Plutus May 2025 Rewards: Veteran Tier & PLUS Update

Hey, I’m Marcel, and welcome back to the lab! It’s early June 2025, and I’m recapping my Plutus experiment—turning everyday spending into crypto cashback with a Visa debit card. This post covers the Plutus May 2025 Rewards, including PLUS introduction, free payouts pause (with a CEO reply), Difficulty Adjustment update, 1M PLU burn, and my Veteran tier achievement with 3,159 PLU. New to Plutus? Check out my first blog post for a full overview of how it works and my results since March 2023.

Plutus May 2025 Update: PLUS Rewards Introduced

On May 8, 2025, Plutus rolled out a big change: internal rewards are now called PLUS, while external rewards remain PLU. This matches their Q2 roadmap from the CEO in April, separating in-app utility (PLUS) from external staking (PLU). Users earn PLUS through spending and perks, just like PLU was, but it’s now distinct for in-app use—like swapping for cash or redeeming for utilities like PlutusTravel.

The goal? Sustainability and clarity after last year’s emissions drama, when Plutus faced token inflation challenges and paused features like their DEX for long-term growth. My in-app balance now shows PLUS, and I earned 59.9 PLUS as part of the Plutus May 2025 Rewards through spending and perks—more on that below.

Free Payouts Paused: CEO Responds to My Complaint

Early last month, I ran into an issue with Plutus’ free payouts. I noticed my free payouts were missing from my account—I had 4 left. Plutus paused free payouts earlier—I’m unsure when—but I noticed in late April 2025, before PLUS was introduced on May 8. Around that time, as part of the Plutus 2025 Cashback May, I submitted a ticket and replied to the CEO’s post on X (@MarsBlockLab). Plutus’ CEO, Danial Daychopan, replied to me on X (@DDhopn, May 3, 2025), noting that access reasons were in prior emails and asking for my ticket number, which I’d already shared. After the CEO’s reply, I received my free payout and used it to transfer my PLU to my wallet—it’s reassuring to see the CEO step in, showing Plutus is listening, even during a bumpy transition.

PLU Burn Kicks Off: First 1M Tokens Burned

The PLU burn, teased in Plutus’ Q2 roadmap shared by the CEO in April, officially started on May 20, 2025, as announced by @Plutus_Support on X. Plutus burned 1,000,000 PLU, reducing the total supply from 20 million to 19 million PLU. Danial Daychopan (@DDhopn, May 20, 2025) called it a sacrifice for the greater good, highlighting tough decisions for $PLU and @plutus. The transaction details show 1M PLU sent to a null address, valued at $790,044 at the time. The next burn of 1M PLU is scheduled for June 20, 2025, continuing the phased reduction. With my 3,159 PLU now classified as Rare PLU post-burn, I’m excited to see what’s going to happen with this scarcity.

Difficulty Adjustment Update: What It Means for Reward Levels

On May 17, 2025, Danial Daychopan shared a key update on X (@DDhopn) about Plutus’ Difficulty Adjustment mechanism. Per the whitepaper (pages 6–7), this adjustment cuts FUEL fees (in-app transaction costs) and Reward Level requirements by 50% when PLU’s market price exceeds 1.5x its intrinsic value. For example, a Chad-level user (1,000 PLU) could unlock Hero without stacking more PLU if the price spikes.

I replied (@MarsBlockLab, May 17, 2025), asking if users who level up this way are “grandfathered” or if their level drops when requirements reset. The CEO responded that levels adjust accordingly to keep things fair. For me at Veteran (3,159 PLU) with Plutus Veteran Tier Rewards 2025 benefits, this could mean reaching Legend if PLU’s price jumps, but I might drop back if the market cools. It’s a dynamic system, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on PLU’s price movements going forward!

