The flow is short. You register with codexkey, put rubles on your balance through SBP or a Russian card (or pay in crypto), create a key and drop it into an SDK, Claude Code or Cursor. Only the tokens you actually use are charged. Below: why paying Anthropic directly fails from Russia, how the top-up methods differ, what to expect on fees and crediting, and what the first request looks like.
Why Anthropic does not accept payment from Russia
Three things stand in the way.
- Country. Anthropic keeps a list of supported countries and regions where its products are available. Anything not on the list counts as unsupported. Russia is not on it.
- Payment methods. According to Anthropic's help pages, website subscriptions are paid by credit or debit card only, and PayPal and Venmo are not accepted. The billing address and the card's issuing country must also come from the permitted set. SBP and cryptocurrency are not on the list of methods.
- Cards from Russian banks. Their issuing country is outside the list, so the payment is usually declined. Virtual cards are no exception.
What this means for Claude Pro, Max and Claude Code is covered in our guide to paying for Claude from Russia.
Which payment methods codexkey accepts
codexkey is a prepaid gateway to the API. You top up the balance in your account, and requests go to the same Anthropic-compatible endpoints. These methods are available:
- SBP and Russian cards. YooKassa handles Visa, Mastercard and Mir (the Russian domestic card network) cards from Russian banks, as well as SBP payments. Platega takes SBP by QR code, Russian cards and foreign cards.
- Crypto. CryptoCloud accepts cryptocurrency, CryptoBot works as the @CryptoBot bot in Telegram, and 2328 offers USDT, BTC, ETH, TON and other coins. You choose the coin on the payment service's own page.
The minimum top-up is $1. A single payment can be up to $10,000, and the top-up window shows the exact limits for the method you pick.
What it costs
The balance is kept in dollars, because model prices are quoted in dollars per 1M tokens. If you pay in rubles, the amount is converted at the current exchange rate. The payment system's fee is added on top, and its size depends on the method. The top-up window warns about the fee up front and shows the bonus and the "Total credit" line before you confirm, so you see what will land on the balance.
A prepaid balance: what changes
Top up, spend, top up again. There is no postpaid billing, and a few practical consequences follow.
- No monthly minimum and no seat fees. You can put $20 on the account and spend it over as long as you like.
- Spending is capped by the balance. An agent stuck in an endless loop will drain what is left and start getting HTTP 402 errors. No invoice arrives at the end of the month.
- If a payment has arrived but is not yet credited, it shows in the top-up history as "Pending top-up" and is credited automatically.
The first request, step by step: sign-up, top-up, key
- Register with email, Google, GitHub or Telegram. An Anthropic account is not needed.
- Top up. Choose SBP, a card or crypto, and the payment service opens its payment page.
- API key. In the "API Keys" section create a key shaped like
sk_cdx_.... Copy it right away: it is not shown a second time. - Connect. Set the address
https://api.codexkey.onlineand the key in your SDK. OpenAI-compatible clients use the same address with/v1.
A minimal Python example with the Anthropic SDK:
from anthropic import Anthropic
client = Anthropic(
api_key="sk_cdx_your_key",
base_url="https://api.codexkey.online",
)
resp = client.messages.create(
model="claude-sonnet-5",
max_tokens=512,
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello from a balance topped up via SBP."}],
)
print(resp.content[0].text)
If your code is already written against the OpenAI SDK, the key stays the same and the address gets /v1:
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key="sk_cdx_your_key",
base_url="https://api.codexkey.online/v1",
)
resp = client.chat.completions.create(
model="claude-sonnet-5",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello from a balance topped up via SBP."}],
max_tokens=512,
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)
Whichever address you pick, the same balance is spent. Usage and the remaining balance are visible in your account.
Where to go next
Two related guides cover the edge cases. Paying with an MTS Bank card (MTS is a Russian telecom operator) has its own step-by-step guide, and virtual cards are covered in a separate article.
FAQ
How do I pay for the Claude API with crypto?
In the top-up window choose a crypto method: CryptoCloud, CryptoBot or 2328. The payment service shows the address or invoice and the network. Once the network confirms the payment, the balance is topped up on its own.
How do I pay for the Claude API through SBP?
Choose SBP in the top-up window, scan the QR code or open the link in your banking app, and confirm the transfer. Transfer limits are set by your bank.
Can I pay for the Claude API with a card from a Russian bank?
Anthropic usually does not take such cards directly. In codexkey, Visa, Mastercard and Mir cards from Russian banks are accepted through YooKassa and Platega.
What is the minimum top-up?
$1. A single payment can be up to $10,000, and the top-up window shows the exact limits for the method you choose.
Is there a fee for topping up?
Yes. The payment system's fee is added to the payment amount, and its size depends on the payment method. The top-up window warns about it and shows how much will be credited before you confirm.
Do I need an Anthropic account?
No. You register with codexkey and get your own sk_cdx_... key. Claude Pro and Max subscriptions are not sold: access is over the API, paid per token.
What if the payment was not credited?
A payment that has arrived but is not yet credited is marked in the history as "Pending top-up" and is credited automatically. If the balance has not changed after several hours, write to codexkey support and include the time and amount of the payment.