Short answer: friends mostly cost you Stardust, not hand it to you. Trading with a friend always charges Stardust — friendship level only lowers the price, down to a 100 minimum that never disappears. A gift from a friend can include Stardust among its random contents, but it's never guaranteed. Raiding with friends pays the same Stardust as raiding with strangers — friendship changes nothing about the payout.
Trainer school
How much Stardust do friends actually give you in Pokémon GO?
"Friends give you free Stardust" is a common enough shorthand that it's worth separating what's actually true from what's really just a discount. Here's where friends fit into your Stardust income, channel by channel.
Trading: friends cost you Stardust, they don't give you any
Every trade costs Stardust, paid by both trainers, and friendship level only sets how much:
| Trade type | Good | Great | Ultra | Best/Forever |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Special — already in your Pokédex | 20,000 | 16,000 | 1,600 | 800 |
| Special — new Pokédex entry | 1,000,000 | 800,000 | 80,000 | 40,000 |
Even at Best Friends, a standard trade still costs 100 Stardust — there's no friendship tier that makes a trade free, let alone profitable. What friendship actually buys you is a 96% discount on the expensive special-trade tiers, not a Stardust reward. Friendship Friday and Community Day's trading window work the same way — both cut your Stardust cost by a further 20-50%, but it's still a discount on what you pay, never Stardust handed to you for trading. The GO Pass's own trade bonus is a different currency entirely — extra Candy, not Stardust.
Gifts: Stardust is possible, never guaranteed
Opening a gift from a friend can include Stardust alongside Poké Balls, Potions, Revives, berries, evolution items and eggs — it's one slot in a random item pool, commonly reported in amounts around 100-300 per gift that contains it. There's no official, published guarantee or exact rate, and friendship level doesn't change the odds or amount — gift contents are random regardless of how long you've been friends. Treat gift Stardust as a nice bonus on top of the eggs and items you're really opening gifts for, not a dependable income source.
Raids: friends don't change the payout
Winning a raid pays out Stardust the same way whether you did it with your best friend or a lobby full of strangers — the reward is tied to the raid tier, your medal progress and any active bonuses (like Weather Boost), not to who's standing next to you. Raiding with friends is worth doing for the friendship points and raid-bonus perks it unlocks, not for extra Stardust on that raid itself.
So where does friend-powered Stardust actually come from?
Not from any single big payout — from friendship quietly lowering what you spend elsewhere:
- Cheaper special trades as friendship climbs, which is real money saved, even if it isn't new Stardust earned.
- Occasional gift Stardust, free and uncapped by friendship level, just inconsistent.
- The friendship-level discount days - Friendship Friday and Community Day's trading window - stack with your existing friendship tier rather than replacing it.
If raw Stardust income is the goal, catching, hatching eggs and feeding Gym defenders outearn anything friends provide directly. Friends are how you keep more of the Stardust you already have, mainly by making trades cheaper.
FAQ
Does Friendship Friday give extra Stardust, or just a discount? Just a discount - 20% off trade costs, on top of whatever your friendship level already set. It doesn't add Stardust to your balance the way catching or hatching does.
Do higher-friendship-level friends send better gifts? No - gift contents are random from the same pool no matter your friendship level with the sender. Friendship level affects trade prices, not gift contents.
Is there a trade that actually costs 0 Stardust? No - even a Best Friend or Forever Friend standard trade costs a minimum of 100 Stardust. Nothing in the current system makes a trade free.
Does trading with a friend ever refund Stardust if the trade fails? Stardust isn't taken until both of you tap Confirm, so walking away or closing the app beforehand never charges you
- see exactly when a trade becomes final. Whether a trade that gets stuck or disconnects after confirming can still deduct Stardust isn't something we can confirm yet.
What's the actual best way to use friends for Stardust? Keep a steady supply of fresh trainer codes for daily gifting, and save your friendship-level discount for the trades you'd be making anyway - that's a bigger effect than hoping for Stardust inside a gift.