OSRS membership pricing and what's included
Old School RuneScape (OSRS) membership costs £5.99 per month in the UK, $10.99 USD per month in the US, or the equivalent in your local currency. There is one membership tier — you pay the same amount whether you play for an hour a week or forty hours. You can also buy three-month and twelve-month packages upfront at a discount: three months costs around £15.99 (roughly £5.33 per month) and twelve months costs around £49.99 (roughly £4.17 per month).
The game itself is free to play without membership, but members unlock additional content: more quests, more skills to train, access to more areas of the map, better equipment, and faster ways to earn in-game currency. A free player can reach level 20 in most skills; a member can reach level 99. The difference is substantial enough that most players who stick with the game beyond a few weeks buy membership.
Jagex, the company that runs OSRS, also sells cosmetic items and battle pass-style seasonal content through the in-game shop using real money, separate from membership. These are optional and do not affect gameplay power.
Key Takeaways
- OSRS membership is one flat tier at £5.99 per month (or $10.99 USD), with discounts available if you pay for three or twelve months upfront.
- Free players can train skills to level 20 and access a limited map; members can reach level 99 and unlock hundreds of quests and areas.
- You can cancel membership at any time, and your character remains on the server — you just lose access to member-only content until you renew.
- Membership is account-wide, not character-specific, so if you have multiple characters on one account, they all share the same membership status.
- Jagex also sells cosmetic items and seasonal battle passes separately from membership, but these do not affect combat or skilling power.
How to buy membership and payment methods
You buy membership through the official RuneScape website or the OSRS launcher. Log in with your account, go to the Members section, and choose your payment option: credit card, debit card, PayPal, or Google Play / Apple App Store credit if you play on mobile.
When you buy membership, it activates immediately. If you already have an active membership, buying more extends the end date — it does not stack on top of itself or refund the unused portion of what you already paid. For example, if you have ten days left and you buy one month, you now have forty days total, not fifty.
Jagex does not offer refunds for membership once it is active. If you buy a month and cancel the next day, that month is gone. Some payment methods (like PayPal) may allow you to dispute the charge through your bank or payment provider, but Jagex itself will not reverse it.
What happens when your membership expires
When membership ends, you keep your character and all items in your bank. You simply cannot access member-only areas, wear member-only equipment, or train member-only skills until you renew. If you are in a member-only area when membership expires, you are moved to a free-to-play area the next time you log in.
Your character does not disappear, and there is no time limit on how long you can stay inactive. You can let membership lapse for months or years and come back to the same account with everything intact.
Comparing the cost of membership over time
| Payment Plan | Upfront Cost | Cost Per Month |
|---|---|---|
| One month | £5.99 / $10.99 | £5.99 / $10.99 |
| Three months | £15.99 / $29.99 | £5.33 / $9.99 |
| Twelve months | £49.99 / $99.99 | £4.17 / $8.33 |
The twelve-month plan saves you roughly 30 percent compared to paying month-to-month. The three-month plan saves roughly 10 percent. If you are unsure whether you will play for a full year, the one-month option lets you test membership without committing.
Whether membership is worth the cost
Whether membership makes sense depends on how much you play and what you want to do. If you log in once a week for an hour, the cost per hour is high and you might be satisfied with free-to-play content. If you play ten hours a week, the cost per hour drops to roughly £0.14 per hour (at the twelve-month rate), which is cheaper than most other entertainment.
The free-to-play game is substantial — you can reach level 20 in all skills, complete dozens of quests, and play for dozens of hours without spending money. Many players use free-to-play to decide whether they like the game before buying membership. Others stay free-to-play indefinitely and are satisfied with that experience.
If you want to do endgame content — raids, high-level bossing, or training skills past level 20 — membership is necessary. If you want to experience the full game, membership is the only way to do that.
Managing your membership and avoiding unwanted charges
Membership renews automatically on the date it expires unless you cancel it beforehand. To stop automatic renewal, log into your account on the RuneScape website, go to Account Settings, find the Membership section, and click Cancel Membership. This stops the next charge but does not end your current membership early — you keep access until the paid period ends.
If you have set up automatic renewal and want to make sure you do not forget to cancel, set a calendar reminder for a few days before your membership expires. This gives you time to cancel if you want to, or to let it renew if you decide to keep playing.
If you are charged for membership you did not authorize, contact Jagex support through the official website. They can review the charge and may reverse it if there was an error. Keep your account secure — use a strong password and enable two-factor authentication — because if someone else accesses your account and buys membership, you are responsible for that charge.
Regional pricing and currency differences
OSRS membership price varies by region. The UK price is £5.99 per month, the US price is $10.99 per month, and other countries have prices set in their local currency. Jagex uses your account region (set when you created the account) to determine which currency you are charged in.
If you created your account in one region and move to another, you can contact Jagex support to request a region change, which will switch your billing currency. Exchange rates mean the actual pound or dollar cost may shift slightly over time, but Jagex does not change the price frequently — increases are rare and usually announced in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy membership with in-game currency instead of real money?
No. You must pay with real money (credit card, debit card, PayPal, or mobile payment). There is no way to convert in-game gold into membership. Some players sell in-game items for real money through third-party sites, but this violates Jagex's terms of service and risks account suspension.
Does membership carry over between OSRS and RuneScape 3?
Yes. OSRS and RuneScape 3 share the same membership system. If you buy membership, it unlocks member content in both games on the same account. Your characters are separate — your OSRS character does not exist in RuneScape 3 — but the membership status is shared.
What if I buy membership and then decide I do not want it?
Jagex does not refund membership once it is active. However, you can cancel automatic renewal immediately so you are not charged again. You keep access to member content for the remainder of the paid period, then revert to free-to-play when it expires.
Is there a student discount or family plan for OSRS membership?
No. Jagex does not offer student discounts, family plans, or group rates for OSRS membership. The price is the same for all players regardless of age or circumstances.
Can I gift membership to another player?
Not directly through Jagex. You cannot buy membership as a gift code. However, some players buy in-game items or gold and trade them to friends, or you can give someone a gift card for their payment method (like an iTunes card or Google Play card) and they can use it to buy membership themselves.