---
title: "Elon Musk: Tesla Is Dropping Its Customer Referral Program"
description: "The Tesla referral program granting new buyers six months of free Supercharging will end on February 1, according to Elon Musk."
date: "2019-01-17"
modified: "2019-01-17"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-referral-program-elon-musk"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Elon Musk"
  - "Future Society"
  - "Tesla"
  - "The Industrialists"
tags:
  - "elon musk"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
---

# Elon Musk: Tesla Is Dropping Its Customer Referral Program

![The Tesla referral program granting new buyers six months of free Supercharging will end on February 1, according to Elon Musk.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/tesla-referral-program-elon-musk.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Tesla\</em\>*

## Bottom Line

Tesla has found a new way to cut costs.

On Thursday, CEO Elon Musk [announced on Twitter](<https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1085771520058679297>) that the company's customer referral program will end on Feb. 1. In a [follow-up tweet](<https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1085779971333705728>), he explained that the program was too expensive — another sign that Tesla's eyes are fixed firmly on the bottom line.

## Refer a Friend

The Tesla referral program has changed regularly since its inception in 2015.

Currently, the [rewards](<https://www.tesla.com/support/referral-program>) range from the launch of a photo of their choosing into space — whether that'll be done by the Musk-led SpaceX is unclear — to an invitation to a Tesla unveiling event, depending on how many new buyers the owner refers.

New buyers of a Model S, Model X, or Model 3 receive six months of free Supercharging if they use a friend's referral code. If they order the car without test driving it, they receive an additional three months.

## Dollar Signs

Tesla ended 2018 on a financial high note, boasting [record profits](<https://www.marketwatch.com/story/teslas-2019-challenge-to-remain-profitable-quarter-after-quarter-2018-12-13>). And in just the first few weeks of 2019, it's [dropped the cheapest versions](<https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/10/tech/tesla-cheapest-model-s-model-x/index.html>) of the Model X and Model S from its lineup, [slashed the price](<https://futurism.com/teslas-stock-plummets-price-cut>) of every model by $2,000 to encourage sales, and now cut the customer referral program in the name of cost savings — all moves seemingly designed to ensure the profitability of 2018 wasn't a fluke.

Now it's just a matter of waiting for the next quarterly report to find out if those efforts pay off.

**READ MORE:** [Tesla Will End Referral Program to Help Model 3 Cost, Says Elon Musk](<https://electrek.co/2019/01/17/tesla-end-referral-program-elon-musk/>) \[*Electrek*\]

***More on Tesla: [Tesla’s Stock Plummets After It Cuts Price of All Models](<https://futurism.com/teslas-stock-plummets-price-cut>)***

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)