[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] Tesla has effectively scrapped vehicle purchase rewards in its U.S. referral programme and revamped it to focus on attracting paid subscriptions to its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. The move appears to put more weight on growing software revenue by leveraging existing vehicle owners rather than expanding new car sales.

Electrek, an electric vehicle outlet, reported on Oct. 30 that Tesla recently changed its U.S. referral programme. A referred user receives a one-month free FSD pass, and the referrer gets a one-month free pass or $99 worth of Tesla credits if the other person converts to a paid subscription.

The biggest change is that referral rewards for vehicle purchases have disappeared. The terms for Tesla's "Refer and Earn" programme currently do not include vehicle purchase rewards for models such as the Model 3 and Model Y. Even if someone buys a Tesla vehicle using a friend's referral code, neither the buyer nor the referrer receives separate benefits.

The new programme focuses on attracting FSD subscriptions. To share a referral link, a person must be using the monthly subscription FSD plan or be an owner who bought FSD before Tesla stopped selling it as a one-time purchase. Owners using FSD through a one-year free offer cannot participate. Referral links can be shared from the "Refer and Earn" menu in Tesla app version 4.62.0 or later.

Separate conditions also apply to referred users. They must own a Tesla vehicle with compatible hardware and must not have paid an FSD subscription fee within the past 12 months or previously bought it as a one-time purchase. If they received a free FSD trial at the time of buying a new car, they must wait 12 months after the trial ends to receive referral benefits.

Rewards are paid when the referred user actually converts to a paid subscription. Referrers who use the monthly subscription FSD plan receive a one-month free pass, while those who previously bought it as a one-time purchase receive $99 worth of credits. The credits cannot be converted into cash and expire after 12 months. The annual reward limit is 12 times, allowing up to one year of free subscriptions or $1,188 worth of credits.

Guidance on the timing of payouts differs across Tesla internal pages. An FSD information page says the referrer is rewarded if the referred user subscribes during the free trial period, but the main referral page says rewards are provided after the free trial ends.

Other benefits in the referral programme have also been reduced. Buyer benefits apply only to solar panels, and referrer rewards are limited to solar products, a first test drive and the FSD referral programme. The Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck remain only under loyalty benefits that apply when existing owners buy Tesla products again. The Model S and Model X were removed from that list.

Tesla did not separately announce the changes. The relevant page is marked as updated on Feb. 24, 2026, so it is not confirmed exactly when vehicle purchase rewards disappeared.

Tesla's referral programme was previously a tool to boost vehicle sales. When it reinstated the system in August 2024, it offered a $1,000 discount to buyers of the Model S, Model X, Model Y and Model 3 and paid $500 in credits to referrers. Over the past 10 years, it has been halted and resumed multiple times, but the core focus was expanding vehicle sales. This revamp shows that the centre of gravity has shifted to software subscriptions.

The change also ties into Tesla's FSD sales strategy. Tesla stopped selling FSD as a one-time purchase on Feb. 14, and new U.S. customers can use it only through a $99-a-month subscription. Tesla disclosed 1.74 million active FSD subscriptions in its third-quarter shareholder letter, up 67 percent from a year earlier. The figure includes past one-time purchasers but excludes free-trial users.

The referral programme was also designed to increase those paid subscription indicators. A one-month free trial given to a referred user is not included in active subscription counts, but it becomes countable once it converts to a paid subscription. Tesla also pays rewards to the referrer after the conversion to a paid plan.

Ultimately, Tesla is strengthening a strategy to increase FSD subscribers by using its network of existing vehicle owners. It is seen as a move away from traditional referral marketing that encourages new car purchases, and toward expanding software revenue based on vehicles it has already sold.