You can buy carbon credits as an individual without a broker or a registry account. A seller retires the credits on your behalf, and you get a record you can check. This guide is for people offsetting their own flights, travel or everyday emissions; it is part of our buying guides, and the guide to buying carbon credits covers the basics.
Start with what you can cut
Credits work best for what’s left after you have cut what you can. The Oxford Offsetting Principles put reducing your own emissions first and treat credits as a complement for what remainsSource 2.
For many people, travel is the clearest place to start. Our World in Data puts a domestic flight at about 246 grams of CO₂ equivalent per passenger-kilometre, against about 35 grams for national railSource 1. It estimates that taking a train instead of a domestic flight cuts that journey’s emissions by around 86%Source 1.
A worked example
To estimate a specific flight, use our flight emissions calculator. It applies UK government factors to the distance between the two airports.
Matched shop
Buy portfolio credits
- Registry serial numbers
- Retirement certificate
- Project documentation
How to buy carbon credits for yourself
Step 1: Cut what you can first
Look at flights, travel, home energy and food, and reduce what you can before offsetting.
Step 2: Estimate your emissions in tonnes
Use a calculator or published emission factors to estimate the tonnes of CO₂ equivalent you want to cover.
Step 3: Pick a project type
Choose between avoidance and removal credits, and a project type you want to support.
Step 4: Choose a seller that suits small purchases
Check the smallest amount each seller will sell, and that it names the project, standard and registry.
Step 5: Pay and keep the records
Keep the certificate or confirmation, the serial numbers and the registry link.
Step 6: Check the retirement
Look up the retirement in the public registry and check the quantity, serial numbers and your name.
You don’t need your own registry account. A seller can retire credits on your behalf, and on the Verra Registry the beneficial owner field is where your name appearsSource 5. That field is optional and can be kept private, so ask for it to be shown.
Which sellers suit individuals?
Not every seller works with individuals. Brokers and exchanges mostly serve organisations, while retailers, some marketplaces and some project developers sell directly to people. The table shows which types of seller in our provider records say they serve individuals.
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| Type | How you buy | Serves (from our records) | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retailer / offset shop | Sells credits it has already chosen, often at a fixed price per tonne, and retires them for you | Individuals, Small businesses, Companies | BuyCarbonOffsets.org *, Cool Effect, Ecologi |
| Marketplace | Lists credits from many projects or sellers, so you choose the project | Individuals, Small businesses, Companies | Carbonmark, Gold Standard Marketplace |
| Project developer | Runs or finances its own projects and takes money for them directly | Individuals, Small businesses, Companies | atmosfair, myclimate |
* Same operator · DisclosureWho each type serves and the examples come from the providers' own pages. Examples are listed alphabetically, not ranked.As of Oct 2026
When you compare them, look at the smallest amount each will sell, how the price per tonne is shown, and what record you get. Gold Standard, for example, gives buyers on its own marketplace a certificate that links to the registry record where their credits were retiredSource 4.
Choosing a project type
Two broad choices shape what you buy. Avoidance credits pay for emissions that would otherwise have happened; removal credits pay for CO₂ taken out of the atmosphere and stored. Most credits sold today are avoidance credits, and the Oxford Principles recommend shifting toward durable removals over timeSource 2.
Removals usually cost more. In 2024, removal credits sold for an average of $19.50 per tonne and reduction credits for $4.05, in deals reported to Ecosystem MarketplaceSource 7. Our page on removal vs avoidance credits explains the trade-offs.
Whatever you pick, check the methodology. The ICVCM’s 10 Core Carbon Principles set a quality threshold, and credits that meet it can carry the CCP labelSource 6.
What you should get after you buy
- Serial numbers and the registry name. These let you find the credits in a public registry.
- A retirement record. On the Verra Registry it shows the serial numbers and, if the account holder chooses, the retirement reason and beneficial ownerSource 5.
- A certificate or confirmation. Useful to keep, but the registry record is what proves the retirement.
Once retired, credits can’t be recirculated or resoldSource 4. Our guide on how to verify carbon credits shows how to check the record, registry by registry.
One-off purchase or subscription?
Some sellers offer monthly plans as well as one-off purchases. A plan can make sense if your emissions are steady, but check what each payment buys: how many tonnes, from which projects, and whether each retirement appears in a registry. A one-off purchase is easier to match to a specific flight or year, and easier to check afterwards.
Either way, keep a simple record of what you bought and why: the tonnes, the date, the project and the registry link. It makes any claim you share later easy to back up.
Mistakes to avoid
Common traps for individual buyers
- Buying credits as an investment. The FCA warns that people who bought carbon credits as an investment have reported they can’t sell themSource 9.
- Offsets for reductions years away. US guidance says sellers should clearly disclose if the reductions won’t happen for two years or longerSource 8. Its own example is a travel site offering to neutralise a flight with projects that won’t cut emissions for two years.
- No registry trail. If the seller can’t give you serial numbers and a registry, you can’t check what you bought.
See carbon credit scams for more warning signs.
What can you say afterwards?
Claims: keep it factual
The Oxford Principles note that “carbon neutral” is widely read as a less rigorous, interim claimSource 2. A plain statement holds up better: “I retired 1 tonne of credits from this project”, with a link to the registry record.
For more on choosing and checking offsets, read how to buy carbon offsets, or compare sellers side by side on where to buy carbon credits.