Star Citizen Gifting Changes: What to Know Before October 30
RSI is changing how Star Citizen pledges are gifted on October 30, 2026. Here is what the new system means for your purchases from The Impound, expected delivery times, and anyone considering selling their account.
QUICK INFO
- October 30: Gifting changes come in effect, full info below
- Grandfathered Pledges: Existing giftable pledges keep their current gifting functionality.
- Buying from The Impound? Delivery delays are likely on October 30th
- Selling your account? Use the next two days to prepare eligible credits with our Giftable Credit Planner. We expect accounts with substantial ungiftable credit to lose resale value.
RSI is changing how Star Citizen pledges are gifted on October 30, 2026. Here is what the new system means for your purchases from The Impound, expected delivery times, and anyone considering selling their account.
Two days left to prepare under the current system
If you plan to sell your account, review how much of your credit can be made giftable before the October 30 rollout. Use our Giftable Credit Planner to work out your next steps. RSI's FAQ does not give an exact switch-over time, so do not leave preparation until October 30.
What is changing?
For purchases made after the rollout, gifting becomes a choice you make at checkout. You will no longer be able to buy a new pledge for your own hangar and decide to gift it later.
- Choose a gift at checkout. Only items showing the “Buying as a gift?” option are eligible.
- New gift orders cannot use store credit. They must be paid for with fresh money.
- The gift goes straight to the recipient by email. It contains a redemption code or link. The pledge does not enter the buyer's hangar first, and delivery cannot be scheduled for later.
- The recipient needs an RSI account with a confirmed email. Unclaimed new gifts are automatically refunded to the buyer after 30 days.
- Existing hangar gifts and gift codes are grandfathered in. They keep working under the existing system.
Read the official RSI gifting FAQ for the full details. RSI's original announcement also confirms that recipients can still upgrade their gifted ships after receiving them.
What this means for your delivery
We expect some deliveries to take longer than usual once RSI completes the change. Our team will need to adapt fulfillment to the updated gifting process, and delays are likely during the transition.
Please allow extra time for orders around the rollout. We do not yet have a reliable estimate of how long any delays will last. If you need an item by a particular date or have a question about an existing order, contact The Impound team for guidance.
Planning to sell your account? Prepare your credits now
Under the current rules, eligible ships bought with fresh money can remain giftable when upgraded using store credit. This is what we mean by “making credits giftable”: putting credit into an eligible ship that can be transferred, rather than sending a credit balance directly. RSI explains how upgrades affect eligibility in its existing gifting rules.
Once the new system launches, you will no longer be able to start this process with a newly purchased base ship: a new gift bypasses your hangar, so you cannot upgrade it there with your store credit before sending it.
With only two days left, we recommend reviewing and completing any eligible credit-conversion plan before the rollout. Existing giftable pledges are grandfathered in, but the new FAQ does not explicitly address later upgrades to those pledges. Do not assume that every option available today will remain available afterward.
Why your account's resale value could drop
We expect a significant drop in the resale value of accounts holding substantial ungiftable credit. The ability to transfer value out through giftable ships matters to buyers. Losing the option to create new giftable base ships makes that credit less flexible and may reduce what buyers are willing to pay.
This is The Impound's market expectation, not a valuation announced by RSI. The impact will depend on your account's contents and how much is already giftable. A lower resale offer does not mean your displayed RSI store-credit balance has been reduced.
Work out your plan before the change
Our Giftable Credit Planner uses your hangar exports and unused store-credit balance to suggest purchases, melts, and upgrades, including the fresh money needed.
- Import your hangar CSV exports and enter your current unused credit balance.
- Review the suggested plan, costs, and items you want to preserve.
- Confirm each pledge's gifting and exchange eligibility, plus upgrade availability, on RSI before following the plan.
The planner processes your files in your browser. It does not need your RSI login and does not make purchases, melt items, or send gifts for you.
Thank you for your patience while we adjust to RSI's new gifting system.