Plasma One Pays the 10% eBay Boost as Spending Credit
Plasma One is running a 10% cashback boost on eBay purchases from 00:00 UTC on 14 September to 23:59:59 UTC on 28 September 2026. The rate and the cap are the same at every tier, which is a change from the Apple boost running alongside it, where the cap split by tier. The larger change is in what the boost pays out in.
Spending Credit is not the same asset as previous boosts
Boosted eBay cashback is denominated in US dollars and paid as Spending Credit. Plasma may instead elect to pay in XPL, which is how the Apple and Dyson boosts paid, but the default here is the credit.
Spending Credit behaves differently from a token balance in four ways that matter before the money is spent. It is applied automatically to eligible card transactions ahead of the account balance, so the timing is not a choice. It has no cash value and cannot be withdrawn, sent, converted, or used for cash out, send or earn. It earns no reward on the portion of a transaction it funds, so the 50 USD does not generate cashback of its own when it is used. And it is forfeited if the card account is closed.
That last pair is what separates 50 USD of Spending Credit from 50 USD. At Plasma One's ordinary rates, cash spent on the card earns something back; the credit does not, and it only exists while the account does.
The 50 USD cap is uniform, and it is per person
Boosted cashback is capped at 50 USD per card account for the whole period, which at 10% corresponds to 500 USD of qualifying eBay purchases. There is no minimum spend and no per-transaction cap. All cards under one account count as one account, and each individual may benefit from the cap once regardless of how many accounts, cards, wallets or devices are involved.
The boosted rate replaces the base or category rate on the same transaction rather than adding to it, so the gain over doing nothing is 10% minus the tier rate. The aggregate cap sits outside the monthly tier cap, while eBay spend still counts toward monthly qualifying spend.
Eligibility is targeted. The boost applies only if it is displayed in the Plasma One application during the period, and Plasma sets the criteria without disclosing them. Existing accounts are eligible at Core and Platinum; an existing Lite account qualifies only for transactions authorised after unlocking Core or Platinum during the window. Accounts opened during the period are eligible at every tier but must complete verification, fund the account and make a qualifying purchase before it closes.
Payment has to run through eBay checkout, and the clock starts at authorisation
A qualifying transaction is an item bought from a seller on an eBay-operated marketplace, paid through eBay's own checkout, and settled to a merchant descriptor Plasma recognises as eBay. Paying a seller by bank transfer, payment link, invoice, or through any third-party payment, financing or buy-now-pay-later service earns nothing extra even when the listing was found on eBay.
Timing is measured at card authorisation, not at order, dispatch or delivery. An order placed before 14 September does not qualify because it ships during the window, and a bid or offer placed during the window does not qualify unless the card payment is authorised inside it. A payment authorised during the period can still qualify if it captures afterward.
Gift cards, prepaid and stored-value cards, vouchers, store credit, currency, coins, bullion and other cash equivalents are excluded, along with any portion of a purchase paid with gift cards, coupons, points, Spending Credit or any tender other than the card. eBay carries a large quantity of exactly those items, so the exclusion removes more of the catalogue here than it would at a single-brand merchant.
Nothing is earned for 45 days, and a return can undo it later
Each accrual is held for 45 days after the underlying transaction is captured. Pending amounts are informational and vest no right. A return, refund, reversal, chargeback, cancellation or partial credit during the hold voids the accrual to that extent, including refunds made under eBay's own buyer-protection program. After the hold, Plasma's review of the transactions and of eligibility is a further condition, and it can extend either.
Reversals after payment are recoverable too: Plasma can reduce or revoke unapplied credit, debit the card account, or reduce future rewards. For a marketplace where returns are routine, the practical reading is that anything bought with an intention to try and possibly send back should not be counted as earning 10%.
The offer is also not available in every country where Plasma One is offered, and Plasma may exclude a jurisdiction, participant or seller at any time. Whether the boost appears in the app is the only reliable check.
Sources: Plasma One eBay Cashback Boost supplemental terms, Plasma One Rewards Addendum.
