Creatures Credit: what it is and how it is spent

Creatures Credit is prepaid value that lives in your account and spends like money at checkout. It is not cash: you cannot withdraw it to a bank, but you can use it toward almost anything you buy on Creatures. Think of it as store value that Creatures puts to work for you automatically, before it ever touches your own card.

You can see your balance and every entry on the Credit tab of your dashboard, at /dashboard/credit. Your current Wallet card also shows it as a "+ $X Creatures Credit" line so you always know it is there.

Credit vs. your Wallet vs. your card (know the difference)

Three things can pay for a purchase, and it helps to be clear on what each one is:

• Creatures Credit: prepaid, promotional value. It spends like money but cannot be withdrawn to a bank. Use it or it simply waits in your account.
• Creatures Wallet: your real cash balance, usually built up from animals you have sold. Wallet money is yours and the unspent part can be withdrawn to your bank.
• Your card or bank (ACH): your own outside money, charged only for whatever Credit and Wallet did not cover.

The single most useful thing to understand is the order Creatures spends them in, because it is fixed and automatic.

How it is applied: Credit first, then Wallet, then your card

When you check out and you have a Credit balance, Creatures spends it first, before your Wallet and before your card. The full order is:

1. Creatures Credit (spent first).
2. Creatures Wallet (covers whatever remains).
3. Your card or bank (charged only for the leftover, if any).

• What this means for you: you cannot choose to "save" your Credit and pay by card instead. Because Credit cannot be withdrawn, Creatures uses it before your spendable money so your promotional value is never left stranded. If Credit alone covers the total, your Wallet and card are not touched at all.
• The implication: the part of a purchase your card actually pays is only ever the amount left after Credit (and then Wallet) are applied. You never overpay with outside money by accident. For the full payment order across every method, see Paying with Wallet, Credit, and ACH.

The four ways you get Credit

Your Credit balance grows from any of these:

• Referral cash back (1%): when you buy through someone's referral link, you get 1% of the purchase back as Credit. (Separately, the person who referred you earns 1% into their Wallet. The two are independent.) See Referrals and promoter rewards: earn by sharing.
• Redeeming a gift card: redeeming a Creatures gift card puts its full face value into your Credit. See Gift cards: buying, redeeming, and refunds.
• Refunds where you originally paid by Credit: if a purchase you paid for (in whole or in part) with Credit is refunded, the Credit portion comes back to your Credit balance, ready to use again.
• Account adjustments: occasionally Creatures support applies a credit to your account directly (for example to make something right). These show up as an adjustment in your history.

Reading your Credit history

The Credit tab lists every entry so nothing is a mystery. Each row shows:

• Date: when the entry posted.
• Source: what it relates to, such as the listing you bought, a booking, "Gift card redeemed", or a note from support.
• Type: Credit Earned, Spent, Refund, Gift Card, or Adjustment, so you can tell at a glance whether Credit came in or went out.
• Status: completed means it is in your usable balance now; pending means it is on the way (for example referral credit that is still being confirmed) and is not spendable yet. Pending rows are shown dimmed.
• Amount: a green + when Credit was added, and a - when it was spent.

The fine print, plainly

• No expiry. Creatures Credit does not expire. It waits in your account until you use it.
• Per person, not per organization. Credit accrues to your personal account. Organizations do not build up their own Credit balance.
• Where it can be used. Credit applies across the marketplace, and it can also be applied to the first invoice of a Creatures Pro subscription. (Pro renewals after that bill your card.)

Credit is the quiet discount that shows up when you actually buy. The next two articles cover the two ways most people earn it: sharing referral links, and gift cards.

Related information

• Referrals and promoter rewards: earn by sharing
• Gift cards: buying, redeeming, and refunds

Updated on: 23/06/2026