Crypto cards are increasingly borrowing ideas from conventional loyalty programs, but UPay’s latest rewards feature adds a more gamified element to the experience.
Scratch & Earn went live on August 21th, according to UPay, and gives users a digital scratch card after eligible UPay Card purchases worth at least 5 USDT. Once the transaction is completed, the scratch card can reveal a reward in USDT, UPay Points, or a “Better Luck Next Time” result.
Unlike a conventional cashback program with a predetermined return, the exact reward is not known in advance. Instead, both the potential value of the reward and the probability of receiving it depend on rules established by UPay.
The company currently lists no fixed end date for the campaign, although its terms and availability could change over time.
How Scratch & Earn Works
The basic mechanism is relatively straightforward. An eligible card purchase of at least 5 USDT generates one scratch card, which becomes available after the transaction has been successfully processed.
Potential rewards increase across several spending tiers.
According to UPay’s published campaign details, purchases between 5 and 49.99 USDT can generate USDT rewards ranging from 0.01 to 0.05 USDT or a reward of 1 UPay Point. Purchases between 50 and 99.99 USDT can produce between 0.10 and 0.50 USDT or 10 Points.
The ranges continue to increase at higher transaction values. A qualifying purchase of at least 100 USDT can offer between 0.20 and 1 USDT or 20 Points, while purchases beginning at 500 USDT can offer between 1 and 5 USDT or 100 Points.
At the upper end, purchases reaching the 1,000 USDT tier can generate between 2 and 10 USDT or 200 Points. UPay also lists tiers beginning at 5,000 USDT and 10,000 USDT, with the largest advertised USDT reward reaching 100 USDT from a single scratch.
These figures describe the range of possible outcomes rather than a guaranteed return. Spending within a higher tier increases the potential reward available, but it does not mean the user will receive the maximum amount—or any reward at all.
The Reward Is Random, Not Fixed Cashback
That distinction separates Scratch & Earn from traditional cashback programs.
Cashback typically provides a predetermined percentage or amount based on eligible spending. Scratch & Earn instead introduces an element of chance after the transaction has already occurred.
According to UPay’s published probabilities, each spending tier uses the same overall distribution. There is a 55% probability of receiving a USDT reward, a 15% probability of receiving UPay Points, and a 30% probability of receiving a “Better Luck Next Time” result.
That means the stated probability of receiving some form of reward is 70%, but this should not be confused with a 70% chance of receiving USDT. The probability specifically associated with a USDT reward is 55%.
The USDT portion is divided further into four reward levels. UPay lists probabilities of 49.5%, 3%, 2%, and 0.5% across those levels, meaning the smallest USDT reward is substantially more likely than the larger outcomes.
The maximum rewards advertised for each spending tier should therefore be viewed as possible outcomes rather than typical returns.
This distinction is particularly relevant when comparing the feature with standard cashback, where users can usually calculate the expected reward before making a purchase.
Not Every Card Transaction Qualifies
There are also several eligibility restrictions.
ATM withdrawals do not generate scratch cards, and neither do card issuance fees or delivery fees. Refunded transactions are excluded, while rewards associated with purchases that are later refunded, reversed, or charged back may be removed from the user’s account.
UPay also states that split, duplicate, or unusual transactions may be excluded if they appear to have been structured primarily to take advantage of the campaign.
UPay Points are credited after a successful scratch in much the same way as USDT rewards, but they are not equivalent to USDT. Their value, expiration rules and available uses are governed separately within the UPay Wallet ecosystem.
Users therefore need to distinguish between the two reward types when assessing what they have actually received.
Crypto Cards Are Becoming a Larger Payments Category
The feature arrives as stablecoin-linked payment cards are becoming a more visible part of the broader digital-asset ecosystem.
Visa reported that stablecoin-linked cards processed approximately $5.2 billion in spending during 2025, representing substantial growth from the previous year.
That growth helps explain why crypto-card providers are increasingly experimenting with rewards and loyalty features similar to those long used by conventional credit and debit card issuers.
The difference in UPay’s case is the presentation. Instead of automatically returning a fixed amount after every eligible transaction, Scratch & Earn turns the reward into a separate interaction.
That can make the rewards process more engaging, but the randomized structure also makes it important to distinguish entertainment value from financial value.
A larger purchase may unlock a higher potential reward, for example, but that does not necessarily make spending more economically advantageous. The underlying purchase remains the primary financial decision, while the scratch reward is an uncertain additional benefit.
What Users Should Take From the Feature
Scratch & Earn is best understood as a loyalty feature attached to eligible UPay Card transactions rather than as a guaranteed source of cashback.
Users who already make qualifying purchases may receive USDT or Points after those transactions, but the size and type of the reward cannot be known beforehand. There is also a meaningful possibility of receiving no reward from an individual scratch.
The published probabilities make that structure relatively clear: 55% for some level of USDT, 15% for UPay Points, and 30% for no reward.
For users evaluating the feature, those probabilities are arguably more informative than the maximum 100 USDT headline reward. The largest prizes are possible, but the smaller USDT tier is considerably more common.
Ultimately, Scratch & Earn illustrates how crypto-card providers are experimenting with gamified loyalty mechanics as digital assets become more integrated with everyday payments.
For existing UPay Card users, the feature adds another layer to qualifying purchases. But, as with any randomized rewards program, the potential reward is better viewed as an extra attached to spending that would have happened anyway—not a reason to spend more in pursuit of a larger scratch.
