UEC, aUEC, REC and Store Credit: the four Star Citizen currencies, sorted out
Star Citizen has more types of money than most games and the names look almost identical. UEC, aUEC, REC, Store Credit. Each one is for a different thing, sourced a different way, and behaves differently on patch wipes. Here's how to keep them straight, and where the 50,000 UEC referral bonus actually lives.
The two that matter for new players
UEC
Never wipesUnited Earth Credits. Persistent currency tied to your RSI account. Bought with real money on the RSI Pledge Store, earned via referral bonuses, or occasional CIG giveaways. The 50,000 UEC from STAR-JTV7-FXLR goes here.
Where it's spent:
- UEC kiosks in-game (clothing, ammo, components)
- Short-term ship rentals at rental terminals
- Pledge Store top-ups for ship upgrades
Carries to release. Whatever UEC is on your account when SC reaches 1.0 stays.
aUEC
Wipes on major patchesAlpha UEC. Earned through gameplay during the live alpha. Missions, trading, mining, bounty hunting, cargo hauling, salvage all pay aUEC. Resets at major patch versions, although CIG sometimes carries it forward via Long Term Persistence.
Where it's spent:
- Most in-game shops (ships, weapons, armor)
- Consumables (food, drink, medical pens)
- Ship components (coolers, shields, weapons)
- Cargo for trading runs
Does not carry to release. Alpha-only currency.
The two you encounter less often
REC
Arena Commander onlyRental Equipment Credits. A separate currency used only inside Arena Commander, RSI's modular dogfighting and racing simulator. Earned by playing Arena Commander matches. Spent inside Arena Commander to rent ships and weapons for limited periods. Does not interact with UEC or aUEC.
Store Credit
Permanent on RSI accountStore Credit. The currency you get when you "melt" a pledge on the RSI Pledge Store, refunding it to your account balance to use on other purchases. Real-money-equivalent on the store, but cannot be spent in-game. Cannot be cashed out for real money.
Quick comparison
| Currency | How you get it | Where you spend it | Survives wipes? |
|---|---|---|---|
| UEC | Real money on Pledge Store, referral bonus, CIG giveaways | UEC kiosks, ship rentals, Pledge Store top-ups | Yes, always |
| aUEC | Mission rewards, mining, salvage, bounty, cargo, trading | Most in-game shops (ships, weapons, armor, consumables) | Usually no (resets on major patches) |
| REC | Arena Commander matches | Arena Commander rentals only | Stays inside Arena Commander |
| Store Credit | Melting pledges on the RSI Pledge Store | RSI Pledge Store only (cannot spend in-game) | Yes, permanent |
Where the 50,000 UEC referral bonus lives
The 50,000 UEC from STAR-JTV7-FXLR is paid as persistent UEC. It credits to your RSI account when your $40+ Game Package purchase clears, and it lives on the UEC side of your wallet forever. Patch wipes do not erase it. If you spend it on aUEC-priced items that later wipe, the items might disappear in the wipe, but you can re-spend any UEC you have left (and you usually have some left over after kitting out a starter character).
The smart spending order for new players
Spend UEC first on items you'd buy in aUEC anyway, since UEC is persistent and aUEC is what you'll earn easily once you start missions. Specifically: medium armor set, primary weapon plus magazines, sidearm, multi-tool, medical pens, food and drink. Most of that comes out of UEC kiosks. Then earn aUEC through missions to buy aUEC-priced items (ships, additional gear).
How to earn more UEC after the referral bonus
You cannot farm UEC through gameplay. The only ways to get more UEC after your starting balance:
- Buy directly on the RSI Pledge Store. CIG sells UEC in fixed bundles ($1 buys roughly 1,000 UEC, larger bundles slightly cheaper per unit).
- Get more referrals (you, sharing your code). Each new recruit gives you a Recruitment Point, not more UEC, but high tiers of the referrer ladder include items that are worth more in UEC equivalents.
- CIG promotional giveaways. Occasional. Anniversary events, partner promotions, IAE freebies sometimes include small UEC drops.
- Melt and re-buy on the Pledge Store. Not a UEC source per se, but lets you reshape your account toward more UEC-included packages.
The main path most players take: use the referral bonus for the early game, earn aUEC through mission play once you're set up, and only buy more UEC if you want specific UEC-store items you can't earn aUEC for.
