For most Americans, rent is their single largest monthly expense. And historically, it has built nothing. No equity. No savings. No progress toward owning a home. MegPrime is changing that.
MegPrime today announced the launch of its new rent payment rewards program, a platform that turns everyday rent payments into real financial value, rewarding renters for money they already spend while giving apartment communities a more effective way to attract and retain tenants.
With MegPrime, Rent Actually Pays You Back
By paying rent through the MegPrime app, renters can earn MegPrime Tokens, which can be redeemed for cash or any other currency of their choice. Renters at “Max Rewards Properties” (defined as a group of apartment communities designated within the MegPrime apartment search platform as eligible for maximum rewards) across the country can receive up to $800 per month in MegPrime Tokens, which can be redeemed for cash or any other currency. Renters at any other existing properties across the country (except New York) earn 2% back on rent (up to $100 per month). Those rewards go directly into the user’s digital wallet, where they can be used toward a down payment on a home, covering a car payment, or handling everyday expenses.
“We hear it all the time. People think this sounds too good to be true. But the model is straightforward,” said Zach Ipour, Co-Founder and CEO of MegPrime. “Most of the rewards are funded through the pooled marketing budgets of participating parties, such as developers, lenders, and brokerages, who are all invested in the same outcome. When renters succeed financially, they become homebuyers, and that’s good for everyone in the ecosystem. The SEC No-Action letter was a defining moment for us, allowing us to deliver this program with regulatory compliance and clarity.”
For renters thinking longer-term, the payoff can be substantial. Every dollar paid through the MegPrime app (including rent) earns points at a 1:1 ratio, on top of monthly rent payment rewards. When the time comes to buy, users are eligible for up to $12,000 back in cash or applied toward a new home anywhere in the U.S.
Unlike rent-to-own arrangements, MegPrime has no restrictions on which home a renter can buy or where. Rewards earned in Chicago can go toward a home purchase in California.
“Rent is the largest monthly expense for most Americans, yet it has historically delivered no long-term value,” Ipour shared. “We’re changing that by turning rent into a financial tool that rewards users today while helping them build toward homeownership tomorrow.”
Solving the Vacancy Crisis:
MegPrime’s rent payment rewards program also addresses a growing problem on the property side.
Just a few years ago, the rental market was at its tightest in decades. Apartment vacancy hit a record low of 2.5% in early 2022. Since then, the market has shifted dramatically. A surge of post-pandemic construction (peaking in 2024 with more than 600,000 new multifamily units delivered, the highest annual total since 1986) has flooded the market faster than demand can absorb it. The national rental vacancy rate stood at 7.3% in Q1 2026, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, the highest level in nearly a decade. In markets where new construction has been most concentrated, vacancies have climbed well into double digits.
To fill units, many property owners are now offering two to three months of free rent as a signing concession, which is a costly one-time incentive with no guarantee of long-term retention.
MegPrime offers a different model. Properties that join the MegPrime network gain access to a growing base of renters actively searching for apartments where their rent payments earn rewards. Participating properties can offer monthly signing incentives, ranging from up to $300 to $800 per month for new leases, creating a performance-driven alternative to blanket discounts. It’s a model built around ongoing engagement, not one-time deals.
As MegPrime continues to expand its property network and deepen partnerships, the company is focused on growing access to its rewards ecosystem for renters working toward homeownership and for property owners navigating a more competitive leasing environment.
For more information about MegPrime Rewards, visit: www.megprimepay.com/rewards
About MegPrime(TM)
MegPrime(TM) is a universal payments platform empowered by digital currency that helps people create global value from the money they already spend. Through one connected ecosystem, MegPrime(TM) turns everyday spending — from coffee to rent — into meaningful rewards and pathways toward homeownership. The first universal payments token to receive an SEC No-Action Letter, MegPrime operates with a compliance-first, infrastructure-driven approach that bridges digital assets and traditional finance at scale. For more information, visit MegPrimePay.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260513951012/en/
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