Enter an MTS Bank card into Anthropic's payment form and the card check rejects it, so the subscription never switches on. (MTS is a Russian mobile operator, and MTS Bank is its bank.) Through codexkey the same card works: you top up the balance through YooKassa or SBP and get an API key for the Claude models. You need neither a foreign card nor an Anthropic account.
Why an MTS Bank card fails at Anthropic
Anthropic takes payments through Stripe, and Stripe declines cards issued in Russia, whatever payment network they belong to. An ordinary MTS Bank card is declined, and so is a virtual one.
MTS itself has nothing to do with it. What counts is the country where the card was issued. Cards from Sber, Tinkoff or VTB are declined in exactly the same way. People search for "mts payment claude" separately from the general "card to pay for claude" simply because many of them think of MTS as a mobile operator first and a bank second.
What you see when you try to pay
The form accepts the card number, but the payment does not go through and the subscription stays inactive. The error message usually says nothing about MTS or about Russia. That is why many people retry again and again and get the same result.
How to pay for Claude with an MTS Bank card at codexkey
codexkey takes money through Russian payment services instead of Stripe, so the restriction on MTS Bank cards does not apply. You put rubles on the balance and spend them on requests to the Claude models.
By MTS Bank card through YooKassa
YooKassa accepts cards from Russian banks: Visa, Mastercard and Mir (the Russian national card system), including those issued by MTS Bank. The steps are the same as for any other Russian card. You enter the number, confirm the payment with your bank's 3D-Secure check, and the balance is topped up once the payment is confirmed.
SBP instead of a card
If your MTS Bank account is connected to SBP, the Russian Faster Payments System, you can skip entering the card number. Pick SBP on the payment page and confirm the transfer in the MTS Bank app.
What to do after paying
Once the balance is credited, create an API key in your account under "API keys". The key looks like sk_cdx_... and works with Claude Code, Cursor and any SDK compatible with the Anthropic API.
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.codexkey.online"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk_cdx_your_key"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL="claude-opus-5-5[1m]"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL="claude-sonnet-5[1m]"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL="claude-sonnet-5"
The ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_* lines are required. Without them Claude Code asks for its own models and answers "There's an issue with the selected model". To make the settings permanent through settings.json, see the Claude Code guide.
In Python or TypeScript, the same key and a base_url when you create the client are enough:
import anthropic
client = anthropic.Anthropic(
api_key="sk_cdx_your_key",
base_url="https://api.codexkey.online",
)
This is payment for API access. We do not sell Claude Pro or Max subscriptions. For an overview of payment options, read "How to pay for Claude from Russia". Cards from other banks and virtual cards are covered in "A virtual card to pay for Claude", and crypto in "How to pay for the Claude API with crypto, a card or SBP".
The model list and exact per-token prices are on the models and pricing pages. You pay for actual usage, with no subscription fee.
How fast the money arrives
The balance shows up in your account when the payment service confirms the payment. Timing depends on the method: SBP is usually quicker than a card payment with a 3D-Secure check. We do not promise a number of seconds. Speed depends on your bank and on the load on the payment gateway, and we have little influence over either.
The service does not yet issue invoices or closing documents for legal entities. If you are paying on behalf of a company, ask your accountant first whether that works for you.
Top-up bonus
A top-up by MTS Bank card or through SBP falls under the general codexkey bonus: +5% from $10, +7.5% from $20 and +15% from $100. The bonus for a single top-up is capped at $100. The payment method does not change the size of the bonus.
If you are only trying the API with small amounts, the bonus hardly decides anything: the minimum top-up is just $1, so the entry bar is low. Regular work through Claude Code or built-in agents is another matter: there, the bonus on a larger top-up cuts the effective price of tokens by a few percent.
FAQ
Can I pay Anthropic directly for Claude Pro with an MTS Bank card?
No. Anthropic takes payments through Stripe, and Stripe declines cards from Russian banks, MTS Bank included, whatever the subscription type.
How do I pay for Claude Code with an MTS card?
Top up your codexkey balance with an MTS Bank card through YooKassa or SBP, create a key and enter it in the Claude Code settings as described in the Claude Code guide. Claude Code itself is free to install, and the money goes on tokens.
Does an MTS virtual card work for paying for Claude?
Not with Anthropic directly: an MTS Bank virtual card is rejected for the same reason as an ordinary Russian card. Through codexkey it works like any Russian card, with the payment going through YooKassa.
Can I pay through SBP if my account is at MTS Bank?
Yes, if the account is connected to SBP. Choose SBP on the payment page and confirm the transfer in the bank's app.
What if the YooKassa payment is declined?
Open your bank's app and check the limits and the card status: a refusal is sometimes caused by a daily limit on online payments, not by the service. If the card is fine, try SBP or write to support on Telegram: https://t.me/codex_key?direct.
Do I need an Anthropic account to pay through codexkey?
No. codexkey works as a separate API gateway with its own key, and no Anthropic registration is required. Creating a codexkey account takes a couple of minutes: a login with a password, or sign-in with Google, GitHub or Telegram.