QCode for Users Outside Mainland China

Signing up, paying in USD, choosing the right access domain and switching the documentation language for developers outside mainland China

Updated 2026-11-07

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On This Page

1. Create an account
2. Top up in USD
3. Choose a plan and copy your key
4. Pick the right access domain
5. Install the tools
6. Read the docs in your language
7. Support across time zones
Good to know
Related Pages

Everything on QCode.cc works the same for you, with three things decided differently: which currency you top up in, which access domain you point your tool at, and which documentation language you read. This page walks through all three and links to the detail pages.

1. Create an account¶

Use Sign Up in the top-right corner of qcode.cc and register with your email address. You land on the console, whose subtitle is "Manage your API keys, top-up and usage" — see Dashboard Guide.

2. Top up in USD¶

The top-up page has a currency tab per balance: "CNY and USD balances are separate. Recharge amount will be added to the corresponding currency balance." Outside mainland China you normally use the USD tab, where the page currently offers:

Credit / Debit Card — "No fee", opened in a new window.
Apple Pay / Google Pay — the wallet option on the same international checkout.
Cryptocurrency — "0% platform fee · ~1d manual reconcile": an on-chain transfer verified by hand, so plan for a short wait.

Limits printed on the USD tab: "Minimum $5" / "Maximum $2,000". Russian payment rails (SBP, Russian bank card) appear only in the Russian interface, and they credit a USD balance while you pay in rubles. The full comparison, including Alipay and WeChat Pay for CNY, is in Payment Methods Overview; crypto specifics are in Crypto Payment Guide.

3. Choose a plan and copy your key¶

Plans are bought from the console with your balance — Buy a Plan opens the subscribe page with Recommended Plans and Custom Configuration tabs. On success the page says "Subscription Activated — Your API Key is created and ready to use". Keys start with cr_ (see FAQ), and one key serves all three protocols.

For individual use there are two options, the personal plan and Pay-as-you-go Packs; see How to Choose a Plan. Whichever you buy, the key is used the same way.

4. Pick the right access domain¶

All three domains carry the same account and the same key; they differ only in routing (Endpoints & API Paths is the authority here):

Domain	Target users	When to use it
`api.qcode.cc`	Global (Route 53 latency-based)	Default outside mainland China — it picks the nearest node
`us.qcode.cc`	North America / Europe (Backup)	If the global address misbehaves for you
`asia.qcode.cc`	Asia (Backup)	If you are in Asia and the global address misbehaves

In the console, the API Access Address block highlights https://api.qcode.cc as recommended in any non-Chinese interface, and lists the other two as Backup rows. Fill it in per tool, ending at the protocol prefix and without a trailing slash:

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.qcode.cc/api"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="cr_your_key"
claude

/api is the Anthropic leg (Claude Code), /openai is the Codex leg and /gemini is the Google leg — the whole per-tool table is in Environment Variables.

5. Install the tools¶

The console's One-Click Setup (Recommended) block writes the interface language for you: in a non-Chinese interface the command it shows carries --lang en, while the Chinese interface prints the command with no language flag at all. The plain form is:

curl -fsSL https://qcode.cc/install/claude-code.sh | bash -s -- --lang en
curl -fsSL https://qcode.cc/install/codex.sh | bash -s -- --lang en

The script picks the fastest endpoint with a latency test, asks for your cr_ key (input is not echoed), installs Node.js and the CLI if needed, and sends a test request. Windows uses the irm … | iex form. Details and rollback: One-Click Setup Script, then Quick Start or Codex Quick Start.

To run your tools on a machine that keeps running, see Cloud Servers: Picking, Buying and Using.

6. Read the docs in your language¶

The documentation site has a language menu in its header — the 🌐 button next to the search box lists the languages the docs are published in. Picking one stores the choice (a cookie shared with qcode.cc itself) and reloads the page under that language's address. Every page is also directly addressable per language, which makes links shareable:

https://docs.qcode.cc/docs/<category>/<slug>            no prefix: your browser language decides, Chinese is the fallback
https://docs.qcode.cc/en/docs/<category>/<slug>         English
https://docs.qcode.cc/<lang>/docs/<category>/<slug>     any other published language

If a page you need is not yet in your language, read the English version and keep the same URL tail. To make the tools answer in your language rather than English, see Language Settings.

7. Support across time zones¶

Support is online in UTC+8 business hours — "Weekdays 10:00 - 21:00 (UTC+8) online response", with off-hours messages "checked intermittently, replies may be delayed". The console's Contact Us button in the bottom-right corner reaches Telegram and email; email hi@qcode.cc works at any hour and is the channel for upgrades and stalled payments. Live endpoint measurements are public at probe.qcode.cc.

Good to know¶

Your Claude / ChatGPT subscription is not used and not consumed. QCode runs on its own plans — see Subscriptions vs API Keys vs QCode Keys.
Refunds: sold quota is not refundable, with the narrow exceptions listed in FAQ; unused value from an upgrade is credited back to your balance. The remaining quota of a Pay-as-you-go Pack is void after expiry and is not refunded.
Corporate procurement: a company outside China that needs a contract and corporate bank transfer goes through Team Edition Guide.
Prices are per token, synced to qcode.cc/models: Billing Description.