Why do I have 250 credits on LinkedIn?

There are a few potential reasons why I might have 250 credits on LinkedIn:

• I purchased credits directly from LinkedIn
• I received credits as part of a promotion or contest on LinkedIn
• I was gifted credits by another LinkedIn user
• I earned credits by participating in certain activities on LinkedIn

Let’s explore each of these possibilities in more detail:

Purchasing LinkedIn Credits

The most straightforward way to get LinkedIn credits is to simply purchase them directly from LinkedIn. Here are some key things to know about purchasing credits:

• Credits can be purchased directly through your LinkedIn account settings
• Credit packages range from 25 credits for $5 to 1000 credits for $90
• Purchased credits do not expire
• Credits can be used to pay for premium LinkedIn services like InMail messages, job postings, etc.

If I purchased 250 credits, it would have cost me $25 and allowed me access to premium LinkedIn features. This is certainly one possibility for where my credits came from.

How to Purchase LinkedIn Credits

If you want to purchase your own LinkedIn credits, here are the steps:

1. Log into your LinkedIn account
2. Click on the “Me” icon in the top navigation bar
3. Select “Settings & Privacy”
4. Choose “Purchase LinkedIn Products”
5. Pick the credit package you want to buy and complete the transaction

Once purchased, the credits will be added to your account automatically. You can then use them for services like InMail, job postings, etc.

Receiving Promotional Credits

Another way I could have received 250 LinkedIn credits is through a promotional offer or contest on LinkedIn. Here are some examples:

• LinkedIn sometimes offers free credits to users who refer friends/colleagues to the platform
• Credits are sometimes offered as a bonus for new Premium subscribers
• LinkedIn may provide credits to users who participate in surveys, focus groups, or beta testing programs
• Contests and giveaways on LinkedIn will sometimes award credits as prizes

So if I participated in a LinkedIn promotion or contest recently, that could explain the 250 free credits in my account.

Current LinkedIn Credit Offers

Here are some credit offers I found currently available on LinkedIn:

As you can see, LinkedIn regularly provides opportunities to earn free credits through various promotions.

Receiving Credits as a Gift

LinkedIn allows users to purchase credits as a gift for other members. So another possibility is that I received 250 credits as a gift from someone.

Here’s how the LinkedIn credit gifting process works:

• The giver purchases a credit package from LinkedIn as normal
• During checkout, they select “This is a gift” and specify the recipient
• The recipient receives a notification of the gift and credits are added to their account
• Gifted credits come with a customized message and appear alongside purchased credits

So if I have a generous colleague, client, or friend on LinkedIn, they may have surprise gifted me with 250 credits recently.

How to Gift LinkedIn Credits

If you want to gift credits to a LinkedIn connection, here is the process:

1. Purchase credit package as normal
2. On checkout page, toggle “This is a gift” to “on”
3. Enter recipient’s name and customized gift message
4. Complete purchase using your payment method
5. Your recipient will receive a notification of the gift

The credits will appear in the recipient’s account automatically – no redemption code needed.

Earning Credits on LinkedIn

The last main option is that I earned the LinkedIn credits by participating in certain activities on the platform. There are a few ways members can earn free credits:

• Publishing long-form posts: Writers can earn up to 150 credits monthly by publishing long posts.
• LinkedIn survey panels: Completing certain surveys from LinkedIn can earn you 25-50 credits.
• Bug bounty programs: Reporting valid bugs or issues on LinkedIn can sometimes earn credits.
• Referrals: Referring small business owners to open a LinkedIn page can earn 25 credits.

For example, if I published a detailed article on LinkedIn recently, I may have qualified for 100 or 150 free credits.

How to Earn LinkedIn Credits by Publishing

Here are more details on earning credits by publishing on LinkedIn:

• Credits are earned for long-form posts over 300 words
• Posts must provide valuable insights and original perspectives
• Credits are issued monthly for qualifying posts in the previous month
• The maximum number of credits that can be earned monthly is 150

So focusing on publishing high-quality, detailed articles and posts is a great way to earn free LinkedIn credits over time.

Checking Where Your Credits Came From

If you want to see exactly where your LinkedIn credits came from, here are the steps:

1. Go to your LinkedIn account settings
2. Select “Purchase LinkedIn Products”
3. Click on “Credits” from the menu
4. Review your credit transaction history

This will show you a list of all your credit purchases, gifts received, bonuses, earnings, and other relevant transactions. So it’s easy to trace where those 250 credits ultimately came from!

How to Use LinkedIn Credits

Now that we’ve explored various ways to get LinkedIn credits, let’s discuss how you can use them:

• Send InMail messages: Credits can be used to send InMail to people outside your network.
• Apply for jobs: Applying for certain jobs requires credits.
• Post new jobs: Posting job listings on LinkedIn costs credits.
• Take online courses: Some LinkedIn Learning courses cost credits.
• Boost content: You can spend credits to increase your post reach.

With 250 credits specifically, here’s what I could do:

So 250 credits provides access to some great premium features!

Conclusion

To recap, here are the main potential reasons I have 250 LinkedIn credits:

• I purchased them directly from LinkedIn
• I received them through a LinkedIn promotion
• They were gifted to me by another user
• I earned them by publishing posts and participating on the platform

The credits allow me to access premium services like InMail, job applications, post boosting, and more. Overall, having LinkedIn credits can really enhance your experience on the platform.

There are a variety of ways to obtain credits, either through purchase, promotions, gifts, or earning activities. Checking your transaction history reveals exactly where your credits came from. And put to good use, those credits can really make a difference in reaching your networking and career goals on LinkedIn!