The points users earn on Reddit for their posts and comments are called karma.
Reddit karma is a reputation-like score generated largely by other users’ upvotes and downvotes. Posts and comments that receive positive reactions generally increase an account’s karma, while heavily downvoted contributions can reduce it. The score is intended to reflect a user’s contributions to the community, although it is not a direct one-to-one count of votes.
Reddit commonly distinguishes between post karma and comment karma, depending on where the votes were received. Some communities also use karma thresholds as an anti-spam measure, requiring new users to build a small amount of history before posting.
Karma is not the same as Reddit Premium, coins, or money, and it cannot normally be exchanged for cash. Another common misconception is that karma guarantees authority: scores can reflect popularity, timing, or the norms of a particular subreddit rather than expertise.