How to buy a Claude API key in Vietnam: pay per token or a VietQR monthly plan

Short answer: in Vietnam there are two ways to get a Claude API key. One is to buy credit directly from Anthropic in the Claude Console with a Visa/Mastercard and pay per token. The other is a monthly plan from an intermediary service such as RocketKey, paid by VietQR with no international card, from 99,000 VND per 30 days. Light, irregular use fits pay-per-token. Steady daily use with Claude Code is usually much cheaper on a monthly plan.

Option 1: buy directly from Anthropic (pay per token)

Per Anthropic's documentation, Claude API keys are created in the Claude Console:

1. Go to platform.claude.com and sign up or sign in.
2. Add credit under Settings → Billing, click Buy credits and enter an amount. The API runs on prepaid credit.
3. Open the API keys page, click Create key, name it and pick an expiration.
4. Copy the key right away: the Console shows the full key only once.

Good to know:

• You pay by international credit or debit card. A Vietnamese card needs international payments turned on, and banks usually add a foreign-exchange fee.
• Usage is charged per token at list price, for example Claude Sonnet 5.5 at $2 per 1M input tokens and $10 per 1M output tokens. In VND that is about 26,000 VND per $1, before bank fees.
• According to guides quoting Anthropic's help center, purchased credit expires after one year and is non-refundable.

Fits: light or occasional use; companies with an international card that want a direct contract with Anthropic.

Option 2: a RocketKey monthly plan (VietQR, no international card)

RocketKey sells monthly API key plans. Each plan has a daily USD allowance, charged at the model prices on the Models page and reset at 00:00 (GMT+7). You pay by VietQR bank transfer and the plan activates automatically within minutes.

Plan	Price / 30 days	Daily allowance	Keys	Requests/minute
Mini	99,000 VND	$3	1	30
Starter	249,000 VND	$8	2	60
Pro	499,000 VND	$20	3	120
Max	999,000 VND	$50	5	240

Current prices and allowances are always on Pricing.

Good to know:

• The key works with Claude Code, Codex, Cline, Cursor and your own code (Anthropic SDK or OpenAI SDK). See Get started.
• The daily allowance does not roll over: what you do not use in a day is gone.
• Claude models only for now.
• RocketKey is an independent intermediary, not affiliated with Anthropic. RocketKey does not store prompt content; it records tokens, cost and time to apply the allowance.
• Within 72 hours of your first order, if you spent under $1, you get a 100% refund to your balance. Details in the refund policy.

Fits: developers who use Claude Code or Cursor every day, have no international card or prefer not to use one, and want a fixed cost in VND.

Cost comparison: when is a monthly plan cheaper?

Take Starter: 249,000 VND for 30 days, up to $8 a day at model prices.

• Using the full allowance every day: 30 × $8 = $240 at list price for 249,000 VND, about 1,000 VND per $1. The same usage bought directly costs about 6.2 million VND.
• Using about a third of it: about $80 at list price, about 3,100 VND per $1. Still cheaper than buying directly.
• Using it only a few days a month: pay-per-token can be cheaper, because unused daily allowance is not kept.

To estimate with your own token volume, use the daily cost estimate on Pricing. Tokens per plan for each model are in Choose a Claude model for coding.

Quick chooser

Situation	Pick
International card, a few uses a month	Buy directly from Anthropic
Daily Claude Code work, no international card	RocketKey monthly plan
Try it first at low cost	Mini plan, 99,000 VND
A team sharing, several keys needed	Pro or Max (3-5 keys, one shared allowance)
Use Claude Code with a Claude Pro/Max account instead of an API key	See How to buy and use Claude Code in Vietnam

What to check before buying from an intermediary

Buying an API key through a third party means your requests pass through their servers. Before paying anyone, check:

• A clear refund policy, not "no refunds under any circumstances".
• Whether prompt content is stored, and what the privacy policy says.
• A status page so you can tell when the service has an incident.
• Requests-per-minute and spend limits stated before you buy.
• Ways to reach them beyond a single chat account.

For RocketKey, the refund policy, privacy policy, status page and contact channels are all public.

After buying

1. Test the key with a free curl command: Get started.
2. Set up your tool: Claude Code, Codex, Cline, Cursor, or Python and Node.js.
3. Create a key per machine: Manage API keys.
4. Make the allowance go further: Save allowance in Claude Code.

FAQ

Can I buy a Claude API key without a Visa/Mastercard? Buying directly from Anthropic needs an international card. A RocketKey monthly plan is paid by bank transfer through VietQR, no card needed.

Does a Claude API key work with Claude Code? Yes. Claude Code takes the key through ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN (or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY for a key bought directly). See the Claude Code guide.

What happens when the day's allowance runs out? Requests return error 402 until 00:00 (GMT+7), when a new allowance starts.

How soon can I use it after paying? The plan activates automatically when the bank confirms the transfer, usually within minutes. Keep the transfer note (the order code) unchanged.