Note · money questions
Tesla gift cards and Tesla credits: what each can pay for, and whether a car is one
Short answer
A Tesla gift card cannot pay for a new car: Tesla's Shop terms say gift cards "cannot be used toward the purchase or lease of a new Tesla". Referral credits are different. In the US, Canadian, Australian, Philippine, UK and Irish terms, Tesla credits from referrals can go toward a new vehicle purchase; in other countries the list leaves cars out. Neither is a discount code, and both appear in the app under the same name, "Tesla Credits".
Referral offer · United States
3 months of FSD free
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Open at Tesla (new tab)
Referral link: Tesla applies the benefit when you order through it; we may earn Tesla credits.
Two things with one name
Open the Wallet in the Tesla app and you may see a card called "Tesla Credits". Tesla uses that one card for two different kinds of balance. Its Shop support page says a gift card balance shows as "a card named 'Tesla Credits'", and its Refer and Earn page says referral benefits are "added as Tesla Credits" too. The rules behind them are not the same, which is why people end up asking whether the balance will cover a deposit or a car. The answer depends on where the money came from.
What a Tesla gift card is
Everything in this section comes from Tesla's US support page "Tesla Shop – Payment, Checkout and Pricing", as archived on April 18, 2026.
| Question | What Tesla's page says |
|---|---|
| Where to buy | Only through the U.S. Tesla Shop; you need a Tesla Account |
| Format | Digital only; "Physical gift cards are not currently available" |
| Limits | Up to four gift cards per order, each up to $500, no more than $2,000 per order |
| Where it works | Only in the US; "cannot be redeemed in Canada, Mexico, Europe or Asia" |
| What it pays for | Tesla Shop, Supercharging, software upgrades, service payments and subscriptions |
| A new car? | "Tesla gift cards cannot be used toward the purchase or lease of a new Tesla." |
| Expiry and fees | "Tesla gift cards do not expire. There are no additional fees" |
| Resale and refunds | Final sale; cannot be returned, resold, canceled or used to buy other gift cards; not exchangeable for cash unless the law requires it |
Tesla also sells a one-month FSD (Supervised) gift card. Its own support page (archived April 13, 2026) says the recipient must own a Tesla, be eligible to subscribe to FSD (Supervised) and not have bought it outright. Anyone who does not qualify can keep the card in the Tesla Wallet and spend it on anything else that accepts Tesla gift cards. If you receive one before your car arrives, Tesla's advice is to wait until delivery and then redeem it. Once redeemed, the month cannot be paused, canceled or transferred.
What Tesla credits from referrals are
Referral credits come from Tesla's Refer and Earn program, not from a purchase. They are what owners receive when someone orders through their link, and in some countries what a buyer receives as their benefit. Tesla does not publish the amount an owner earns. What it does publish is what the credits can pay for, and that list differs by country:
| Country | New vehicle purchase listed? | Archived |
|---|---|---|
| US United States | Yes | June 15, 2026 |
| CA Canada | Yes | June 15, 2026 |
| AU Australia | Yes | May 20, 2026 |
| PH Philippines | Yes | May 13, 2026 |
| GB United Kingdom | Yes in the FAQ; not in the terms' own list | June 12, 2026 |
| IE Ireland | Yes in the FAQ; not in the terms' own list | May 15, 2026 |
| NZ New Zealand | No (Supercharging, subscriptions, service, Shop, upgrades) | May 13, 2026 |
| SG Singapore | No (Supercharging, service, Shop, upgrades) | May 18, 2026 |
| HK Hong Kong | No (Supercharging, service, Shop) | June 14, 2026 |
| MO Macau | No (Supercharging, service, Shop) | May 15, 2026 |
| PR Puerto Rico | No (Supercharging, service, Shop) | May 14, 2026 |
| AE United Arab Emirates | No (Supercharging, service, Shop, upgrades) | May 8, 2026 |
| MY Malaysia | No (Supercharging, Shop) | May 15, 2026 |
| TH Thailand | No (Supercharging, Shop) | May 14, 2026 |
These are the 14 countries whose terms pages are in English; we have not translated the others line by line for this question, so read your own country's page if it is not here. A few more rules from the US page (Tesla's US terms, archived June 15, 2026): credits "cannot be reissued, transferred or redeemed for cash and are not valid toward the purchase of Tesla gift cards or alcohol"; they cannot pay for the Extended Service Agreement subscription; and they "expire 12 months after the Grant Date". The app shows the expiry date on the Tesla Credits card in the Wallet, and Tesla says it emails a reminder 30 days before credits expire.
