Im new to this Game and maybe so i cannot tell so much about it.
I readed that, and infact with that code redeeming the ICE thing is still up and running, since ppl can just change codes to NIC...

When i check a new Game that i found or heard from, one of the first things i do is checking the Store of that Game:
if there is any kind if ingame value that can be paid with Real money then i instantly close the Browser tab and then i am never interested to that game anymore.

Maybe not alot people think so, but i would have not tryed this game when i had seen something else then the montly fee in the store.

My idea how you could maybe get a little bit around that:

Maybe you should include some kind of EP item.
This item can be used to get an amount of EP instantly, lets say for example there would be an item that give you 100EP instantly, and it can be found by killing NPC bots, mining and harvesting and with artifact scanning, so everyone can find them.
The % rate of wich it can be found should be determined by the Actual EP the user ever got in relation to the maximum EP amount a user can get.
so a allmost maxed out user can drop it with a rate of 0.00001 per hour and a fresh user with like under 1k EP maybe with 1 per hour or whatever.

So Players thate are active and often Playing will get a benefit for this and get theyr expansions faster then others, like it is in the most RPG like games.

Also this item could be make Tradeable, high lvl players will pay alot for it, so it opens a way to transfer alot NIC from the Veterans to the new Players also, and new players can decide if they want to use them or sell them.
in this case it should only be tradeable if a player is not on trial anymore, to prevent veterans from making alot of trial accounts for farming of this item.

Thats what i would try to do.