Pledge vs purchase — what’s the difference?

Star Citizen launched as a Kickstarter campaign in 2012. Chris Roberts and a small team at Cloud Imperium GamesCIGCloud Imperium Games — the studio building Star Citizen and Squadron 42. Founded by Chris Roberts in 2012. asked the community to fund development of a space simulation game that no traditional publisher would back. Backers pledged money to make the game exist — in exchange, they received early access and in-game ships as rewards.

The crowdfunding model never stopped. Rather than move to a traditional retail release, CIGCIGCloud Imperium Games — the studio building Star Citizen and Squadron 42. Founded by Chris Roberts in 2012. continued selling early access through their own store. The word pledgePledgeWhat backers call buying a ship or game package. Star Citizen is crowdfunded, so you 'pledge' rather than 'purchase.' stuck in the community because it accurately describes the original transaction: you are financially supporting ongoing development, not buying a finished product.

Functionally, pledging works exactly like buying: money leaves your card, a ship and access arrive in your account. But the framing matters — you are a backerBackerAnyone who has pledged for Star Citizen. The community's preferred term over 'customer' or 'player' because the game is crowdfunded., funding development, not a customer receiving a completed game.

When you pledge for a game package, you receive:

• Access to the Star Citizen alpha — permanent. You can log into the Persistent UniversePUPersistent Universe — the live, always-online Star Citizen world where most players spend their time. Your characters, ships, and credits live here. for as long as the game exists.
• Your ship(s) — stored in your virtual hangarHangarYour personal in-game space at a station where your ships are stored. You can walk around, customize, and spawn ships to fly out from here.. You can view them in the RSI account management page (VMA — Vehicle Manager) before you even log in. These ships are never wiped, even when CIGCIGCloud Imperium Games — the studio building Star Citizen and Squadron 42. Founded by Chris Roberts in 2012. performs a full character wipeWipeWhen CIG resets player progress — credits, aUEC, owned items — usually with a major patch. Pledged ships and UEC stay; everything earned in-game resets..

What you do not own in the traditional sense: Star Citizen is a service. Like all online games, CIGCIGCloud Imperium Games — the studio building Star Citizen and Squadron 42. Founded by Chris Roberts in 2012. retains the right to change, balance, and update ships over time. Your ship will fly and function — but CIGCIGCloud Imperium Games — the studio building Star Citizen and Squadron 42. Founded by Chris Roberts in 2012. can adjust its stats as the game develops.

Every ship comes with insurance. Insurance determines what happens if your ship is destroyed in-game and you cannot afford the salvage claim to recover it.

There are two tiers relevant to new players:

• Standard insurance — the default on most game packages. If your ship is destroyed and you cannot pay the aUECaUECAlpha UEC — the test-server currency used during Star Citizen alpha. It usually wipes when CIG resets the player database between major patches. recovery claim, you can wait out the insurance timer (hours to days depending on ship size) and have the ship returned without paying. Standard insurance covers the hull. Cargo is not covered.
• Lifetime Insurance (LTI)LTILifetime Insurance — a perk attached to certain ship pledges. It means if you lose the ship in-game, you can re-claim it indefinitely without paying an insurance premium. — some ships from the pledge store come with LTI rather than a standard timer. LTI means the insurance never expires. For a starter ship, the practical difference is minimal — insurance timers on small ships are short. LTI matters more on expensive capital ships where insurance premiums are higher.

In the current alpha, the full insurance claim system is not yet completely implemented. For now, any destroyed ship is recovered through the ASOP terminal with a waiting period. The full financial consequences of ship loss are a planned feature.

If you change your mind about a ship or package, you can meltMeltTo return a pledge for store credit. Unlike a real refund, melting is instant and the credit only spends inside the RSI store. Reversible via Buyback. it back into store creditStore CreditReal-money credit on your RSI account, earned by melting pledges. Spendable on any pledge in the store, refunds back to your account, never expires.. Melting returns the value of the pledge as RSI store credit — it does not convert back to real money.

Store credit can be spent on anything else in the RSI store: other ships, game packages, ship upgrades, paint liveries, and accessories. It never expires.

Some veteran players accumulate store credit through melting older ships when new, more attractive options are released. This is called the “melt and rebuy” cycle and is a normal part of how the community engages with the pledge store.

Note: once you start using a ship in-game (applying aUECaUECAlpha UEC — the test-server currency used during Star Citizen alpha. It usually wipes when CIG resets the player database between major patches. modifications, storing components), the melt process becomes slightly more involved. For day-one decisions, treat the choice of starter ship as low-stakes — the entry price is small enough that you can simply buy a different ship later if you want to change direction.

The RSIRSIRoberts Space Industries — both the in-fiction ship manufacturer and CIG's publishing label. The website you pledge through is rsi.com. store sells some ships that are not yet in the game — these are called concept ships. A concept sale funds development of a new ship design.

When you buy a concept ship, you receive a loaner shipLoaner ShipA temporary ship CIG provides when your pledged ship isn't yet flyable in the live game, or during Free Fly events. Loaners give everyone something to fly without an additional purchase. of a similar role to fly in the meantime. When the concept ship becomes flight ready (fully implemented in game), it replaces the loaner automatically in your hangarHangarYour personal in-game space at a station where your ships are stored. You can walk around, customize, and spawn ships to fly out from here..

For a new player, stick to flight-ready ships in your starter package. Concept ships are for experienced players who want to fund something they believe in and can wait months or years for delivery.