Eligible Claude Pro and Max subscribers get a limited number of guest passes. Each pass gives a friend a free 7-day trial of Claude Pro — including Claude Code and Cowork. When that friend converts to a paid plan, you earn $10 in usage credits (they expire one year from issuance). Send passes with the /passes command in Claude Code or grab your link from settings.
Anthropic quietly rolled out a referral program built right into Claude Code and Cowork: guest passes. The pitch is simple — "Give Claude, get more Claude." You send a friend a free week of Claude's Pro plan, and if they love it and subscribe, you pocket $10 in usage credits to keep building. If you're already paying for Pro or Max, there's zero cost and a real upside. Here's everything you need to know.
What Is a Guest Pass?
A guest pass is a unique referral link that unlocks a seven-day free trial of Claude's Pro plan for someone new to Claude's paid subscriptions. Crucially, that trial isn't limited to chat — it includes both Claude Code (Anthropic's terminal-based coding agent) and Cowork (the collaborative deep-work workspace). Your friend gets a guided install and a simple signup, so they can be running real coding sessions within minutes.
What Each Side Gets
| You (the sender) | Your friend | |
|---|---|---|
| Requirement | Eligible Pro or Max subscriber | New to Claude paid plans |
| What you give / get | A limited batch of passes | 7-day free Pro trial |
| Includes Claude Code + Cowork | — | Yes |
| Payment info at signup | — | Required (not charged during trial) |
| Reward | $10 in usage credits | Full Pro access for a week |
| When the reward lands | After your friend subscribes | Immediately on activation |
How to Send a Guest Pass
- In Claude Code, run the /passes command to see how many you have left and grab your link
- Or open Settings — your referral link and remaining pass count (e.g. "3 / 3 left") are shown there
- You'll also get a prompt when you start Claude Code sessions or Cowork tasks
- Copy the link and share it by email or message with anyone new to paid Claude
How You Actually Earn the $10
The $10 isn't paid just for sending a pass — your friend has to convert. Once they finish the trial and subscribe to a paid Claude plan, the usage credits are issued to your account. A few conditions worth knowing before you count on it:
- Credits are awarded only when a referred friend becomes a paying subscriber
- Credits expire one year from the date they're issued
- If you downgrade your own account to the Free tier, outstanding credits become void
- Credits apply to usage/overage — they're spending power inside Claude, not cash
The Fine Print
- Passes are limited — you get a small, fixed batch and no more once they're redeemed or expire
- Redemption is first-come, first-served
- Recipients must be new to Claude's paid subscriptions to qualify
- Payment details are required at signup, but there's no charge during the 7-day trial
- Passes and credits are non-transferable and have no cash value
If you're already on Claude Pro or Max, guest passes are free money on the table. Send them to developers or teammates who'd genuinely use Claude Code — one conversion nets you $10 in credits, and your friend gets a no-strings week to try it. Just don't sit on your passes: they're limited, first-come first-served, and gone once the batch runs out.