Your account is already verified. Try refreshing the page."
This message appears in the "Add a phone number to protect your account" modal immediately after submitting a phone number during the Max 20x upgrade checkout flow. No verification code is sent. Refreshing the page does not clear the modal or allow the upgrade to proceed.Steps to Reproduce
- Log into claude.ai on an active Max 5x plan ($100/month)
- Go to Settings → Billing → Upgrade to Max 20x ($200/month)
- Review order details on the Max plan checkout screen
- A modal appears: "Add a phone number to protect your account"
- Enter phone number (already verified on this account) and click "Send verification code"
- Error appears: "Your account is already verified. Try refreshing the page."
- Refreshing the page does not clear the modal; the upgrade cannot proceed
Claude Model
None
Is this a regression?
Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version
N/A — no prior working attempt to compare against.
Claude Code Version
N/A — this issue occurs on claude.ai (web), not Claude Code CLI.
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Ubuntu/Debian Linux
Terminal/Shell
Other
Additional Information
Screenshots attached showing the verification modal and the "already verified" error. This matches reports in #34229, #56281, #55266, #62746, and #59027 (marked resolved) — appears to be a recurring backend verification-flag bug tied to plan-upgrade checkout, not specific to any device, browser, or OS.
4 Comments
I have this very same issue. Also tried with other phone number but same result.
Same issue
I found another bug thread where there is apparently a Google form that goes to an Anthropic engineer who I was able to link their profile back to their LinkedIn, which does confirm that they work for Anthropic. I found it interesting, though, that they just had a simple Google form rather than an actual process to go through.
I'm hoping that will resolve the issue within the next couple of days. Otherwise, I have canceled my subscription. If I do not hear any response back, I will continue my subscription, but under a different account, as it may be an issue, from what it appears, with swapping to a 20x from a 5x plan specifically within a certain window of usage. If I have any success, I will report back my findings.
Update: Resolved — closing this out
Wanted to follow up here in case it helps others hitting the same loop.
Resolution: I filled out the Google Form linked in a pinned comment on issue #34229 by @surbhiijain:
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/34229#issuecomment-4100371032
Within about 24 hours of submitting my account email through that form, the phone verification block cleared on its own and I was able to complete the Max 5x → 20x upgrade without any further issues. I haven't run into the "already verified, try refreshing the page" error since.
Why I trust this was legitimate and not a phishing attempt: I was initially skeptical of a Google Form being used for something like this (reasonably so — that comment thread also attracted some obvious scam replies). A few things gave me enough confidence to try it:
@surbhiijain's comment is pinned on the issue by @szwang, who is listed as an Assignee on this repo — that requires write access to anthropics/claude-code, which isn't available to the public.
@surbhiijain's GitHub profile appears to match a "Surbhi J." on LinkedIn listed as Engineering staff at Anthropic since October 2025: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jain-surbhi
The form only requested an account email — no password, phone number, payment details, or verification codes — which kept the risk low even before I could fully confirm affiliation.
Note for anyone still stuck after trying this: if the form doesn't resolve it for you, it may be worth checking whether your situation differs by region, billing currency, or payment method — a few other threads (e.g. the India/INR-billed report in #84706) describe similar-looking upgrade failures that turned out to be separate, region-specific billing bugs rather than the same phone-verification flag issue this thread and #34229 cover. Worth flagging your region/currency explicitly if you open a new issue, so maintainers can tell which underlying bug it is.
Thanks to everyone who documented this pattern across #34229, #56281, #55266, and #62746 — cross-referencing those made it much faster to identify this as a known issue rather than something specific to my account.
Closing this issue as resolved.