You’ve seen the award icon. Maybe someone gave you Gold, or you’re wondering whether to spend coins on it. The problem is that Reddit changed how Gold works, and most guides online still describe the old version from 2018.
Here’s how to check what Reddit Gold actually is today, step by step.
What you’re actually trying to do
You want to know whether Reddit Gold still exists, what it does, and whether it’s worth your coins. That’s it. You don’t need a history lesson or a deep dive into Reddit’s token economy.
The fastest way to get this answer is to look at your own Reddit account and the award menu in a live thread. That takes five minutes.
What you need before you start
- A Reddit account (new or old, doesn’t matter)
- Coins in your account (check by tapping your avatar or profile icon)
- A comment or post you want to award (or a friend’s comment)
- A basic understanding of how Reddit account setup works, since awards show up in your profile history
If you have zero coins, you can still read this guide, but you won’t be able to test the award flow until you buy some or get coins from Reddit Premium.
Step 1: Check what Reddit Gold means now
Reddit Gold used to be a premium subscription. Then it became an award you could buy with coins. In 2023, Reddit merged Gold into Reddit Premium.
Here’s what that means in practice:
- Gold is now an award, not a separate subscription
- It gives the recipient a week of Reddit Premium benefits
- Those benefits include an ad-free experience, access to the premium lounge, and a monthly coin allotment
- The recipient also gets a special badge on the awarded comment or post
So if someone asks “is Reddit Gold still a thing?”, the answer is yes, but it’s now bundled into the award system. The old “give gold to remove ads for a month” thing is gone.
Step 2: See how Gold works after the Premium merge
When you award Gold, the recipient gets:
- 100 coins per week for four weeks
- Ad-free browsing for that period
- Access to r/lounge (the private premium community)
- A visible award badge on the specific comment or post
Important nuance: the recipient gets coins, not you. You spend your coins, they get the benefits. That’s the whole transaction.
Also note that some subreddits have custom awards that cost more. Gold is the baseline, but you’ll see community-specific awards with different prices and effects.
Step 3: Award Gold to a comment or post
This is the part that trips people up. Here’s the exact flow:
- Find the comment or post you want to award
- Tap the award icon (the trophy/medal shape, usually next to the share button)
- Scroll through the award menu until you see “Gold”
- Check the coin price (usually 500 coins, but this can vary)
- Tap “Give Award”
- Add a message if you want (this is optional)
- Confirm the purchase
That’s it. The award appears immediately, and the recipient gets a notification.
If you’re on the mobile app, the flow is slightly different but the buttons are the same. Look for the award icon near the comment timestamp.
Step 4: Check if you’ve received Gold and what it did
If someone awarded you Gold, here’s how to check:
- Look at the notification bell in the top right corner
- You’ll see a message about the award
- Check the specific comment or post for the award badge
- Go to your profile and look at your trophy case
The premium benefits activate automatically. You don’t need to redeem anything. If you see the badge, you have the benefits.
One thing to know: if you’re already a Reddit Premium subscriber, receiving Gold extends your premium period. It doesn’t stack into a weird double-subscription situation.
Step 5: Decide if spending coins on Gold makes sense
Here’s the honest part. Gold is mostly symbolic. It shows appreciation, but it doesn’t boost your karma or give you special posting powers.
Ask yourself these three questions:
- Do you want to support the person who wrote a helpful comment?
- Do you want the recipient to get ad-free browsing for a week?
- Do you have coins to spare?
If you answered yes to at least two, Gold is fine. If you’re just trying to get attention or buy visibility, skip it. Awards don’t affect Reddit karma or how much visibility your own posts get.
Common blockers and how to fix them
You don’t have enough coins.
Buy coins from your profile menu, or check if you have some from a Premium subscription. You can’t award Gold without coins.
The award icon doesn’t appear.
Some subreddits disable awards. Check the sub’s rules or sidebar before assuming something’s broken.
You accidentally awarded the wrong comment.
You can’t undo an award. It’s permanent. Double-check the comment before confirming.
You got Gold but don’t see premium benefits.
Wait a few minutes. The system sometimes lags. If it doesn’t appear after an hour, contact Reddit support.
You’re on a third-party app.
Awards often don’t work properly in third-party apps. Use the official app or the website.
Practical example: a new user tests Gold with 100 coins
Maria just created her Reddit account. She has 100 coins from a welcome bonus. She wants to understand how awards work.
She finds a genuinely helpful comment in r/AskReddit about moving abroad. She taps the award icon. She sees Gold costs 500 coins. She doesn’t have enough.
She picks a cheaper award instead (like a Silver-equivalent, which costs less). The comment gets the badge, the author gets a notification, and Maria understands the system.
Her takeaway: Gold is a premium award, not the default one. She’ll buy coins only if she finds a comment that really deserves it.
Checklist for understanding Reddit Gold without wasting time
- [ ] Check your coin balance first
- [ ] Open a live thread and look at the award menu
- [ ] Confirm Gold’s current coin price
- [ ] Read the subreddit’s rules to see if awards are allowed
- [ ] Test with a cheap award before spending on Gold
- [ ] Know that Gold gives the recipient premium benefits, not you
- [ ] Don’t expect awards to boost your karma or visibility
Final takeaway
Reddit Gold is a simple reward system with a confusing history. Today it’s an award that gives the recipient a week of premium benefits. It doesn’t improve your own account stats, and it doesn’t unlock special posting rights.
If you have coins and someone wrote something genuinely useful, go ahead and award them. Just don’t treat Gold as a strategy. It’s a gesture, not a tool.
And if you’re still trying to understand Reddit’s basics—like how subreddit rules work or what karma actually does—start there first. Awards make more sense once you understand the platform’s core mechanics.
For this use case, practical proxy option for Reddit workflows should be compared by pricing, setup difficulty, support quality, refund policy, and whether it fits your workflow.
FAQ
Q: Is Reddit Gold the same as Reddit Premium?
A: No. Gold is an award you give to others. It gives the recipient a week of Reddit Premium benefits (ad-free browsing, coins, r/lounge access). Reddit Premium is a subscription you buy for yourself.
Q: How many coins does it take to give Reddit Gold?
A: Usually 500 coins, but the price can vary depending on the platform and occasional promotions. The award menu shows the current price before you confirm.
Q: Does receiving Reddit Gold increase your karma?
A: No. Awards and karma are separate systems. Karma comes from upvotes on your posts and comments. Awards are just badges with premium perks.
Q: Can you give Reddit Gold to yourself?
A: Yes, technically you can award your own comment or post. It doesn’t give you any special benefits beyond the premium perks, so it’s usually a waste of coins.
Q: What happens when the week of premium benefits ends?
A: Nothing dramatic. The award badge stays on the comment or post permanently. You just lose the ad-free browsing and stop receiving weekly coins.
