Do Claude credits expire?

Yes, Claude credits expire 1 year from the date of purchase. Promotional or free credits may have shorter expiration periods. CostGoat helps you track your balance so you can use credits before they expire.

What does 'credit balance is too low' mean?

The 'your credit balance is too low' error means your Claude account balance is insufficient for the API request. You need to add more credits in the console. CostGoat alerts you before you hit this point so you can top up proactively.

How do Claude credits work?

Claude credits are prepaid funds used for API calls. Each request is charged based on input and output tokens, with different rates for each model (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku). Credits are deducted in real-time as you make requests.

Does Claude give free credits?

Anthropic occasionally offers free credits for new accounts, startups (via their startup program), students, and research purposes. Check their website for current programs. With CostGoat, you can track any free credits you receive.

How do I check my Claude credit balance?

You can check your balance at console.anthropic.com/settings/billing, but this requires logging in each time. CostGoat provides instant access to your credit balance from your desktop. See it at a glance without opening a browser.

Claude API Credit Tracker

Stop Checking the Claude Console

Name: CostGoat
Brand: CostGoat

Privacy-first desktop app that tracks your Claude API credits in real-time. Get alerts before you run low, so you never interrupt a workflow again.

Free 7-day trial. No sign-up, no credit card.

CostGoat tracking Claude API credit balance in real-time

Why Track Claude API Credits with CostGoat?

Real-Time Credit Balance

See your Claude API credits as they update. No more logging into the console to check if you have enough balance for your next API call.

Low Credit Alerts

Set custom thresholds and get a desktop or email alert before your balance runs low. Avoid the 'credit balance is too low' error interrupting your workflows.

Usage Tracking & Trends

Track your credit consumption over time. See how much you're spending on Claude Opus vs Sonnet vs Haiku and optimize accordingly.

Privacy-First Architecture

Your Claude API key never leaves your device. All API calls happen locally, encrypted with OS-native keyring technology.

Get Started in 2 Minutes

Download CostGoat

Free download for macOS, Windows, and Linux. No credit card required to start your 7-day trial.

Add Your Claude API Key

Find your API key at console.anthropic.com/settings/keys and paste it into CostGoat. Your key is encrypted and stored locally, and we never see it.

How to Check Your Claude Credit Balance

To see your prepaid API credit balance manually, log into the Anthropic Console and follow these steps.

Go to console.anthropic.com and log in with the account tied to your API usage.

Open Settings, then Plans & Billing

The Plans & Billing page shows your prepaid API credit balance along with any auto-reload settings you have configured.

Check the Usage tab for spend detail

The Usage tab breaks down your spend by day and by model, so you can see what is drawing down your balance. (The "tokens left" figure on Claude.ai consumer plans is a separate rate limit, not a dashboard credit number.)

The automated alternative

Instead of opening the Anthropic Console every time, CostGoat keeps your live Claude credit balance on your desktop and alerts you before you run low. No more logging in just to check whether you have enough left.