With acknowledgement to this portion of the account credit FAQ:

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WHAT ARE THE LIMITATIONS OF ACCOUNT CREDIT? 

Account credit can only be consumed for redeeming matching Nitro subscription plans [Nitro > Nitro / Classic > Classic]!

If you have Nitro Classic Monthly account credits, you will deplete that account credit only while subscribed at the Nitro Classic Monthly subscription (not 9.99 Nitro).

These same rules apply if you have 9.99 Nitro account credits. In that instance, you can only deplete account credit if that’s the tier you’re currently subscribed to 9.99 Nitro (not Nitro Classic)! 

HOW DO I ACTIVATE MY ACCOUNT CREDIT?

When your current Nitro subscription has expired or is removed, the Account Credit for the gift will apply when you activate that matching subscription on the desktop/browser Discord app.

For example, if you currently have 9.99 Nitro Monthly Credit, you will need to activate a 9.99 Nitro Monthly subscription to use this account credit!

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These limitations, as well as the activation process, should not be so complicated. This definitely looks like an attempt to charge people for a subscription they did not intend to pay for and I'm sure that happens often. Nitro credit should not be directly linked to active subscriptions and separating the process opens the door for much more control on the user side, and far fewer issues relating to accidental purchases/renewals for Discord's support team (the Discord Team).

There is a need for quality of life improvements on the user side. For example, credit one month of nitro should not necessarily have to be a continuous month. Perhaps it could be paused midway through the credit and Nitro can be easily activated for a month in its stead. Just separating credit from subscriptions should allow some creativity and fluidity.