What a SWTOR subscription includes
A SWTOR subscription (Star Wars: The Old Republic) is a monthly membership that unlocks the full game experience, including access to all story chapters, flashpoints, and operations. Without a subscription, you can play the base game free but hit level and content caps. A subscription removes those restrictions and gives you access to everything BioWare has released since launch.
The subscription also includes a monthly stipend of Cartel Coins — the premium currency you can spend on cosmetics, convenience items, and convenience unlocks. The amount varies by subscription tier. You also get priority queue access during peak hours, which means shorter wait times to log in when the servers are full.
Subscribers get access to all expansions released after the base game, including Knights of the Eternal Throne, Onslaught, Legacy of the Sith, and Showdown on Manaan. If you cancel your subscription, you keep the characters you built but lose access to expansion content until you resubscribe.
Key Takeaways
- A SWTOR subscription costs $14.99 per month for the standard tier, with a six-month option at $77.94 total ($12.99 per month) and a twelve-month option at $155.88 total ($12.99 per month).
- Subscribers receive a monthly Cartel Coin stipend (500 coins at the standard tier) that you can spend on cosmetics and convenience items in the in-game store.
- You can play SWTOR free without a subscription, but you will hit level caps, cannot access expansions, and face restrictions on credits earned and inventory space.
- Cancelling your subscription does not delete your characters; you keep them but cannot progress through expansion content until you resubscribe.
- BioWare occasionally runs promotions that discount multi-month subscriptions or offer bonus Cartel Coins for longer commitments.
Subscription tiers and monthly cost
SWTOR offers three subscription lengths, each with a different per-month cost. The one-month subscription costs $14.99 and renews automatically each month unless you cancel. This is the most expensive per-month option but requires no long-term commitment.
The six-month subscription costs $77.94 total, which breaks down to $12.99 per month. You pay the full amount upfront, and your subscription renews automatically after six months. The twelve-month subscription costs $155.88 total, also $12.99 per month, and renews after one year.
All three tiers include the same in-game benefits: full access to expansions, priority queue, and the monthly Cartel Coin stipend. The only difference is how much you pay per month and how often you need to renew. Longer commitments save you money but lock in your payment for that period.
What Cartel Coins are and how to use them
Cartel Coins are the premium currency in SWTOR. Subscribers receive a monthly stipend: 500 coins at the standard tier. You can spend them in the Cartel Market, an in-game store, on cosmetic items like armor skins and mounts, convenience unlocks like inventory expansions, and temporary boosts to experience gain or crafting speed.
You can also buy Cartel Coins with real money if you want more than your monthly stipend provides. Prices vary by bundle size, but generally cost between $4.99 and $99.99 depending on how many coins you purchase. The coins do not expire as long as your account exists, so you can save them across months.
Cartel Coins are account-wide, meaning you can spend them on any character on your account. However, most items you buy with them are character-specific — a cosmetic armor set you purchase goes to one character, not all of them. Some convenience unlocks, like inventory expansions, explore account-wide.
Restrictions you hit without a subscription
SWTOR allows you to play free, but free players face several hard caps. You can level characters only to level 60, which is below the current level cap of 80. You cannot access any expansion content, so you cannot progress past the base game story chapters.
Free players also earn credits (the in-game currency) at a reduced rate — roughly half what subscribers earn from the same activities. Your inventory space is limited, and you cannot use the mail system to send items between characters. You also cannot join guilds or use the guild bank, and you cannot access ranked player-versus-player content.
These restrictions are not temporary trials; they are permanent unless you subscribe. You can still play the base game story, run flashpoints with other players, and build characters, but you will hit these walls quickly if you want to experience everything the game offers.
How to manage your subscription
You manage your SWTOR subscription through your account page on the official website. Log in with your BioWare account, navigate to your subscription settings, and you can view your current plan, renewal date, and payment method. From this page you can also upgrade to a longer subscription length, downgrade to a shorter one, or cancel.
If you cancel, your subscription runs until the end of your current billing period. You do not get a refund for the remaining time. Your characters remain on the server and you can log back in, but you will be treated as a free player and hit the level and content restrictions again.
If you want to pause rather than cancel, you can let your subscription lapse and reactivate it later. There is no penalty for reactivating, and your characters will be exactly as you left them. BioWare sometimes sends reactivation offers to lapsed subscribers, including discounted subscription rates or bonus Cartel Coins.
Subscription versus free-to-play comparison
| Feature | Subscriber | Free Player |
|---|---|---|
| Level cap | 80 (current) | 60 |
| Expansion access | All expansions included | Base game only |
| Monthly Cartel Coins | 500 coins | None |
| Credit earn rate | Full rate | Reduced (roughly 50%) |
| Inventory space | Full access | Limited |
| Guild access | Yes | No |
| Ranked PvP | Yes | No |
| Priority queue | Yes | No |
When BioWare runs subscription promotions
BioWare periodically offers discounts on multi-month subscriptions, usually around major expansion launches or during seasonal events. These promotions might reduce the per-month cost of a six-month or twelve-month plan, or add bonus Cartel Coins on top of your regular stipend.
The timing and terms of these promotions are not predictable. They may last a few days or a few weeks, and they are not announced far in advance. If you are considering a longer subscription commitment, checking the official SWTOR website or launcher before you purchase can show you whether a current promotion is active.
You can also sign up for the SWTOR newsletter to receive notifications about upcoming promotions, though this is not a may provide you will hear about every offer. Some promotions are only visible to players who have lapsed subscriptions or who log into the game directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play SWTOR without paying anything?
Yes, SWTOR is free-to-play. You can create characters, play through the base game story, and run group content without a subscription. You will hit level and content restrictions, but the base experience is available at no cost. Subscribers straightforward remove those caps and gain access to expansions.
What happens to my characters if I cancel my subscription?
Your characters stay on the server permanently. You can log back in anytime and continue playing them, but you will be treated as a free player and cannot access expansion content or level past 60. If you resubscribe later, you can resume exactly where you left off.
Do I have to spend real money on Cartel Coins beyond my monthly stipend?
No. Your monthly stipend of 500 coins is enough to purchase cosmetics and convenience items regularly if you are selective. You only need to spend additional money if you want more coins than your stipend provides or want to buy items faster than you can save coins.
Is the twelve-month subscription worth it compared to month-to-month?
The twelve-month plan costs $12.99 per month versus $14.99 for one month, saving you $24 per year. Whether it is worth it depends on whether you plan to play for the full year. If you are uncertain about your long-term interest, the one-month option gives you flexibility to cancel without losing money.
Can I gift a subscription to another player?
SWTOR does not offer subscription gifting directly. However, you can purchase Cartel Coins and gift items from the Cartel Market to other players. If you want to help someone get a subscription, you would need to give them payment information or a prepaid card so they can purchase it themselves.