Tesla FSD Referral Program Offers Subscribers a Free Month and Owners $99 Credit
Tesla’s U.S. FSD referral offer gives subscribers a free month or outright buyers $99 in credit, as the automaker ends vehicle referrals.
Tesla has shifted its U.S. referral offer from vehicle orders to Full Self-Driving (Supervised), putting the focus on getting more drivers to try its paid software. A successful referral earns the person who shares the link either a free subscription month or $99 in Tesla Credit, depending on how they acquired FSD. The new offer is live in the United States; Tesla has ended its vehicle referral program there.
The arrangement has two audiences in mind. A current subscriber can extend access without paying for another month, while someone who bought FSD outright receives store credit instead. Tesla stopped offering one-time FSD purchases earlier this year, so a subscription reward would have little practical value to owners who already paid for the feature outright.
Who can refer someone
To participate, a Tesla owner must have an active FSD (Supervised) subscription or have purchased FSD. Owners whose access came through a one-year grant aren't eligible. The referral feature also requires Tesla app version 4.62.0 or later, so users on an older version may need to update before sharing a link.
The referred person receives a one-month FSD (Supervised) trial if they meet Tesla's eligibility requirements. The referrer earns a reward only if that person subscribes during the trial. Subscribers receive one free month; outright purchasers receive $99 in Tesla Credit for eligible purchases. The offer is therefore tied to a conversion: sending a link alone doesn't earn a reward.
There’s a yearly ceiling of 12 rewards per referrer. The count resets on January 1, and rewards appear as pending in the app until their Grant Date. Each reward expires 12 months after that date, so owners should check the app's status and timing instead of assuming credit will remain available indefinitely.
One notable change from Tesla's previous vehicle referral setup is who can receive a link. The older program was limited to first-time Tesla buyers. FSD referrals can also go to people who already own a Tesla, widening the potential audience to drivers who might consider adding the software to a vehicle they have now.
Finding and sharing the link
In the Tesla app, open the menu at the top right and choose Refer and Earn. Tap Share Your Link, then select a contact. The referral area now groups three categories in tabs along the bottom: FSD referrals, solar referrals and referral history. That history tab gives users a place to follow previous referrals and rewards.
The steps are simple, but the terms matter for both sides. The recipient must qualify for the trial and subscribe before the referrer receives anything. People considering the offer should also distinguish between a free month of access and Tesla Credit: the credit applies to eligible purchases, rather than serving as cash or another month of FSD.
Vehicle referrals end as FSD takes the lead
Tesla's discontinued U.S. vehicle referral program had offered referrers up to $250 in Tesla Credits, while buyers could receive three free months of FSD (Supervised). The replacement changes the trigger from a vehicle purchase to a software subscription. For drivers who aren't already planning to buy a Tesla, the FSD trial gives the company a direct route to put its driver assistance package in front of potential subscribers.
The move follows a reported record of 1.74 million FSD subscribers in the third quarter of 2026. Tesla also said that 75% of new vehicle orders in North America included a paid subscription. Those figures put the referral change in context: Tesla is using its existing customer base to encourage trials and subscriptions, while the vehicle-based reward has been retired.
That strategy depends on referrals reaching drivers who are willing to try the feature and continue paying for it. The free month lowers the initial barrier for an eligible recipient, while the referrer gets a reward only after a subscription begins. For outright FSD buyers, the $99 credit offers a different incentive that reflects the end of one-time purchases.
U.S. launch, with wider reach still uncertain
The program is currently limited to the United States. The source reports that FSD is available in 18 countries, but Tesla hasn't said that this referral offer will expand to those markets. Bringing it elsewhere would depend on the local availability of FSD subscriptions and the terms Tesla sets for each market.
For now, U.S. owners can check eligibility, app version and reward status in the Tesla app. The practical test for the program will be whether trial users convert to paid subscriptions—and whether Tesla expands the offer as FSD becomes available to more drivers.
