Only when Claude upgraded the Max package to $200 did I realize the value of paying through the App Store

I switched to registering for Claude through the App Store instead of paying directly with Claude and suddenly realized that this is a safe solution for users in terms of security. The source of the story comes from the fact that I received a payment confirmation email from Anthropic on June 8 and June 10, respectively, with a deducted amount of $200, somewhere around 5.5 million, ten times the Pro package I am using. This is probably not a rare occurrence in the era of monthly paid, self-renewing services. I use about a dozen different AI and cloud services, all of them stop at $20 per month, exactly what I need, only Claude upgraded himself to Max for no clear reason, without a specific solution.

Claude was automatically upgraded twice for unknown reasons

The first time happened on June 7. My account suddenly switched from the $20 Pro package to the $200 Max package without me doing anything. Day 8, confirmation email arrived. I contacted Anthropic support that day, explaining that this upgrade was not my initiative. Got a quick refund this time, no problems. Actually Anthropic's AI processes very quickly. And because there is still a need, I re-registered for the $20 Pro package to use. And then on June 9, the very next day, the account upgraded itself to Max again, and on the 10th, the charge confirmation email came again. I continued to contact support, but this time the answer was: refund is not possible because it was previously refunded. What I find unreasonable is not the refund policy because I understand that it cannot be refunded forever. The absurd thing is that the system allows accounts to continuously upgrade packages without any clear confirmation from the user, and there is also no warning email before upgrading. If there was a simple message like "Your plan is about to be upgraded to Max, do you want to continue?" then everything was different.

Support is slow, answers don't reach the root of the problem

After the second charge, I sent a request to support on June 10. It wasn't until June 22, nearly two weeks later, that there was a response. The answer is: refunds can only be processed within 7 to 14 days after the transaction occurred depending on the region. Because my contact had passed that deadline, the request was not accepted.

The Support email sent to me by Anthropic took 12 days after I sent the support email The problem here is that I contacted them right from the 10th, right when the charge happened, early enough by all standards. But the support response time is slower than the allowed time window. Users contact on time, but the loss still belongs to the user. The support department also could not explain why the account automatically upgraded the package, nor did they suggest any way to avoid repeating the same situation. The back and forth exchange also led to the final conclusion: no refund. In fact, if you read on many platforms like Reddit, you will see that Claude's Customer Support is criticized a lot for answering using AI, responding late, and responding irresponsibly.

I switched to registering through the App Store, and realized the value that platforms like the App Store bring

Claude is a good application, supports me very well in my work, but the risk of automatically increasing the package to 200 USD without being clear like that is also terrible, calculating 5 - 6 million/month, guys. If I find a solution, try switching to registering via the App Store on iPhone. Not because the App Store is completely immune to subscription service issues, but because I realize Apple's payment mechanism adds a layer of protection that Claude's side doesn't have. When you buy or upgrade a service package through the App Store, the transaction is tied to your Apple ID and requires authentication: Face ID, Touch ID, or Apple account password. You cannot completely turn off this protection layer for paid transactions. That means that even if someone gets into the Claude app on your phone, they still have to pass Apple's system authentication to be able to upgrade the package. And if you accidentally touch the package upgrade button, you still have to confirm one more time before the transaction is complete.

Authentication step via Face ID, Touch ID, password makes subscription management more secure

A valuable confirmation step

After the Claude incident, the principle I applied is: for services with high packages and self-upgrading mechanisms, priority is given to registering via the App Store or Google Play if there is a choice. Developers make less profit because of commission fees, but users get a real extra layer of protection. Maybe app developers If you are using Claude on iPhone and want to check again, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode) > iTunes & App Store, make sure this section is turned on so all transactions need authentication. If you have been charged abnormally through the App Store, the refund route is Apple Support, not Claude Support. The App Store doesn't make the subscription service system perfect. But at least it forces the system to ask you one more time before the money leaves your account, and sometimes just that one ask is enough.