credits
How to Get Credits (Earn & Buy)
Every way to build your credit balance — signup bonus, approved submissions, badges, level-ups and referrals — plus buying credits on the Pricing page.
Your Starting Balance
Every new member starts with 3 credits as a signup bonus. They are added to your account automatically the moment your membership is activated — no action needed.
You can see your balance at any time on the Dashboard (under Credits) or in the Settings page credit history.
Earn by Contributing Sites
When one of your site submissions is approved, you earn up to 3 credits:
- 1 credit — base reward for an approved, published site
- +1 credit — completeness bonus if you filled in at least 80% of the optional fields
- +1 credit — photo bonus if you uploaded at least 3 photos
And if you're the first member to submit a site in a new region, you also earn the Trailblazer badge (+1 credit).
Earn with Badges & Levels
Badges and contribution levels reward you with credits automatically:
- Badges — each badge you earn adds +1 to +3 credits (e.g. Contributor +1, Active Contributor +2, Top Contributor +3, Trailblazer +1, Recruiter +1).
- Level-ups — reaching a new level awards a one-time bonus: Contributor +1, Active Contributor +2, Top Contributor +3.
See the Badges & Levels guide for the full list of badges, thresholds and rewards.
Earn by Inviting Members
Every member has a personal referral code on the Dashboard (under *Invite a friend*). Share your invite link with trusted campers:
- When your invitee's first site submission is approved, you earn +2 credits and the Recruiter badge.
- There is no reward for signup alone — the reward is tied to real contribution, which keeps the network high-quality.
- Your invitees still go through the normal waitlist and approval process; the system remembers who referred them.
Buying Credits
You can also purchase credits directly — perfect for members who'd rather support the network than contribute, or who need a few extra credits quickly:
- Go to the Pricing page (link in the navigation) and click Buy credits.
- Credits cost $9.99 CAD each, and you can buy between 1 and 10 at a time.
- Payment is handled securely by Stripe — your card details never touch our servers.
- Credits are added to your balance automatically as soon as the payment completes.
- Promo codes can be applied at checkout when available.
Contributing is still the most rewarding way to earn — but buying is always there when you need it.
What Credits Are For
Credits unlock the detailed information on a site — exact coordinates, access directions and long description. When you spend credits to unlock a site, the unlock is permanent: you only pay once per site, and the details stay available on your account.
Unused credits never expire.