For a full overview of the program, see How Bold Rewards Works.
What is Bold Rewards?
Bold Rewards is Bold.org's rewards program. It's built directly into the scholarship experience and lets you earn Bold Points for being active on the platform and for using the Bold Rewards Plugin while shopping online.
Bold Rewards is a rewards system designed to reduce real educational costs.
How do I earn Bold Points?
You earn Bold Points by:
Applying to scholarships
Completing and updating your Bold.org profile
Referring or nominating friends to scholarships
Participating in promotions or programs
Using the Bold Rewards Plugin while shopping online
You don't need to do anything special — points are earned automatically as you stay engaged.
What can I redeem Bold Points for?
Bold Points can currently be redeemed for:
Student loan payments (100 Bold Points = $0.75)
Additional redemption options are being added:
Tuition payments — coming soon
Cash payouts — coming soon
Your Rewards dashboard always reflects the current and authoritative set of available options.
How many Bold Points do I need to redeem?
You need 3,000 Bold Points to unlock redemptions. Once you reach that threshold, you can redeem in amounts of 1,000 points or more per redemption.
Do Bold Points expire?
Yes. Bold Points expire after 90 days of no qualifying activity.
To help you stay on top of this:
You'll receive email reminders when points are approaching expiration
You can always see your point balance and expiration details in the Rewards tab
How do I prevent my points from expiring?
There are two ways to reset your 90-day window:
Earn additional Bold Points (through any eligible activity)
Either action keeps your points active for another 90 days.
I had points before the new system. What happens to them?
If you had Bold Points before the rewards system update, you have a 30-day window to complete a qualifying activity — either apply to a scholarship or earn additional Bold Points — to keep your existing balance. After 30 days without qualifying activity, pre-existing points will expire.
Where can I see my Bold Points and rewards status?
You can view:
Your Bold Points balance
Expiration timing
Redemption eligibility
Your All-Time Earnings total
All in the Rewards tab in your Bold.org account. Your Rewards dashboard is the authoritative source for all program information.
Do I need a bank account to redeem?
No. You do not need a bank account or any external financial account to redeem Bold Points. Redemptions are handled directly through your Bold.org account.
How much are Bold Points worth?
The value depends on the redemption option you choose:
Student loan payments: 100 Bold Points = $0.75
Redemption rates may vary by option. Your Rewards dashboard always shows the current rates.
How does my points balance work?
You have a single current balance that increases when you earn points and decreases when you redeem. Your current balance is what you can use.
You also have an All-Time Earnings total that shows the cumulative points you've earned over time. This appears on the leaderboard and doesn't decrease when you redeem points.
Your Rewards dashboard always shows the latest.
How long does a loan payment redemption take?
After you redeem Bold Points for a student loan payment, it typically takes approximately one week for the payment to be fully processed and applied.
I'm no longer earning points for an activity I used to get points for. Why?
Some point-earning activities have a maximum number of times you can earn points for them. If you've reached the limit for a specific activity, you won't earn additional points for it — but there are still many other ways to earn points on the platform.
Check your Rewards dashboard to see which activities still have points available.