Uphold’s Earn feature lets you put your USDC and RLSUD to work. By depositing your funds into lending pools, you earn rewards over time. You can also use USDC deposits as collateral to access Instant Credit without selling your crypto.
To learn more about earning with RLUSD, visit our RLUSD Earn page.
Where is Earn available?
Earn is available in most countries, including throughout Latin America and most US states.
Earn is not available in:
- All European Economic Area (EEA) member states
- Australia
- Brazil
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- Venezuela
- Åland Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, and Saint Martin (French part).
Earn is not available in the following US states and territories:
- American Samoa
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- New York
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Washington
How to start earning
Follow these steps to begin:
- Tap Start Earning on your Uphold home screen and tap Continue.
- Choose an asset either USDC or RLUSD.
- Review and agree to the Terms and Conditions.
- Choose funds to add.
- Note: You will be lending USDC/RLUSD, but you can convert your other crypto assets in USDC/RLUSD during this step.
- Select the amount you want to deposit and tap Confirm.
- Look for the confirmation message on your screen that your funds are now earning.
- Transactions can take up to 2 minutes to complete.
Manage your Earn portfolio
Once you start earning, go to the Earn page to track your performance. At a glance, you will see your:
- Projected monthly rewards
- Current APY%
- Current balance
- Recent activity
At the bottom of the page, you can choose to either Add more funds or Withdraw.
Withdraw your funds
Taking your money out of your Earn portfolio only takes a few taps:
- Select USDC or RLUSD, and tap Withdraw at the bottom of the Earn page. Warning: Moving funds from the protocol’s lending pool back to an Uphold account is a crypto transaction; standard network fees apply.
- Select the amount you want to take out and tap Preview. If you are using your USDC Earn funds to back a loan, you will see a preview of your Credit Health score. This score shows how the withdrawal impacts borrowing or spending power.
- Review the transaction details, then tap Confirm.
Using Earn as collateral
You can use your USDC Earn balance as collateral to borrow funds via Uphold’s Instant Credit feature.
Adding funds and withdrawing funds works exactly the same way as USDC Earn. However, in Instant Credit, you cannot withdraw any funds that are securing a loan you are still paying off. To unlock your funds so you can withdraw them, you must first pay off your loan balance. Learn how to do this here.
Regional restrictions: In regions where Instant Credit is not supported, you cannot use your Earn balance as collateral for the Exa Credit card. However, you can still deposit USDC and earn rewards!
Does Uphold charge any fees?
There are no subscription fees to use Earn. Some service fees may apply, but the rate (APY) shown in the app already takes them into account, what you see is what you earn. See our Terms of Use.
Are there any risks associated with Earn?
Uphold’s Earn features rely on third-party smart contract integrations:
- Exactly Protocol: Powers USDC lending pools.
- Sentora Vaults: Powers RLUSD yield strategies - See Sentora specific disclaimers here.
Note: While both protocols are audited and feature high-grade security, smart contract usage carries inherent risks (including potential hacks or exploits) that could cause a loss of funds. Participation in Earn is voluntary and at your own risk see Uphold Earn Potential Risks and Key Terms.
Taxes
Rewards generated by Earn may be considered taxable income. Review our General U.S. crypto tax facts, but always speak with a certified tax professional for advice tailored to your specific situation.