Veteran Tier Achieved: Stacking 3,159 PLU

Big win last month—I hit the Veteran tier! After my April buy of 210.37 PLU, I started May with 2,276.64 PLU, 723.36 PLU shy of the 3,000 PLU needed for Veteran. On May 10, 2025, I transferred 882.36 PLUS, which I converted to PLU, from my in-app balance to my external wallet, bringing my total to 3,159 PLU. The payout process took a few days, but I’ve been enjoying Veteran perks: 5% cashback (up from 3% at Hero) and 5 perk slots (up from 4). The extra cashback is already boosting my returns—more on that in the results!

Perks Breakdown

With the Veteran tier, I now have 5 perk slots (up from 4 at Hero). I’m capped at £50 per perk due to last year’s Metal Card promo, but each perk can be stacked once, allowing up to £100 per retailer. In May, I chose Sainsbury’s (£100.00, stacked twice at £50), Shell (£100.00, stacked twice at £50), Tesco (£100.00, stacked twice at £50), Amazon (£51.45, single perk), and Aldi/Hofer (£47.57, single perk), totaling £399.02, with additional unlisted spending bringing it to £515.50, earning PLU/PLUS rewards.

Since PLUS started on May 8, my perks earned after that date credited as PLUS, adding 39.9 PLUS to the Plutus May 2025 Rewards, with the rest as PLU before the change, contributing to my 10 PLU. For June, I’ve locked in Sainsbury’s (£50) and Amazon (£50), and I’ll pick more once I map my spending. The app’s perk screen makes this effortless.

My Lab Results: Plutus May 2025 Rewards

So far, I’ve stacked 3,159 PLU (external, now Rare PLU post-burn) since starting in March 2023 – that’s £2,048.73 at the May rate ($0.82/PLU, $1 = £0.79). Here’s how my Plutus experiment shaped up in May: I earned 59.9 PLUS total—39.9 from perks (detailed above) and 20 from card rewards. Pre-May 8, I earned 10 PLU from early-month spending. The next level, Legend, requires 10,000 PLU for 6% cashback and 6 perks, but with my current stack, there’s a long way to go, and I don’t expect to reach it this year. I won’t be able to reach Legend anytime soon, but I’m happy to have my Veteran benefits—5% cashback and 5 perks are making a solid difference in my daily spending.

Lab Reflections

The Plutus May 2025 Rewards brought 69.9 total rewards (59.9 PLUS + 10 PLU), a solid step forward, especially with the Veteran tier unlocked. Hitting 3,159 PLU (now Rare PLU) feels like a milestone after two years of stacking, and the 5% cashback is a nice boost. The first 1M PLU burn has me optimistic—scarcity could make my Rare PLU even more valuable in the long run, especially with another burn coming in June, which would be a win for my stack.

The Difficulty Adjustment update offers opportunity—it could make reaching Legend easier if PLU’s price spikes, but I’ll stay vigilant with adjustments and don’t expect to get there soon. The free payouts pause was a hiccup, but the CEO’s reply was spot on—I got my free payouts sorted out shortly after. Plus, Danial Daychopan complimented my X bio in his response—pretty cool to get a shoutout from the CEO! With 3,159 PLU and counting, I’m swiping smarter with Veteran perks. Q3 could bring even more surprises—I’m earning PLUS now with my Veteran perks, and I’m waiting for more news to see what’s next!

Swapping PLUS for GBP—A New Feature in Action

I recently tried Plutus’ new swap feature, launched alongside the PLUS rewards system. I swapped 1 PLUS for £10, topping up my Plutus Visa debit card to a new balance of £50.25—check out the screenshot below! The process was seamless, confirming the swap instantly and adding the funds to my card for everyday spending. Plutus currently limits this feature to 1 PLUS per customer, likely to manage the transition to the new system. It’s a great start—turning PLUS into cash—but I hope they increase this limit as more PLUS utilities roll out. This swap feature is a game-changer for making PLUS rewards immediately usable, and I’m thrilled to see how it evolves!

Join the Fun?

Want in? Use my Golden Ticket link – deposit £/€10+, and we both score £/€50 in PLU (or equivalent). It’s UK/EU only, and with 9 referrals left, don’t sleep on it. Follow my updates on X @MarsBlockLab for more Plutus 2025 news – monthly labs dropping hot!