A buyer's referral benefit is usually not Tesla credits at all. In the countries in the matrix, the buyer gets FSD (Supervised) months, a Supercharging distance or cash off the order, applied by Tesla. Credits are mostly the referrer's side.
Why a gift card never reaches a vehicle order
Tesla's wording is explicit, so there is no grey area: a gift card cannot be used toward buying or leasing a new Tesla. The way Tesla takes vehicle payments points the same direction. Its US page on ordering a new vehicle (archived April 19, 2026) says the order fee is a one-time, non-refundable payment "with a credit card", and lists the accepted final payments as electronic check (direct debit) in the Tesla app, wire transfer, or a certified check at delivery. A gift card balance is not on that list, and the page adds that the final payment "must come from a single account".
Referral credits, where a country allows them on a car, are selected as a payment method ("select 'Tesla Credits' as your payment method when making your payment", in the US FAQ). If you hold credits and want to use them on a new car, ask Tesla in the app before the final payment step how they will be applied, and get the answer in writing.
Expiry: the difference that costs people money
Gift cards do not expire. Referral credits do, 12 months after they are granted. Because both sit behind the same "Tesla Credits" label, it is easy to assume the whole balance is permanent. Check the expiry date shown on the card in the Wallet. In Ireland and the UK, the buyer's Supercharging credits have their own 12-month clock and their own place in the app (under Charging), separate from the Wallet.
Third-party "Tesla gift cards": the scam angle
Tesla's own terms give you three simple tests. Tesla gift cards are digital only, sold only through the US Tesla Shop, and cannot be resold. So a physical Tesla gift card, a Tesla gift card for sale at a discount on a marketplace, or anyone selling one outside the US is not selling something Tesla issues under those terms. The other direction matters as well: a person or website asking you to pay for a car, a deposit or a "delivery fee" with gift cards is not Tesla, which takes vehicle payments only by the methods listed above.
What to do with what you hold
- A Tesla gift card, no car yet: keep it in your Tesla Account. It does not expire, and it can pay for Shop items, Supercharging, upgrades, service and subscriptions once you own the car. It will not reduce the car's price.
- An FSD (Supervised) gift card, no car yet: wait for delivery, then redeem it from the email; if you do not qualify, the value stays in your Wallet.
- Referral credits: check the expiry date first, then your country's list of uses in the table above. In countries that do not list a new vehicle, Supercharging and the Shop are the usual places to spend them.
- Accessories: Tesla Shop runs its own voucher codes, separate from cars; see Tesla Shop discount codes.
- Buying a car: nothing in your Wallet replaces the referral link. Open a link for your own country before you order; it cannot be added afterwards.
Sources
- tesla.com/support/shop/payment-checkout — Tesla gift cards and gift card terms Tesla US, Tesla Shop – Payment, Checkout and Pricing (Internet Archive capture), April 18, 2026
- tesla.com/support/fsd/gift-card Tesla US, Full Self-Driving (Supervised) Gift Card (Internet Archive capture), April 13, 2026
- tesla.com/support/refer-and-earn — how Tesla credits can be used, and expiry Tesla US, Refer and Earn terms (Internet Archive capture), June 15, 2026
- tesla.com/support/ordering-new-vehicle — order fee and accepted final payments Tesla US, Ordering a Tesla Vehicle (Internet Archive capture), April 19, 2026