A pledge is your way of showing support towards the development of RSI projects including Star Citizen and Squadron 42. You can back the game through a variety of pledge options. RSI operates entirely using player and supporter contributions!
Pledge options include:
- Game Packages of a ship, game install, and other assets
- Standalone Ships
- Ship Upgrades to enhance ships currently owned as standalone or in a game package
- Subscriptions
- and more...
When a pledge is made for any item on the store, the money is contributed towards the development of the game. In return for helping fund RSI’s operations, you receive the items listed within the pledge.
What do I need to play Star Citizen today?
I see there is insurance, starting money and other assets in my pledge - what are these?
What is the difference between Warbond and other pledges?
What are “Upgrades” and “Cross Chassis Upgrades” and how do they work?
If I apply an upgrade to a ship that contains LTI, will it carry over to the upgraded ship?
How do I reclaim an item for store credit?
How do I unmelt or buy back a pledge?
Should I store CCU’s and pledges in the Buy-Back Queue?
Can the price of an item in the Buy Back Queue change?
Can I Buy Back anything I melt? What pledges are ineligible for the Buy Back tool?
What do I need to play Star Citizen today?
To play Star Citizen, you need a Game Package and a computer that meets the requirements. These packages all contain a digital download of Star Citizen, a ship, and other assets and items. All game packages can be found in the store.
All requirements are displayed on the Download page.
I see there is insurance, starting money and other assets in my pledge - what are these?
Items such as insurance and starting credits will be attributed to your account and assets to provide options during alpha. Final starting options will be attributed when the game has finished development and is made live, to help you begin your journey. These assets vary depending on the level of package or ship you have pledged for.
These assets include the following:
- Insurance - coverage for your ships, modifications, and cargo. The duration of the included insurance will not begin until the game launches.
- UEC credits - in-game currency to be applied to your account when the game goes fully live.
- Ship - in-game asset to fly in the various modes supported in the game. You can upgrade the ship by purchasing upgrades.
- Star Citizen game manual - PDF or printed manual depending on your pledge. This guide will not be available until the game is closure to complete and released. Draft versions of the PDF may be available through alpha, beta, and final release.
- Flair - digital assets provided in-game to display in your hangar.
What is the difference between Warbond and other pledges?
Warbond pledges are available at a discount as they are available for cash only. You can use store credit and cash to make pledges without the Warbond name in the title. General pledges can be picked up using credits and discount coupons. You can see more about store credit in the guide Using Store Credit.
As Warbonds are already discounted pledges, coupons are ineligible to be used towards these. Warbond pledges can be bought back with Store Credit a few weeks after a sale with the Warbond item is over.
Where is my starting money?
UEC and other items that are part of pledge packages are not attributed until the game has gone live. These items are to help you get off your space boots when you journey into the black in Star Citizen for the first time.
Any bonuses you receive prior to release are available for you to enjoy without using the future UEC to be awarded!
What are “Upgrades” and “Cross Chassis Upgrades” and how do they work?
The following information walks through the differences between upgrades and cross chassis upgrades:
- Upgrades change the model of ship to another variant of the same type. For example, you can pledge for an upgrade to change the model of 300i to the 315p.
- Cross Chassis Upgrades (CCU) change your ship to another type completely. For example. you can pledge for a cross chassis upgrade of 300i to M50. Cross Chassis upgrades are only released once both the ship you are upgrading to and from are flyable in Arena Commander and the ship you are upgrading to must be priced higher.
- Ship Upgrades and Cross Chassis Upgrades can be used together and can be used on multi-ship packages.
You can review upgrade options through the Ship Upgrades page.
If I apply an upgrade to a ship that contains LTI, will it carry over to the upgraded ship?
Yes. As long as the ship has or is in a package that includes Lifetime Insurance (LTI), when the ship is upgraded, it keeps the LTI. This is true for both ship upgrades and cross chassis upgrades.
How do I reclaim an item for store credit?
When a pledge is reclaimed, you receive the USD value of what you paid on the pledge. Be warned - Reclaiming is intended to be permanent and support staff will not assist with reversing the process. Additionally, certain pledges cannot be bought back. Be careful when making selections and thoroughly consider reclaiming any of the following pledges:
- Limited run and limited stock pledges
- AMD package
- Discounted combo packs
- Pledges which include physical items
During the Reclaim process, you will be given a warning that the process is permanent and other details.
Ready to reclaim? Here's how!
- Visit our site and login to Account.
- Click My Hangar.
- Find the pledge you want to exchange.
- Click the arrow on the bottom right corner of the pledge to show more options. Click Exchange for Store Credits.
- You will be prompted to enter your password. Enter the password and click Reclaim.
- The pledge is melted, applying the value to your account as Store Credit.
- The pledge is moved to your Buy Back Queue and all upgrades are stripped.
If a discounted pledge is reclaimed through this process, only the discounted value of the pledge will be given to your RSI account for use on another purchase.
How do I unmelt or buy back a pledge?
You can reacquire your melted or reclaimed pledges through the Pledge Buy Back tool.
Be advised, not all melted pledges and items can be restored and reacquired through this process!
Important! Discount codes don't work with the Buy Back tool!
Should I store CCU’s and pledges in the Buy-Back Queue?
While you can store Cross Chassis Upgrades and pledges melted in the buy back queue, we highly advise against it. Anything you own remains as-is in your hangar and account. Anything that has been melted and reclaimed no longer consider to be “owned” and thus is subject to change.
Can the price of an item in the Buy Back Queue change?
As mentioned several times before, when a pledge is reclaimed it is intended to be permanent. The Buy Back system allows you to reacquire a pledge you regret reclaiming. However, the price of a given pledge could change and the buy back price may differ from the original pledge amount. All buy back pledges will be presented with the latest price points, not the price paid when it was first acquired or reclaimed.
This is especially the case for CCU items. A change in the price of the target ship model will cause the buy back price of a CCU to change.
Can I Buy Back Anything I Melt? What pledges are ineligible for the Buy Back tool?
If you reclaim a rare pledge, you may not be able to reacquire it if it was a limited run, limited in stock, or has physical items associated with it. An example of pledges that are ineligible for this tool are the AMD package, discounted combo packs, and pledges with physical merchandise attached to them. Once these pledges have been reclaimed, they will be permanently unavailable.
Additionally, pledges can only be bought back using store credit if your RSI account currently has a buy back token available. Buy back pledges using cash are otherwise unrestricted if the pledge is eligible for buy back in the first place.
What are Buy Back Tokens?
You receive 1 token every 90 days. These tokens allow one pledge to be unmelted using store credits, typically once every quarter. For example:
- January 1 - Q1
- April 2 - Q2
- July 2 - Q3
- October 1 - Q4
Tokens are rewarded on the first business day on/after the listed date, with some leeway given due to unforeseen circumstances
They will only work on a single pledge and cannot stack.