Reddit Updates Gold System, Now Pays Contributors for Popular Posts

Reddit announced an update this week for its Reddit Gold system, the one where people could at one time affix gold badges to top-performing posts and comments to signify who'd made excellent contributions on the social platform. That system has evolved over time in ways that Redditors didn't always agree with through things like Reddit Coins and many more awards that took accolades far beyond a simple seal of recognition. Reddit says that it's simplifying the process now, and as part of that update, a new contributor payout program is also being added that'll pay top contributors real money for their efforts.

A post on Reddit's corporate site -- not the Reddit users typically visit -- explained the details. Reddit Coins were discontinued back in July when the changes were first announced, and now, users can start checking out the new version of Reddit Gold while potentially getting paid.

The New Reddit Gold

Like the premium Reddit Coins before it, the new Reddit Gold will still cost real-world money for people to purchase and then gift to other users. If you've got Reddit Gold stashed away and want to give it away, you can "long press the upvote icon on mobile (or hover over it on desktop) directly within the post or comment" to award it, Reddit said. Doing so will give whatever that post or comment was a golden upvote icon to show off the award and perhaps draw more attention to it.

"A suite of six gold awarding options will appear, starting at $1.99 for one gold, and up to $49.00 for 25 gold," Reddit said regarding the options to purchase Reddit Gold. "A golden upvote will appear in place of a regular upvote after gilding. Users will continue to earn karma on content upvoted through the regular upvote button."

For those using Reddit Premium, the company announced months ago that the subscription service wouldn't be going way, but that it would "discontinue the monthly coin drip and Premium Awards" since Reddit Coins weren't going to be a thing anymore. 

How Much Does Reddit Pay?

For those who've been around Reddit for a long time and have a chance to make some extra money on the platform, how much money are we talking, exactly? Over in the more detailed breakdown of the payout system, Reddit explained what these payments will look like.

To start, you'll have to maintain a minimum Karma threshold during a 12-month period, so be prepared for people to be farming Karma more than ever before, if that's even possible. The contributor program and the new version of Reddit Gold go hand-in-hand since your payouts will be determined by how much Reddit Gold you've been awarded. If you have between 100-4,999 Karma, you get $0.90 for every one Reddit Gold you're awarded. Once you cross the 5,000-Karma threshold, you get $0.10 more at $1 for every Reddit Gold. 

That's not a lot at all, but for those who are avid posters and are engaged in the community already, you stand to make at least something from a hobby you already had in the first place. For those who want to start making money, you'll be able to get verified if you're eligible and start soon now that the program has started rolling out.