The Tesla referral program in the US now runs on FSD (Supervised) instead of car sales. Tesla announced on October 29 that owners can gift friends and family a free month of FSD (Supervised). If that person subscribes during their trial, the owner who shared the link gets a free month in return, or a $99 Tesla Credit if they bought FSD outright.
The part Tesla didn’t announce is what went away. Tesla’s Refer and Earn terms, updated February 24, 2026, no longer list any vehicle as a qualifying purchase. Buyer benefits now cover solar panels only, so buying a Tesla with a friend’s code earns neither of you anything. Until this week, EV reports, a referral on a Model 3, Model Y or eligible Cybertruck paid the referrer a $250 Tesla Credit and gave the buyer three months of FSD.
What each side gets now
| Who | Gets | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Friend with the link | 1 month of FSD (Supervised) free | Owns an eligible Tesla, no paid FSD in the past 12 months |
| Referrer who subscribes to FSD | 1 free month of FSD | Friend subscribes during the trial |
| Referrer who owns FSD outright | $99 Tesla Credit | Friend subscribes during the trial |
| Cap | 12 rewards per calendar year | Up to 12 months of FSD or $1,188 in credit |
Source: Tesla’s FSD (Supervised) referral terms and Refer and Earn page.
The $99 credit matches the US FSD subscription price of $99 a month. Tesla stopped selling FSD outright on February 14, Electrek notes, so new customers can only subscribe, and outright owners get a credit because there’s no free month to give them on software they already own. Tesla Credits can go toward Supercharging, service bills, Tesla Shop purchases, Tesla Insurance, upgrades and subscriptions, or a new vehicle or energy product. They expire 12 months after they’re granted and can’t be cashed out.
Who can share a link
The link is under Refer and Earn in the Tesla app, version 4.62.0 or later. To share one, you need to be subscribed to FSD (Supervised) or own it outright. Owners who have FSD through a one-year grant can’t share a link. Tesla’s general Refer and Earn terms also exclude residents of Ohio and Virginia from referrer benefits, and referrers must be 18 or older.
Each reward counts only when the friend actually subscribes, and Tesla caps it at 12 per calendar year. A reward sits as pending until its grant date before it shows up in your account.
Catches for the friend
The person you send it to has to already own a registered Tesla with FSD-compatible hardware and accept the offer in the app. They can’t have paid for FSD in the past 12 months, and they can’t have ever bought FSD outright. Recent buyers get caught here: anyone who received a free FSD trial with a new car can’t use a referral link for at least 12 months after that trial ends.
To earn the referrer anything, the friend has to subscribe before the free month runs out. A friend who lets the trial lapse and signs up later doesn’t count.
What it means if you’re buying a car
For a first-time buyer, a friend’s referral code no longer takes anything off a Model 3, Model Y or Cybertruck, and it doesn’t add a free FSD period on top of whatever trial comes with delivery. The cars now appear in the program only under loyalty benefits for existing owners, which list Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck and solar. Model S and Model X aren’t on that list. Referrers can still earn on friends’ solar purchases and first demo drives, up to 10 purchases a year and 30 demo drives over the life of the account. Price a new Tesla on its own terms.
For current owners, this is a way to try FSD (Supervised) for a month without paying, if a friend who subscribes sends a link and you haven’t paid for it recently. If you’re weighing whether the $99 subscription is worth keeping, a month is enough time to find out on your own commute. With unsupervised FSD targeted for owner cars in 2027, Tesla’s referral rewards now go to people who bring in subscribers, not car buyers.
Sources: Tesla FSD (Supervised) referral program, Tesla Refer and Earn, Tesla North America on X, Electrek, EV.