Reference
The expiry clocks, country by country
Two clocks run in this programme and almost every page quotes only one of them. Which clock you are on depends on the market you ordered in, and the shorter one is the more common one worldwide. Dated 2 September 2026.
The two clocks
Tesla Credits: 12 months from the Grant Date. Supercharging distance: 6 months from the Grant Date. The Grant Date is the day the reward is posted to an account — not the order date, and not delivery day.
Which clock applies where
| Market | Buyer's reward | Clock |
|---|---|---|
| United States / Canada | 3 months FSD (Supervised) | Trial window, not a balance |
| Mainland Europe | ≈ 2,000 km Supercharging (since April 2026) | 6 months |
| United Kingdom | ≈ 650 Supercharging miles | 6 months |
| Referrer, all markets | Tesla Credits | 12 months |
So the majority of the world's referred buyers are on the six-month clock, while the majority of published advice quotes twelve. That mismatch is the single most useful correction this atlas can make.
Why the shorter clock is the harder one
Credits are spent by making one decision in the Loot Box. A distance allowance is spent by driving, a few sessions at a time, and each session needs a small planning step. Roughly 2,000 km is about eight to twelve Supercharger stops at ordinary consumption; 650 miles is about four to six. Across six months that is achievable and routinely forgotten.
The paradox worth naming
The owners for whom free charging sounds most valuable are frequently the ones who struggle to use it. Someone who cannot charge at home will spend an allowance in weeks without changing a plan. Someone with a home charger and cheap overnight electricity has to route deliberately through public chargers, against a low marginal cost — and is the most likely to let it lapse.
What extends a clock, and what does not
One mechanism extends anything: a further successful referral moves all credits in an account to 12 months from the newest Grant Date. It applies to credits, not to a buyer's charging allowance, which has one deadline and no extension path. Nothing else extends either — not software updates, not network expansion, not support requests. Tesla emails a 30-day warning, and an expired balance cannot be reissued.
The trial window is a third kind of deadline
In North America the buyer's benefit is not a balance at all. Three months of FSD converts to a paid subscription unless cancelled, which makes it the one reward where doing nothing costs money rather than merely wasting an opportunity. Diary the end date on the day it starts.
The one habit that covers all three
Write down the Grant Date and what kind of reward it granted. Two lines, in whatever calendar you actually read. Your market's figure is on its country page; the clock is the part nobody tells you.
Questions this raises
How long do Tesla referral credits last?
Tesla Credits expire 12 months from their Grant Date. Supercharging distance expires in six months from the same date — two different clocks on the same account.
Does the clock start when my friend orders?
No. Every clock starts at the Grant Date, which is when Tesla posts the reward to the account. Before that the referral shows as pending and nothing is counting.
Related reading
- How to apply a Tesla referral code at checkout (2026, step by step)
- Tesla referral code vs referral link — what's the difference?
- What a Tesla referral code is worth by country in 2026
Pillar: Every country's referral benefit. Program facts verified July 13, 2026; sources are linked from each country page and the footer.