Claude has a referral feature called a Guest Pass that lets eligible users try Claude Pro free for seven days.

I currently have three Guest Passes available on my Claude account.

A Guest Pass gives you access not only to Claude Pro, but also to Claude Code, Claude Cowork, and Claude Design. If you have been curious about Claude's paid features but have not wanted to subscribe right away, this is a good way to try them first.

There is one important catch: you need to add a valid payment method when you start the free trial. If you do not cancel before the seven-day trial ends, your subscription will automatically continue as a paid Claude Pro plan.

In this article, I'll explain who can use a Claude Guest Pass, what it includes, and how to request one.

The short version

  • A Claude Guest Pass gives you 7 days of Claude Pro free — including Claude Code, Cowork, and Design — and is meant for people new to a paid Claude plan
  • You must add a payment method to start, and it auto-converts to a paid Claude Pro plan after 7 days unless you cancel first
  • I'm giving away 3 passes here: send your email and what you'd use Claude for, and if a pass is still available you'll get an invitation link

Table of Contents

What Is a Claude Guest Pass?

A Claude Guest Pass is a referral benefit available to some Claude Pro and Max subscribers.

It allows someone who is new to Claude's paid subscriptions to use Claude Pro free for seven days.

According to Anthropic, the trial includes access to:

  • Claude Pro
  • Claude Code
  • Claude Cowork
  • Claude Design

For developers in particular, Claude Code is probably one of the most interesting things to try during the free week.

Claude Code is different from simply asking Claude to generate a code snippet in a chat. It can work directly with files in a project, understand an existing codebase, edit multiple files, and help carry out development tasks across a real project.

I personally use Claude Code quite a lot for website development and building tools.

Can You Use a Guest Pass If You Already Use Claude Free?

Possibly, yes.

The Guest Pass is intended for people who are new to Claude paid subscriptions.

So if you have used the free version of Claude before but have never subscribed to Claude Pro or another paid Claude plan, you may still be eligible.

If you have previously subscribed to Claude Pro, you may not qualify.

The final eligibility check is handled by Claude when you open the invitation link.

If you are wondering whether the free version of Claude is enough for you in the first place, I have also written about that in Is Claude's Free Plan Enough? How to Judge When It's Time to Pay.

You Need to Add a Payment Method

The Guest Pass gives you seven days of Claude Pro for free, but it is not a completely card-free trial.

You need to enter a valid payment method when you activate the Guest Pass.

You will not be charged for Claude Pro during the free trial, but if you do nothing, the subscription will automatically continue as a paid Claude Pro plan after the seven days are over.

In other words, Claude does not wait until the end of the trial and then ask whether you would like to subscribe.

If you only want to use the free week, make sure you cancel before the trial ends.

How to Request a Claude Pro Guest Pass

I currently have three Claude Pro Guest Passes available.

If you would like one, please use the form below. I only ask for two things:

  • Your email address
  • What you would like to use Claude for

Please write your intended use in Japanese. This Guest Pass offer is intended for users who can communicate in Japanese.

A short answer such as "Claude Codeをプログラミングで試したい" or "仕事の資料作成に使ってみたい" is perfectly fine.

If I still have a Guest Pass available, I will send the invitation link to the email address you provide.

This Guest Pass offer is intended for users who can communicate in Japanese. Please write your intended use in Japanese.
The information you submit is used only to send the Guest Pass and for communication related to the invitation. It is not shared with third parties. See the Privacy Policy for details.
Guest Passes are limited and may already be gone by the time you apply.

What Is Claude?

Claude is a generative AI developed by Anthropic.

Like ChatGPT and Gemini, it can answer questions, write and edit text, summarize documents, translate content, analyze information, and help with programming.

I use ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for different purposes rather than relying on just one of them.

Recently, Claude has become especially useful to me because of Claude Code.

For my own projects, I use Claude Code to modify websites, build tools, fix bugs, and work with existing codebases. Instead of copying one file at a time into a chatbot, Claude Code can work with the project itself and make changes across multiple files.

For ordinary chat use, the free version of Claude may already be enough for many people. But if you want to use Claude more heavily or try Claude Code, Pro becomes much more interesting.

I also ran a separate test where I gave ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini the same 500 questions to compare their free tiers: ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini Free Plans: What 500 Questions Revealed About Limits, Differences, and Which One to Choose.

If you are still deciding which AI to use, that comparison may be useful.

How Does Claude Compare with ChatGPT and Gemini?

Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini overlap in many areas, so there is no single answer to which one is "best."

I use all three depending on the task.

ChatGPT is useful for a wide range of everyday tasks, including writing and image generation. Gemini can be particularly convenient if you already use Google services and Google Workspace.

Claude, for me, is strongest as part of my development workflow because of Claude Code.

For example, I can ask it to:

"Add this feature to the existing website."

"Find the cause of this error and fix it."

"Change this part without breaking the current design."

Because Claude Code can work with the actual project files, it is much more practical for this kind of work than copying code back and forth through a normal chat window.

That does not mean Claude is always better.

I sometimes use another AI to review code written by Claude Code, and I may use ChatGPT or Gemini for research or other tasks.

Instead of trying to decide which AI is universally better, I think it is more useful to give them the same real-world task and see which one works best for you.

A seven-day Claude Pro Guest Pass is a convenient way to do exactly that.

If you would also like to try Gemini, I'm giving away 4-month free invitations to Google AI Pro on this blog as well — worth taking both if you want to compare Claude and Gemini properly.

If You Try One Thing During the Free Week, Try Claude Code

If you do any programming, I recommend spending at least some of the seven-day trial with Claude Code.

You do not need to start by asking it to build an entirely new application.

In fact, one of the best ways to understand what Claude Code can do is to let it work on an existing project.

Ask it to fix something, add a small feature, refactor part of the code, or investigate a bug. That gives you a much better feel for how it works than simply asking for isolated code snippets.

I also use Claude Code remotely from my phone.

I originally experimented with running a Claude Code environment directly on a smartphone, but I now use Remote Control to operate Claude Code running on my PC from my phone. I wrote about that setup in Claude Code Remote Control: Using Your PC Dev Environment from a Smartphone.

This is especially useful when I want to check progress or give Claude Code another instruction while I am away from my desk.

Keep an Eye on Claude Code Usage

Claude Code is very useful, but once you start using it seriously, usage limits can become something you need to think about.

Long sessions, repeatedly loading large files, or keeping unnecessary context can use more of your allowance than expected.

I wrote about some of the ways I manage that in Cutting Claude Code's Token Usage in Half: Practical Cost-Management Techniques.

If you enjoy Claude Code during the seven-day Guest Pass and decide to keep using it afterward, those techniques may help you get more out of your subscription.

Questions About Claude or Claude Code?

Even if the Guest Passes are no longer available, you are welcome to send me questions about Claude or Claude Code through the form.

For example:

"I'm trying Claude Code, but I'm not sure how to use it effectively."
"Can Claude handle this kind of task?"
"Should I use Claude or ChatGPT for what I'm trying to do?"

If it is something I have experience with, I'll do my best to answer based on how I actually use these tools.