# Seasons

What a Relay2Trade season is and how to take part: season XP, the free season track and its tiers, buying the rest of the track, the boards and how places are decided, the prizes, what happens when a season ends, and the season emails.

For the overview of levels, seasons, Sparks and the shop, see https://relay2trade.com/help/levels-seasons-shop.md.

## What a season is

A season is a three-month race, always one of the four seasons of the year:

| Season | Runs |
|---|---|
| Autumn | 1 August to 31 October |
| Winter | 1 November to 31 January |
| Spring | 1 February to 30 April |
| Summer | 1 May to 31 July |

Seasons follow each other without a gap, always run their full three months, and use UTC days. Each one has its own name, theme, colour, picture and looks: for example "Harvest Run" in autumn 2026. A season without a name of its own is called by its time of year and the year it starts, such as "Winter 2028".

Every account takes part, on every plan, for free. Trading profit plays no part: seasons reward using the app.

## Where to find it in the Desk

Open the Desk at https://relay2trade.com/control and choose **Account**:

- **The season card** on your level card shows the season's name, "Season · 12 days left" (or "Last day"), a bar to your next tier, and "Open the season".
- **"All progress"** shows the season with "Tier 7 of 25", your season XP and "Rank #… of …", and the boards further down.

The season page shows, from top to bottom:

- The season's dates and days left, its name, "Ends" with the date, how many are ranked, and your line: tier, season XP and rank. A bar and "1,200 XP to tier 8" (or "Track complete") follow, with "Tier 7 of 25" and any season XP you bought.
- **"How a season works"**: a short explanation that opens with a tap.
- **"Season track"**, marked "Resets every season": every tier with its XP and its rewards.
- **"Live board"** (or "Final board" for a closed season): the top three on a podium, the ranked list, and "Around you" when you are further down.
- **"Prizes"**: what each place wins, with "You land here" on the bracket your current place falls in.
- **"Past seasons"**: the closed seasons with their podiums and your result.

Tap the season's name to open **"All seasons"**: every season with its dates, marked "Now", "Upcoming", "Running", "Closed" or "Showing".

## Season XP and XP

Your **XP** builds your level for good and never resets. Your **season XP** is the part you earn by using the app while the season runs. It starts from zero every season.

Season XP comes from:

- connected days, signals read and trades placed;
- quests: weekly, daily, season and holiday quests, and the clean sweep;
- friends who subscribe through your invite, and the invite ladder.

XP boosts multiply that XP, and the boosted amount counts for the season too.

These add to your level only and never to the season: first steps, badges, XP cards, the XP in season tiers and prizes, and corrections from support. Season XP bought in the shop moves your track only and never your place on a board.

How much each action pays, and the daily caps: https://relay2trade.com/help/xp-and-levels.md.

## The season track

The track is free. Each tier stands at a season XP target, and the gaps grow as you climb. It is paced so that an account using the app every day reaches the last tier about three quarters of the way through the season. The number of tiers and their rewards are set for each season, and its season page shows them all.

Each tier pays its rewards the moment your season XP crosses it:

- Sparks, looks and free days apply at once.
- Cards (XP cards, XP boosts, streak shields, extra cards) go to your Inventory and wait for "Use now". See https://relay2trade.com/help/items-and-inventory.md.
- Crossing several tiers at once pays all of them.
- A notification says "Season track: tier 8" with what it gave.

For example, on a 25-tier track tier 1 can be a 500 XP card, tier 13 the season's second icon, tier 19 a "One extra listener for 30 days" card and tier 25 the season's third icon with 700 Sparks, with 1,850 Sparks over the whole track. Each season's own track is on its season page.

### Who receives the tiers

- Tiers are handed over once your account has had a paid subscription, while a subscription or an access pass is running. Access passes and free days alone do not start them.
- Your season XP counts all the same. Tiers you reach without access wait, and the track says so: "Season tiers are handed over only while your account has a subscription or an access pass running. The tiers you have reached wait until this season ends: without one by then, they are lost."
- The moment a subscription or access pass starts, every tier you have reached in the running season is handed over at once.
- Tiers still waiting when the season ends are lost with it.
- Your Inventory lists waiting tiers under "Waiting for you", each with "only if you subscribe by" the season's last day.

## Buying the rest of the track

The Desk's **Shop** tab has a section **"The season"**: "… tiers still ahead of you. Bought XP moves your tier only; the board stays as you earned it."

- **Season XP packs:** "+… season XP on the track — the board does not move."
- **The whole track:** "Every tier still ahead of you (…) — the … season XP they take, with all their rewards."

Bought season XP pays the tiers it crosses at once. It belongs to the season it was bought in and never moves your place on a board. The shop shows the prices. A row you cannot buy says why:

- "Track complete": nothing is left on this track.
- "Needs a subscription": tiers are handed over only once the account has had a paid subscription, while a subscription or an access pass is running.

Badges for the tiers you reach count only tiers reached with season XP you earned.

## The boards

Open them in the Desk under Account → "All progress" → "Boards", or on the season page ("Live board"). The boards rank XP earned in the app, never profit.

| Board | Ranks by | Who is on it |
|---|---|---|
| "This season" | Season XP earned | Accounts that have had a paid subscription, are listed on the boards and have season XP |
| "All time" | Lifetime XP | Accounts that have had a paid subscription, are listed and have XP |
| "Your circle" | Season XP | You, the person who invited you, the others they invited, and the people you invited; listed accounts only, and you always |
| "Around you" | Season XP | The five ranked players just above you and the five just below |

"Your circle" also shows friends who have not subscribed yet.

