Related: Mass Effect 2's Probe Launching Detracts From Its Great Galaxy Map Electronic credit transfers seem to be the standard across the franchise - credits are most often acquired through hacking datapads - but physical currency still exists as well.
The Unified Banking Act helped tie the value and exchange rate of credits to the individual currencies of all other species in the galaxy, including humans, when they finally joined the other Citadel races in the series. In the timeline of the Mass Effect universe, credits were established as the standard galactic trade currency by the Citadel's Unified Banking Act, drafted by the volus species. By comparing the price of some of Mass Effect's real-world items to how much they cost in-game, it's possible to attempt to figure out how the game's credits might correspond to actual currency. BioWare's sci-fi RPG series Mass Effect uses a fictional currency called credits in place of real money, which players can collect throughout the game and use to purchase weapons, armor, and other items.
