GoUTRGV app to offer new rewards programs

UTRGV Athletics rolled out two rewards programs, “Orange Hours” and “Trivia Tuesday” for its GoUTRGV app Oct. 7. GoUTRGV serves as the go-to app for UTRGV Athletics and is available for both Android and Apple devices.
Aaliyah Garza/The Rider photo illustration

Ivan Palacios | THE RIDER

UTRGV Athletics rolled out two rewards programs, “Orange Hours” and “Trivia Tuesday” for its GoUTRGV app Oct. 7, giving students new ways to earn points and redeem prizes.

In order to participate in the rewards programs, students must first download the UTRGV Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Students will be able to customize their experience by providing information such as school affiliation and choosing which sports to receive notifications from.

To earn points, users must choose to opt-in to the rewards program. Once points have been used to redeem a prize, users will be contacted and prize distribution will be coordinated at the end of each month. Prizes are to be announced at a later date.

“Orange Hours” will allow users to earn up to 100 points each day when visiting select restaurants and businesses around Edinburg. Among those locations are Bluewave Express Car Wash, Golden Chick, IHOP, Raising Canes and Taco Palenque, all which are located on University Drive in Edinburg. Brownsville users can only participate by visiting the Chick-fil-A on Boca Chica Boulevard.

To earn points, users must email a picture of their receipt to goutrgv@utrgv.edu. The receipt must total at least $5 and be time stamped between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Users can earn up to 100 points each day in the “Orange Hour” feature by visiting select restaurants and businesses around Edinburg and Brownsville. For “Trivia Tuesday,” students can earn 10 points for participation and an extra five points for every question answered correctly. All questions will be based on UTRGV Athletics.
Screenshot taken from GOUTRGV app/Aaliyah Garza

Users will also be given the chance to earn 50 extra points during a weekly “Orange Hours” special event. Those who check in at the designated sponsor location during the event will be rewarded the bonus points. Details will be announced the day of the special event.

English sophomore Kinsey Paez is excited that she can earn points by visiting places she normally goes to.

“I think it’s cool,” Paez said. “I can retrieve points from places I already go to all the time.”

Biomedical sciences sophomore Victoria Garza is enthusiastic not only about the rewards program, but also the benefits for UTRGV Athletics.

“I think that this reward system is a great idea,” Garza said. “It will keep students motivated to interact with UTRGV’s various athletics programs.”

While some students around the university are excited about “Orange Hours,” Antonio Almendarez, an addiction studies junior, is disappointed he will not have a chance to participate.

“I would love to participate in ‘Orange Hours’ and earn 100 points,” Almendarez said. “Unfortunately, I live in Harlingen. The majority of the locations are in Edinburg and one location in Brownsville, so I would never be able to participate. It would be great if they were able to make it all Bluewaves or Chick-fil-As in the [Rio Grande] Valley.”

Those living outside of Edinburg and Brownsville will have a chance to earn points in a different way. In addition to “Orange Hours,” UTRGV Athletics also announced “Trivia Tuesday,” where students can participate in a trivia game on the GoUTRGV app, earning 10 points just for participating and an extra five points for every question answered correctly. All questions during “Trivia Tuesday” will be based on UTRGV Athletics.

“There is a lot going on right now in the world,” Almendarez said. “Trivia Tuesday is a fun, easy and COVID-friendly way to distract myself.”

Computer science junior Robert Nivon is ready to get involved and start earning points.

“I think that the GoUTRGV app’s new rewards programs is a great incentive to get students engaged to stay in UTRGV Athletics,” Nivon said. “I like how there are plenty of ways to earn points. ‘Trivia Tuesdays’ sounds very entertaining to participate in.”

Anahisa Gonzalez, a criminal justice junior, is eager to participate in both “Orange Hours” and “Trivia Tuesday.”

“I think that this app can help anyone earn some rewards by participating in ‘Trivia Tuesdays,’ which I am excited to do,” Gonzalez said. “During ‘Orange Hours,’ we can meet new people and help one another out with any sort of questions we may have.”

For more details on “Orange Hours” and “Trivia Tuesday,” users can visit the GoUTRGV app or contact UTRGV Director of Marketing and Digital Media Kara Lara at 665-7468 or kara.lara@utrgv.edu.