Thanks for the clarification. I grant you one upvote point that doesn't exist in this forum.

I'm not sure if this is a bug or what. As an Inquisitor I had romanced and maxed affection with Ashara Zavros, so she was receptive to my courting gifts. Now that influence adds additional levels to the affection system I am starting to train up my companions, but I noticed that the courting gifts no longer work on Ashara. I assume this has something to do with my having completed the main story for my class, and not anything to do with the 4.0+ updates, right? Or is it a bug?

I don't need anything, that's why it's not a consideration for me unsubbing. It is, however, something that is confusing to me from an economic standpoint.

I don't want them to increase it. I want to pay them for an increase.

Some cash spent is more than no cash spent. It's not up for debate whether I'm subbing or not. I'm not sure how anyone can think $15/month is a reasonable price if all you want is credits. Do you understand how microtransaction games work?

This is my point right here. I'm actively buying things that cost CC with credits. This creates demand for something that SOMEONE purchased with cash. But instead you have clueless people like this spouting out their canned responses:

I'm talking about comments that clearly miss the point beyond the title: "As this thread basically proves, the credit cap is a big deal and that's one of the big reasons why it makes sense to have it, because it should mean something to be a sub and there should be a significant reason for people to sub." Or passive-aggressively accusing me of being cheap: "One, I'm not a cheap skate." I don't think I should get everything for free (especially since I'm planning on paying via CC unlocks). Having to buy passes for endgame content and not getting the latest content right away makes sense to me. Suffocating the economy does not. And once again, I am perfectly willing to "buy" this game via cartel unlocks. I don't expect everything free. They are not going to force me to sub with just the credit cap, so they are not getting that either way. What they are doing is potentially losing my business if that inconvenience is enough to make me seek a less limited game. The whole idea of varied pricing structures is to attract business from different levels on consumers. That's why sales work.

Do people even bother reading past the title? I am a sub and I plan on purchasing CC to get the various unlocks. Something as paltry as a cred cap isn't going to keep me paying $15 a month while I might not get to play for weeks at a time. I guess you guys can have fun foaming at the mouth because I brought up what is apparently still a hot-button topic. I mean, TBH, they are actually LOSING business from me if the stuff I can buy as preferred makes it such a hassle to play. I think the fact that only subs can post here mean you guys just have a sever case of incestuous amplification. So much for rational discussion.

I was hoping by posing it in the form of a rational question rather than a rant/whine I could avoid sifting through the vitriol of those threads to get the real answer. Thank you, though.

Would that be too bad? It's not like there's scarcity in this economy if you are willing to harvest the materials/farm the quests. The only real commodity is time investment, it seems. Does it work?

Due to my inability to play as much I am getting ready to become a premium member from a subscriber for a while. It seems to me that nearly everything you get by subscribing can be attained via CC, essentially giving you the option of buying it all in one lump, rather than periodic subscription. I am curious why the credit cap is the thing that you cannot buy outright. It will certainly be annoying, but it won't stop me from ending my sub. It just strikes me as odd that they would choose something that limits the in-game economy. I buy cartel packs with credits from time to time, and I'm sure there are preferred members who would like to, as well. I feel like persuading people to sub can't be the only reason for this. Why do they have that terrible temporary escro withdrawal rather than a purches (or multiple) to up the cap?

Is there a reason that BW cannot simply sell credits to players for CC directly, essentially taking over the gold sellers' business? I mean, if people are trying to farm/sell credits, there's obviously a market for it, right? Is it a P2W issue or something else?

Yeah, I actually thought of this while using 50 level 1 gifts. I think I'm just going to stick with the time-efficient one at this point because I think I will strangle my companions if I have to keep hearing them say "I like this" 10000000 times.

Thank you, but that's actually what I linked in the op.

Has anyone created some form of guide that outlines the most cost-efficient companion gifts at various influence levels? For example, according to this guide from influence level 10-19, buying level 1 green companion gifts at the vendor grants more influence/credit than running level 5 missions for blue gifts. I've been away for a while, so I figured before I go nuts figuring it out by myself, I should probably check and see if someone else has done the legwork already.