Each row shows the place, the player's look, their board name (yours marked "· you"), their title, level, XP and streak. A closed season's final board also shows the tier each player reached. Tap a player to open their public profile; see https://relay2trade.com/help/looks-and-public-profile.md.

### Your place and ties

- At the top of "Boards" you see your place ("#12", or "—" while you are not ranked), your XP and how many players there are.
- **Your own place** counts every account taking part with more season XP than you, hidden ones included. It can differ a little from your row's number on the board, which numbers listed accounts only.
- **On the live board**, equal season XP is ordered by account age: the older account first.
- **At the close**, equal season XP goes to whoever reached their current level first, then to the older account. Final places run 1, 2, 3 without gaps.

### Hiding yourself

1. In the Desk, open Account → "Your details".
2. Under "On the boards", switch off "List me on the public boards".
3. Press "Save".

Hidden means no public profile, no place on the boards and no season prizes. You still earn season XP, climb your track and receive every tier. Switch it back on before a season closes to take a place in it; listing yourself after the close gives you no place in that season.

## Prizes

When a season closes, the top 25 ranked accounts win prizes by bracket: "Champion", "Top 3", "Top 10" and "Top 25". Each place takes its own bracket's prizes only, and nothing stacks from the brackets below.

The prizes are set for each season and listed under "Prizes" on its season page. They can include borders, icons and titles, access passes, extra cards, Sparks and XP. The champion's title, "Champion of" the season, is held by that one player only.

Prize cards go to your Inventory, and prize looks wait for you under "Change look". The XP in a prize counts for your level only, so nobody starts the next season ahead.

Only accounts that have had a paid subscription are ranked and win prizes. A winner with no subscription or access pass running at the close keeps the place for good, and the prize waits: "Your place is yours for good. The prize is handed over the moment your account has a subscription again."

## The last days of a season

In a season's last five days, you get one notification with how far your next tier is: "Harvest Run closes in 3 days" (or "closes tomorrow"), "420 XP to tier 9: …". Players who have reached every tier hear nothing about tiers.

When a better prize place is within reach in the days left, the same notification says so: "You are #4 on the board — the top 3 win … 101 XP gets you there."

When you have tiers waiting for a subscription, it says "Tiers reached and not handed over: 2. They are handed over only with a subscription or an access pass running before the season closes; after that they are lost."

## When a season ends

A season closes shortly after midnight UTC on the day after its last day. The XP of the last day counts.

1. The ranked accounts get their final places, and the top 25 receive their prizes.
2. Each prize winner gets the notification "Harvest Run closed — you finished #4", with "Of … ranked, tier …. Yours now: …", and the season result email.
3. Season XP goes back to zero for everyone, and the next season is already running.
4. Season badges are checked: badges for your final place and for the seasons you have played to tier 1 or beyond. Badges for the tiers you reach come during the season, as you reach them.

You keep everything else: your level and lifetime XP, every tier and prize already handed over, cards, Sparks, looks and badges. The closed season's page keeps its final board, and your result appears under "Season finishes" on your public profile.

## Season emails

- **The season result email** goes to every prize winner, in their language, for example "Harvest Run is over: you finished #4". It shows the final place, season XP, the track tier reached and the prize, then what the next season brings and what first place takes. A prize that waits for a subscription is named with that note.
- **The new season email** goes to everyone else who has "News and offers by email" switched on (Desk → Account → "Your details"): for example "Harvest Run is over. … starts now". It shows your own season (season XP, tier reached and final place, or "Not on the boards"), what the new season brings (its end date, its tiers, the Sparks and free days on its track, how many places win prizes) and what first place takes. If you were hidden from the boards, it reminds you to switch "List me on the public boards" on to race for a prize.

Everything else about seasons (tiers, reminders, results) arrives in your inbox in the Desk; see https://relay2trade.com/help/inbox-and-notifications.md.

## Examples

- You paid for a subscription last season and have none running now. You reach tier 9 on a Saturday: it waits. You subscribe again on Monday, by then at tier 10, and tiers 9 and 10 are handed over at once.
- You and another player both finish with 15,000 season XP. The one who reached their current level first takes the higher place.
- You buy the whole track in the last week. Every remaining tier pays at once; your place on "This season" stays where your earned XP put it.
- You finish 4th and are hidden from the boards on the last day. You get no place and no prize, and you keep every tier you reached.

## If something goes wrong

- **My season XP went to zero.** A new season started. Your level and lifetime XP are untouched.
- **I crossed a tier and got nothing.** Tiers are handed over once your account has had a paid subscription, while a subscription or an access pass is running. They wait until the season ends; Inventory → "Waiting for you" lists them.
- **I am not on the board.** Check "List me on the public boards" under Account → "Your details", that your account has had a paid subscription, and that you have season XP this season.
- **My place on the board differs from "Rank #…".** Your own rank counts hidden accounts too; the board numbers listed accounts only.
- **I bought season XP and my place stayed the same.** Bought season XP moves the track only.
- **The season ended and I got nothing.** Prizes go to the top 25 ranked accounts. Every tier you crossed was already handed over during the season.
- **I won a place and the prize has not arrived.** It waits for a subscription or an access pass to run, and arrives the moment one starts.
- **I won a border and still wear my old one.** Prize looks wait under "Change look"; put the new one on there.
- **I did not get the new season email.** It goes to accounts with "News and offers by email" on. The season result email goes to prize winners whatever that setting.
- **A season row in the shop says "Needs a subscription".** Bought season XP pays tiers, and tiers are handed over only once the account has had a paid subscription, while a subscription or an access pass runs.

See also https://relay2trade.com/help/glossary.md.