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How Uptop's Fan-Rewards Points Work, From the NBA to Michigan

Michigan Athletics announced Wolverine Rewards on Sept. 14, joining Uptop fan-rewards programs at Penn State, Baylor, Memphis and Nevada, with a "loaded value credential" planned. Here's what the schools' releases say about earning and redeeming points.

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How Uptop's Fan-Rewards Points Work, From the NBA to Michigan - Tutorial and guide

Uptop is a rewards platform for sports and college-athletics fans: link a payment card or scan a receipt, earn points automatically where fans already shop, and redeem them for perks, per Rain's description of the product it now owns. Uptop operates as an independent brand under Rain, the stablecoin-payments company that acquired it; the deal is dated Nov. 12, 2025 by PYMNTS and Built In NYC — Rain's own release omits a date. Rain says Uptop's "onchain architecture runs on Avalanche, enabling low-latency, high-volume loyalty experiences while keeping the user experience familiar and simple."

How fans earn and redeem points

Uptop's earliest sports deployment on record is the Cleveland Cavaliers' Cavs Rewards, launched Oct. 25, 2024, Loyalty360 reported; LSU Athletics' Geaux Rewards followed Aug. 14, 2025, per LSU's release. Fans link a free Uptop account to a debit or credit card and earn points at concessions, at partner businesses, or by scanning receipts or referring friends, per Avalanche's writeup and Loyalty360. Points redeem for tickets, VIP meet-and-greets, merchandise and memorabilia, per Loyalty360; Uptop's own site describes redemptions more generally, running "from seat upgrades and signed merch to tickets, VIP access, and exclusive experiences."

Penn State, Baylor, Memphis, Nevada and Michigan have since launched programs the same way. Penn State Rewards, announced Aug. 20 and live Aug. 24: Penn State Athletics said fans earn by attending games or linking a card at partners including Dunkin', Onvo, Giant, Jersey Mike's and UTZ, redeeming for merchandise, tickets and "unique Penn State experiences"; brokered by Penn State Sports Enterprises (Playfly Sports), with a co-branded prepaid card planned. Baylor Bears Perks and Memphis's GoTigersGo Rewards followed Sept. 9 and Sept. 10. Baylor Athletics said fans earn by attending games, buying concessions, or linking a card at partners such as Raising Cane's, redeeming for tickets and memorabilia; brokered by Baylor Sports Properties (Playfly), with registration opening Sept. 14 at BaylorBearsPerks.com. Memphis Athletics said fans earn the same way at partners including AutoZone, Chick-Fil-A and Kroger, redeeming for VIP experiences, signed merchandise and tickets; brokered by Learfield's Tiger Sports Properties, with a Sept. 14 go-live date. Both plan co-branded prepaid cards, and @avax's Sept. 9 and Sept. 10 posts each named Avalanche.

Nevada's Wolf Pack Rewards was announced Sept. 11: @avax said it was "launching Wolf Pack Rewards with Uptop, built on Avalanche," and Nevada Athletics' own release names partners Big O Tires, Del Taco and Mountain Mike's Pizza, sets a Sept. 18 go-live at WolfPackRewards.com, names the broker as Learfield's Wolf Pack Sports Properties, and says a co-branded prepaid card is planned. The "Wolf Pack Rewards" name predates this deal: Nevada ran a program of the same name for students starting January 2023 on a different vendor, FanMaker. Michigan's Wolverine Rewards followed: U-M Athletics announced Monday, Sept. 14 that it built the program with Uptop, a Rain company, facilitated by Learfield's Michigan Sports Properties; it launches Sept. 16 at wolverinerewards.com, with fans earning by attending events, spending at Michigan venues, and shopping with partners including Meijer, Coca-Cola and CITGO, then redeeming for merchandise, memorabilia, tickets and Michigan Athletics experiences. Michigan and Uptop plan to add a "loaded value credential" fans could fund through their account and spend anywhere, per the release.

Where Avalanche fits, and the Rain relationship

The 2026 college releases from Penn State, Baylor, Memphis, Nevada and Michigan describe Avalanche's role in near-identical language — evidence the wording comes from Uptop, not each school independently describing the technology. Penn State: the program is "leveraging Uptop's proprietary technology and infrastructure built on Avalanche," Penn State said. Baylor: "utilizing Uptop's technology and infrastructure built on Avalanche," Baylor said. Memphis: "Utilizing Uptop's technology, and infrastructure built on Avalanche," Memphis said. Nevada: "bringing Uptop's innovative fan rewards technology, and infrastructure built on Avalanche," Nevada said. Michigan: "leveraging Uptop's technology and infrastructure built on Avalanche," Michigan said. The speed claim tracks the same pattern rather than singling out one school: Penn State's release calls it "instant," Michigan's says points land "nearly instantly," and Nevada's own release quotes Uptop's Zac Sebo saying fans "link a card, pay as they normally would, and receive rewards nearly instantly." Rain, Uptop's parent, frames the infrastructure the same way, and John Timoney, quoted in that release, says the onchain layer stays "invisible to the user." Memphis's Sept. 10 @avax post and Nevada's Sept. 11 @avax post each name the corporate relationship directly: "Uptop, a Rain company."

Penn State's Aug. 20 launch came before Baylor's, Memphis's, Nevada's and Michigan's: @avax said on Aug. 17 that "some of the biggest names in the NBA" already run fan rewards on Avalanche through Uptop — existing programs like Cavs Rewards, not a new launch, without naming teams (Descout's coverage). Penn State Rewards followed on Aug. 20, then Baylor and Memphis on Sept. 9 and Sept. 10, Nevada on Sept. 11, and Michigan on Sept. 14.

What the sources don't say

  • Whether a crypto wallet is part of the fan-facing flow: Uptop's own site, in copy addressed to brands, says "Your customers will be prompted to access your reward when they sign up for an Uptop crypto wallet (or connect their own crypto wallet!)."

Sources

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