RunPod, random credits from $5 to $500 when referred and topping up $10 ($5 fixed in Europe)

4 steps to claim RunPod bonus credits and avoid disk charges

Step-by-step guide covering initial sign-up via referral link and Google SSO, verifying bonus credit ($5 to $500 weighted random outside Europe, mostly $5; fixed $5 in Europe) after meeting the $10 deposit and spend requirements, and cleanup procedures to prevent 2x Pod volume disk billing in the Stop state and continuous Serverless billing.

Bonus Eligibility Conditions and Amounts Applies to users signing up for the first time via a referral link and Google SSO after June 15, 2025 (other sign-up methods excluded; no separate coupon code). The payout trigger differs across sources: the official documentation specifies depositing at least $10, whereas the official referral program page specifies spending $10 on the platform. Once met, both you and the referrer receive a $5 to $500 weighted random credit for non-European customers (mostly $5, with about 96% at $10 or under) or a fixed $5 credit for European customers; credits are non-transferable and expire after 90 days.

Reference hourly rates for major GPUs (billed per second) Service usage is billed per second with no commitment. As of November 2026 for Pods, rates are RTX A5000 24GB at $0.27/hr, RTX 3090 24GB at $0.50/hr, A40 and RTX A6000 48GB at $0.59/hr, RTX 4090 24GB at $0.89/hr, RTX 5090 32GB at $1.19/hr, A100 80GB at $1.79/hr, and H100 PCIe 80GB at $2.89/hr.

1. Step 1: Sign up for the first time via the referral link and Google SSO, then deposit at least $10

   Only first-time RunPod users who sign up after June 15, 2025 are eligible for the reward, so access the site via the referral link and sign up with Google SSO. Signing up through any other method excludes you from the reward, and there is no separate coupon code. After signing up, deposit at least $10 into your account, noting that the stated criteria differ: the official documentation states that the reward is granted 'after depositing at least $10', whereas the official referral program page states it is granted 'upon spending $10 on the platform'.

2. Step 2: Run GPU Pod or Serverless workloads and verify the $10 spend requirement

   Launch a GPU Pod or Serverless workload with your required VRAM specifications to run fine-tuning and inference tasks. RunPod services are billed per second with no contract commitment, and a Running Pod deducts GPU and disk charges in 1-second increments for the entire time it stays powered on, even without active inference requests. If the bonus is not credited immediately after depositing $10, check whether it has been applied once your cumulative platform spend reaches $10, in line with the criteria stated on the referral program page.

3. Step 3: Check Regional Bonus Credits and the 90-Day Expiration Period

   Once the qualifying condition ($10 deposit or $10 spent on the platform) is met, both you (the referred user) and the referrer receive bonus credits. Non-European customers receive $5 to $500 in credits via a weighted random draw, with most receiving $5 (about 96% are $10 or less), while European customers receive a fixed $5 bonus. Received credits are non-transferable and expire after 90 days.

4. Step 4: End Disk Billing with Terminate Instead of Stop When Finished

   If you only Stop a Pod, GPU charges stop, but the Volume Disk rate doubles from $0.10/GB/month while running to $0.20/GB/month while stopped ($20/month deducted at 100GB). Always Terminate (permanently delete) finished Pods and also delete any unneeded Network Volumes ($0.07/GB/month for the first 1TB).

Essential checklist to prevent credits from running out

1. Check that completed Pods are not left in the Stopped state and incurring volume storage fees of $0.20/GB/month
2. When creating a Serverless endpoint, confirm that Active/Min Workers is set to 0 and that idle time costs $0 (if set to 1 or more, GPU charges apply 24 hours a day)
3. Confirm that the account is a first-time sign-up via a referral link and Google SSO after June 15, 2025 (other sign-up methods excluded, no separate coupon code)
4. Confirm a plan to use received bonus credits within the validity period, as they are non-transferable and expire after 90 days