How to earn aUEC fast in 2026
aUEC is what you earn in-game. The fastest paths for new players:
Delivery and Hauling missions
Beginner-friendly. Pay 8,000 to 15,000 aUEC each. Pick up a package at A, deliver to B. Fits in any starter ship. Low risk, predictable. Take three or four in a session to comfortably afford a Cutlass Black rental.
Bounty Hunting
Once you have proper armor and a weapon, bounty contracts pay 5,000 to 30,000 aUEC depending on difficulty. Start with VLRT (Very Low Risk Threshold) and ELT (Elimination Low-Tier) targets in your Aurora before stepping up.
Mining
Surface mining with a multi-tool tractor beam (FPS mining) is the cheapest entry, no ship required. Sells gemstones for a few thousand aUEC per run. Ship mining with a Prospector or Scorpius Antares earns more but needs the ship and the gameplay knowledge.
Salvage
Salvage requires a salvage ship (Drake Vulture in the Salvager Starter Pack). Strip downed ship hulls for RMC material, sell at refineries for 5,000 to 25,000 aUEC per run.
Cargo trading
Buy low at one station, sell high at another. Requires good cargo capacity (Aurora with TS Module, Cutlass Black, or above). Profits scale with cargo size. UEX community trade tool (uexcorp.space) tracks current spreads.
Don't buy aUEC from third parties
You'll see sellers on G2G, MMOGah, ChicksGold and similar marketplaces offering aUEC. This violates RSI's terms of service. Accounts caught buying aUEC get banned. The aUEC itself is fake (game-currency-as-a-service operators are constantly being targeted by CIG's account team). Stick to earning aUEC through gameplay.
What happens to your money when CIG wipes
Two types of wipe to know about:
aUEC wipes
Reset your in-game aUEC balance to a small default (often 20,000 aUEC), and reset your in-game inventory and ship components to defaults. Happens on major patch versions. CIG sometimes opts to not wipe via Long Term Persistence; the patch notes say so explicitly. Your hangar ships, RSI-account inventory, and UEC are not affected.
UEC wipes
None. UEC has never been wiped and is not designed to be. The 50,000 UEC from your referral code survives every patch, every alpha version, and will roll into the eventual 1.0 release.
What about ships you bought with aUEC?
If you bought a Cutlass Black with aUEC during alpha 4.5 and there's a major wipe at alpha 5.0, the Cutlass disappears with the aUEC. You'd need to earn aUEC again and re-buy. The aUEC purchase was an alpha-only acquisition. Your pledged ships (the ones in your RSI account hangar from Game Packages or standalone pledges) are unaffected.
Start your account with 50,000 UEC instead of 0. The bonus is persistent, never wipes, and pays for a full starter kit before you even fly your first mission.
STAR-JTV7-FXLR Create account with codeFAQ
What is UEC in Star Citizen?
United Earth Credits. Persistent in-game currency on your RSI account. Bought with real money on the RSI Pledge Store, earned via referral bonuses (50,000 UEC for STAR-JTV7-FXLR), or occasional CIG giveaways. Never resets.
What is aUEC in Star Citizen?
Alpha UEC. The currency you earn through gameplay in the live alpha (missions, mining, bounty, salvage, cargo). Resets on major patch versions, although CIG sometimes carries it forward via Long Term Persistence.
What is the difference between UEC and aUEC?
UEC is persistent and bought with real money or earned via referral bonuses. aUEC is earned in-game and resets on major patches. UEC is spent at UEC kiosks (clothing, ammo, components, rentals). aUEC is spent at most main in-game shops.
Can I convert UEC to aUEC?
Not directly. UEC and aUEC are separate wallets visible in-game. UEC kiosks accept UEC for specific items. Most in-game shops price items in aUEC.
Does the 50,000 UEC referral bonus reset on patches?
No. It is persistent UEC and never resets. Items you bought with that UEC may follow alpha wipe rules if they were aUEC-priced items, but the UEC balance itself persists.
How do I earn UEC?
You cannot earn UEC through gameplay. Buy directly on the Pledge Store, receive it as a referral bonus, or rare CIG giveaways. All gameplay rewards are aUEC.
What is REC?
Rental Equipment Credits. A separate currency used only in Arena Commander. Earned by playing Arena Commander, spent to rent ships and weapons inside Arena Commander.