Anthropic announced on October 30, 2026, that verified Claude Ultra accounts no longer face the rolling five-hour usage cap. The rollout began with most existing subscribers, while accounts still awaiting verification keep a temporary cap. Ultra’s weekly allowance remains unchanged.
Who loses the five-hour cap?
The change applies to verified Ultra accounts. Anthropic said the rollout began with most existing subscribers; newer or not-yet-verified accounts retain a temporary five-hour limit. The company also renamed Max 20x to Ultra and Max 5x to Max, without changing their stated monthly prices. On Anthropic’s US web pricing page, Ultra is $200 per month before applicable tax; mobile-app prices may vary. (Anthropic’s announcement; US pricing)
How to check whether your account is verified
Open Settings > Usage in Claude. Anthropic says that if the “Current session” bar is absent, the account is verified and the five-hour limit has been removed. Verification happens automatically and takes factors such as account and payment history into account. Verifying a phone number at checkout is separate and does not remove the temporary cap. (Anthropic Help Center)
The weekly allowance still applies
Ultra remains listed at 10 times Pro’s usage per week. Removing the session cap changes when verified subscribers can use that allowance, not its weekly size. Claude activity on the web, desktop, mobile, and Claude Code draws from the same usage pool, so Code does not have a separate allowance. (Anthropic pricing)
The separate Max plan remains listed at 5 times Pro’s usage every five hours and per week. Anthropic also reserves the right to apply other weekly or monthly caps, along with model- or feature-specific limits. (Anthropic pricing; Anthropic Help Center)
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