Credits / Tokens

Canva Credits are purchased with real money (1 credit for $1.99, scaling to 100 credits for $99.99) and spent on individual premium elements within designs. Each premium element costs 1 credit. Credits are positioned as an alternative to the subscription: 'don't pay for images, get Canva Business' appears next to the credit purchase option. A watermarked download is available as a free fallback for premium content.

For a user who needs one premium image for one design, 1 credit at $1.99 is the low-friction alternative to an $18/month subscription. The credit system builds the subscription argument through accumulated small spends, each credit purchase makes the subscription math more obvious without anyone stating it.

Credit cost surfaces at the moment of use, when a premium element is selected, the cost appears alongside the subscription option. Both credits and subscription are presented at the same decision point. The subscription paywall copy adapts to the feature the user was accessing.

Credits and subscription are presented at the same decision point, at the moment of highest purchase intent.

AI credits are the access token for all generative AI features. Free tier: 5 credits per week. Subscription tiers: Plus (200/week, $64.99/year) and Pro (500/week, $83.99/year). Credit costs per tool range from 1 credit (AI sticker generator) to 50 credits (AI avatar). Credits cannot be purchased individually, only through subscribing. The credit balance and weekly reset timer are visible from the profile section, not surfaced during onboarding.

Variable tool credit costs signal feature value before spending, 1 credit for an AI sticker versus 50 credits for an AI avatar communicates that these are not equivalent features. The challenge reward (50 credits) creates a circulation loop: participation in community challenges earns enough to access premium tools, giving the community system a direct economic role in the product.

Credit costs surface at the point of tool use. Using a tool that exceeds the remaining balance triggers an upgrade prompt. Winning a platform challenge awards 50 credits, more than the free tier's entire weekly allocation.

5 free credits per week covers 2–5 AI tool uses depending on the tool, enough to demonstrate the feature set but insufficient for sustained creative use.

Steam Points accumulate at 117 per €1 spent on any Steam purchase. Points are spent in the Points Shop on cosmetics. There is no direct purchase path for Points, they accumulate as a passive by-product of game purchases. Community Awards allow users to spend points to attach a visible recognition marker to another user's content, permanently visible on the awarded content for all to see.

The purchase-rebate model makes cosmetics feel free, users are spending points earned from purchases they were already making, not making a new spend decision. Community Awards extend points spending into social recognition, giving points a use case beyond self-expression.

Steam Points balance is visible in the Points Shop header. The earn rate is disclosed in the 'How Points Work' section. Community Awards have their own dedicated section in the Points Shop.

Steam Points cannot be purchased directly, they are earned exclusively through game purchases, making the cosmetics economy fully retroactively funded by existing spending behaviour.