Claude API Access With Alipay, Card or USDT (2026)

Paying for the Claude API can be the hard part: it usually means a provider account and a card that the provider’s checkout accepts. cloudgpu.app runs an OpenAI-compatible gateway that serves Claude Opus and Sonnet from one prepaid balance, which you can top up with Alipay, Google Pay, Apple Pay, a bank card or USDT.

What it costs

The per-token rate for every model is on the API page. Rates change, so this post does not repeat them. You pay per token from a prepaid balance, with no subscription. The balance does not expire.

Set it up

1. Sign up at cloudgpu.app with an email address or a Google account.
2. Top up on the billing page: USDT on the TRC-20 network, or the card checkout, which also offers Alipay, Google Pay and Apple Pay.
3. In the API console, create a key. It starts with cgw-sk- and is shown only once, so copy it when it appears.
4. Point your client at the base URL https://cloudgpu.app/v1.

With cURL:

curl https://cloudgpu.app/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cgw-sk-..." \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-sonnet-5-5",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Refactor this function and explain the change."}]
  }'

With Python and the OpenAI SDK, only base_url changes:

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://cloudgpu.app/v1",
    api_key="cgw-sk-...",
)

resp = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="claude-opus-5-5",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Write a unit test for this function."}],
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)

Because the endpoint is OpenAI-compatible, the same key works in Cursor, Cline, Continue and OpenClaw: set the base URL, pick a claude-* model ID and keep the rest of your setup. Settings for each tool: How to use Claude in Cursor, Cline and Continue.

Which Claude model to use

• claude-opus-5-5: hard reasoning, large refactors and long agentic coding tasks.
• claude-sonnet-5-5: the everyday default for coding, drafting and RAG. Start here and move to Opus only when a task needs it.
• claude-sonnet-4-6: an older Sonnet for teams whose prompts are pinned to it.
• claude-fable-5-1 and claude-fable-5: the long-form writing line.

Opus costs more per token than Sonnet, so sending most requests to Sonnet and only the hard ones to Opus is the biggest lever on your bill. The full model list is on the API page.

Where your requests go

The gateway forwards each request to the infrastructure serving that model. There is no automatic failover, so if a model’s upstream is down, that model is down here too. Prompt and completion bodies are not stored; token counts, the model name and error codes are kept for billing.

This is API access billed from a prepaid balance, not a first-party provider account, so account-level features such as a vendor console or workspaces are not part of it. Start small: top up a small amount, run your real workload for a day, check the output and the billed tokens in the console, and only then add more.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a credit card?

No. Top up with USDT on the TRC-20 network, or use the card checkout, which also offers Alipay, Google Pay and Apple Pay.

Where are the current Claude rates?

On the API page. You pay per token from a prepaid balance, and rates can change.

Does it work with the OpenAI SDK?

Yes. Set base_url to https://cloudgpu.app/v1 and use a model ID such as claude-sonnet-5-5.

Is this an official Claude API?

No. CloudGPU is an independent service with no partnership with, authorization from, or endorsement by the model vendor. You pay per token from a prepaid balance.