Star Citizen Glossary

What Is a CCU in Star Citizen?

CCU stands for Cross-Chassis Upgrade — a pledge store item that lets you upgrade one ship to a more expensive ship, paying only the price difference. CCUs transfer insurance (including LTI) to the new ship.

CCU Explained

Think of a CCU as a trade-in voucher. If you pledged for a ship worth $50, you can buy a CCU to a $100 ship for just $50 — rather than buying the $100 ship outright. The CCU replaces your original ship with the upgraded one, and your insurance (including LTI) carries over to the new ship.

Experienced players use “CCU chains” — a series of upgrades from a cheap LTI starter all the way to an expensive endgame ship. This is often cheaper than buying the target ship directly, and preserves Lifetime Insurance along the way.

How CCUs Work

  1. 1.

    Start with a ship pledge

    You need to own a ship first — this is the ship you'll be upgrading from. Ideally, an LTI ship if you want to preserve Lifetime Insurance.

  2. 2.

    Buy a CCU from the pledge store

    Find the CCU for your target ship. The price is the difference between your current ship's base price and the target ship's base price.

  3. 3.

    Apply the CCU to your ship

    In your RSI Hangar, apply the CCU to your current ship. Your ship becomes the upgraded version. Insurance status transfers.

  4. 4.

    Repeat to chain upgrades

    You can buy and apply multiple CCUs over time to step up from a starter ship to progressively larger ships, always paying just the price difference.

CCU Example

Step 1 — Starter (LTI)

Buy an LTI game package with the Aurora MR for $45. You have an Aurora + LTI + game access.

Cost so far: $45

Step 2 — CCU Up

Buy a CCU from Aurora to Avenger Titan ($20 difference). Apply it. Now you have an Avenger Titan + LTI.

Cost so far: $65

Step 3 — CCU Up Again

Buy a CCU from Avenger to Cutlass Black ($55 difference). Apply it. Now you have a Cutlass Black + LTI.

Cost so far: $120 (vs. $140 direct)

The CCU chain delivers the same ship + LTI for less than buying the Cutlass Black directly.

Types of CCUs

Standard CCU

Available year-round in the pledge store. Price is always the difference between ship base values. Straightforward and reliable.

Aurora to Avenger CCU — available anytime for $20.

Warbond CCU

Special CCUs available only during events, priced with a discount — but must be purchased with new money (not store credit). Limited availability.

Warbond CCUs during IAE can save 5-10% vs standard price.

Related Terms

Pledge

What a pledge is and how it works in Star Citizen

LTI

Lifetime Insurance — why it transfers via CCUs

UEC

United Earth Credits — what you earn in-game

See all Star Citizen terms

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