On April 4, Anthropic cut off Claude Pro and Max subscription usage for third-party harnesses including OpenClaw. If you were using your Claude subscription to power OpenClaw, you now need to use Extra Usage — a separate pay-as-you-go billing layer on top of your subscription.
To soften the transition, Anthropic is offering two things with limited-time windows:
- One-time credit equal to your current monthly subscription price — redeemable by April 17
- 30% discount on Extra Usage pre-purchases — also time-limited
How to Claim the Credit
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1
Go to console.anthropic.com
Log in with the Anthropic account you use with OpenClaw. This must be the account that received the email notification about the change.
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2
Go to Settings → Usage (in claude.ai)
Navigate to claude.ai → Settings → Usage. If your account is eligible, you'll see a "Claim" button — click it. Alternatively, check console.anthropic.com → Billing → Credits for the same offer. The credit amount equals your monthly subscription price (e.g., $20 for Pro, $100 for Max).
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3
Redeem before April 17
Click redeem. The credit applies to Extra Usage billing — it won't extend your subscription or give you subscription-tier access. It buys you API tokens at pay-per-token rates.
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4
Consider the 30% pre-purchase discount
If you know you'll be running OpenClaw heavily, pre-purchasing Extra Usage at 30% off is a meaningful saving. This discount is also time-limited — check your billing page for the exact deadline.
Note: The credit and discount details may vary by account type and region. If you don't see the offer in your console, check the email Anthropic sent to your account's address — it may have a direct redemption link.
What "Extra Usage" Actually Costs
Extra Usage is pay-per-token API billing — the same rates as the Anthropic API, but applied to usage that goes through your Claude subscription account rather than a separate API key.
| Usage Pattern | Estimated Monthly Cost (Extra Usage) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Light (2–3 hours/day, simple tasks) | $15–30/mo | Most personal assistant use cases |
| Moderate (6–8 hours/day, mixed) | $50–100/mo | Business operations, heartbeat active |
| Heavy (always-on, autonomous) | $200–600/mo | Full autonomous agent, frequent heartbeats |
These are rough estimates using Claude Sonnet pricing. Using Claude Haiku for routine tasks and Sonnet for complex ones significantly reduces cost — often by 60–70%.
The Three Paths Forward
Path 1 — Pay Extra Usage (Least Disruption)
Keep your Claude subscription. Add Extra Usage billing. Continue using OpenClaw exactly as you were. Your one-time credit buys you 1–2 months of moderate use at no additional cost. Downside: ongoing recurring cost on top of the subscription.
Path 2 — Switch to Direct API Key (Recommended for Heavy Users)
Create a standalone Anthropic API key at console.anthropic.com, add a credit card, and configure OpenClaw to use it. This is the same pay-per-token billing as Extra Usage — but without the subscription overhead. If you were primarily using the subscription for OpenClaw, you may be able to cancel the subscription entirely.
In OpenClaw, swap the auth method:
openclaw models auth login --provider anthropic --method api-key
Path 3 — Switch to Local Models (Zero Ongoing Cost)
If cost is the primary concern, the free path is Ollama + a local model. For most tasks, Qwen 3.5 9B is capable enough. The main trade-off is quality on complex reasoning tasks. See our local models guide for setup.
Is the Subscription Still Worth Keeping?
Depends on how you use Claude outside OpenClaw.
- If you use Claude.ai heavily for direct chat: Keep the subscription for Claude.ai access. Use a separate API key for OpenClaw.
- If you only used Claude via OpenClaw: Cancel the subscription and switch to direct API key. You pay for what you use rather than a flat monthly fee.
- If you use Claude Code heavily: The subscription still gives you Claude Code usage — that's unaffected. OpenClaw just requires separate billing now.
The math most people are doing: Moderate OpenClaw use (heartbeat active, a few hours of daily interaction) on direct API billing runs ~$50–80/mo using Claude Sonnet. If you're currently paying $20/mo for Claude Pro and now need $60/mo in API costs on top of it, you're effectively at $80/mo and should question whether you need the subscription at all. Direct API at $60/mo is cleaner.