You know those coding horror stories people don’t warn you about? Here’s mine—navigating AI coding tools felt like stumbling through a haunted house blindfolded.
Cursor AI: Card declined, usage blocked, no mercy
- I tried Cursor and was greeted with the dreaded “You’ve hit your usage limit”—fine, I get it. But when I tried upgrading to Pro… “Your card has been declined.” Only Alipay and Cash App Pay were available; if you’re not in the U.S., good luck.
- Community forums are full of complaints about this. One user from Italy shared, “Trying to buy a monthly pro, but it will decline my card for no reason…” even though the card works elsewhere.
- Issues persist worldwide. A user in the Philippines lamented, “Been paying for 6 months … suddenly all payment methods not working for me here.”
- Others report that their card issuer has blacklisted Cursor due to “fraud detection”—completely blocking access.
- Even Alipay is unreliable for some users: multiple deductions reported without Pro access or refunds issued.
- One shared frustration: “The payment still would not go through. My card works perfectly everywhere else, just not here.”
Warning: Cursor’s payment system can be a minefield. If you’re outside the U.S., or sometimes even inside it, be prepared for decline messages, slow refunds, and limited payment options.
Claude Code: Phone-number maze and temp-roadblocks
- Claude Code forces phone verification—but many hit a roadblock named “phone_number_temp_blocked.” Users report being blocked mid-onboarding despite multiple attempts.
- Some get through by logging off and trying again later or using a different device—pure luck.
- Workarounds include using virtual phone numbers or signing up via Google instead of SMS—but these are band-aids, not official fixes.
Warning: Claude’s phone system can lead straight to frustration. You may never see that verification code—be ready with alternatives if your region isn’t supported.
GitHub Copilot: Quota nightmare—even with paid plans
- I hit a wall: “You have exceeded your premium request allowance…” even on a paid account.
- Copilot Pro+ gives a limited number of premium-model requests per billing cycle. Use them up and you’re downgraded to a lower model.
- Some users reported the limit triggering immediately after purchase—or before using it at all. Students on educational plans reported similar surprises.
- Quotas often track billing cycles (not calendar months), which adds confusion.
- Premium-model multipliers can annihilate your budget fast (e.g., some premium models consume many “request units” per call).
- People report being blocked after only a handful of calls and then having to wait weeks for resolution.
Warning: Even if you’re paying, hidden quota mechanics can interrupt a project mid-work.
Windsurf
I keep seeing this error:
Resource exhausted: Encountered retryable error from model provider: Global rate limit reached for this model due to high demand. Your request was not processed and your credits have been refunded. Please upgrade to a pro account for priority access or try again in a few minutes.: Rate limit error
Anthropic
This request would exceed the rate limit for your organization.
TL;DR – Friendly Warnings for the Unprepared
| Tool | Common Pitfall | Real-World Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Cursor AI | Payment failures, limited options, poor refund support | Global users stuck with declined cards |
| Claude Code | Razor-tight phone verification, vague blocks | Onboarding blocked by phone verification issues |
| GitHub Copilot | Hidden quota limits—even paid can’t use premium models | Quotas triggered unexpectedly; students affected |
My Advice to Future Users
- Cursor: Have backup payment methods (virtual cards, international-friendly) ready. Test payments before committing.
- Claude: Try Google sign-in or a virtual number as a fallback; test onboarding early.
- Copilot: Track usage closely from day one, and budget for premium-model consumption.
The Escape Hatch: No More Limits, No More Payment Nightmares
After trying (and failing) to make all these tools behave, I found a simple, reliable alternative that fixed the problems for me:
- Install Roo in Visual Studio Code (search for Roo in the VS Code Marketplace or install it here).
- Sign up for a free account at OpenRouter.
- Generate an API key in your OpenRouter dashboard.
- Open Roo in VS Code and enter your OpenRouter API key in Roo’s settings.
That’s it—no declined payments, no SMS gatekeeping, no hidden quota cliffs. Roo + OpenRouter gave me smooth, uninterrupted AI-assisted coding.
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