Star Citizen Referral Codes Explained
Someone gave you a Star Citizen referral code and you want to know whether it is real, what it gives you, and whether the specific code matters. Every valid code pays the same 50,000 UEC — the code only decides who gets referrer credit.
TL;DR: If you searched a specific code — they look like STAR-XXXX-XXXX — the short answer is that it does not matter which valid code you use. Every referral code gives the same 50,000 UEC to a brand new RSI account. The code does not change your reward. It only decides which player gets credited as your referrer.
What every valid code gives you: 50,000 UEC (United Earth Credits) on a new account.
What changes between codes: only who is credited as the referrer.
Ours, if you need one: STAR-GCQJ-N6NC — or use the prefilled signup link.
What a referral code actually is
A referral code is a short identifier in the format STAR-XXXX-XXXX. It belongs to an existing Star Citizen account. You enter it in the Referral Code field when you create your own account at Roberts Space Industries, the game's official site.
Codes are shared openly — by friends, streamers, forum posts, and fan sites like this one. A code you found from a stranger is not fake or unsafe simply because you do not know the person. It credits them instead of someone else, and that is the whole of the difference.
What you get
A new account created with a referral code receives a 50,000 UEC enlistment bonus. UEC stands for United Earth Credits, the game's persistent currency. Source: RSI Referral Program.
You do not have to buy anything to receive it. Creating the free account with a code applied is enough, and the credit stays on the account permanently. If you would rather try the game before spending money, you can play for free during a Free Fly event, which Cloud Imperium runs several times a year.
Watch out for older guides quoting 5,000 UEC. That figure is out of date. The current bonus is 50,000 UEC. Some pages also write it as "aUEC" — also wrong. The enlistment bonus is denominated in UEC, not the in-game aUEC balance.
Does it matter which code you use?
For you, no. There is no tiered system where some codes pay more. There is no code that unlocks a ship, a discount, or a larger credit balance. Every valid code produces the identical 50,000 UEC result.
This is worth stating plainly because a lot of pages imply otherwise. If a site claims its code is worth more than another, that claim is not accurate.
What the person who gave you the code gets
The referrer earns a Recruitment Point, but only after you spend at least 40 US dollars on a game package. Recruitment Points accumulate toward milestone rewards on their account. Source: RSI Referral Program FAQ.
Two things follow from that. Their reward is not taken out of yours — your 50,000 UEC is unaffected either way. And if you never buy a package, you still keep your bonus and they simply earn nothing.
When you have to enter it
Enter the code at signup, in the Referral Code field on the account creation form. If you miss it, you have roughly 24 hours to add it in your account settings. After that window closes it cannot be applied.
The safest approach is a prefilled signup link, which fills the field for you so there is nothing to forget or mistype.
Referral codes are not promo codes
These are two separate systems and they use different fields. A referral code goes in at account creation. A promotional code is applied afterwards, under RSI Account → Settings → Apply a Promotional Code, and is usually tied to an event.
If you are looking for the second kind, see our Star Citizen redeem codes guide.
Common questions
Related guides
- Sign up with a prefilled referral code — the field is completed for you.
- Star Citizen redeem codes — the separate promotional-code system.
- Your first days in Star Citizen — what to spend the 50,000 UEC on.
New to Star Citizen? DayOneCitizen.com has a complete first-30-days guide written for brand new players.