MAF retains mobile app users and minimizes fraud risk with Tremendous

The highlights

• MAF is a mobile advertising platform that helps apps acquire and monetize users through its MyChips offerwall.

• The company gives their users real world rewards for trying new apps and completing specific in-app engagement actions.

• With a seamless one-week integration with the Tremendous API, MAF gained control over direct user payouts and strengthened fraud protection.

• Offering PayPal and gift cards directly through MAF’s platform keeps new users engaged after initial campaigns end.

The challenge

MAF — formerly myAppFree, and part of the same group as BigCash and LoyaltyDigital — operates a rewarded advertising platform that helps mobile apps acquire and monetize users through its MyChips offerwall. Users can earn "chips" by trying out new apps and completing specific actions, which they can then redeem for real-world rewards like cash and gift cards.

Before implementing Tremendous, MAF relied entirely on publisher partners to handle user payments. "Our role was to pay the publishers directly, who subsequently ensured the payout was delivered to their users," said Nina Perik, Marketing Director at MAF. However, this indirect payment model created significant limitations for MAF's business growth as it prevented MAF from working with publishers that lacked their own currency systems and cashout capabilities. 

Lack of control over the payment experience

When running payouts through publishers, MAF had little visibility or control over how and when users received their rewards. "We didn't get that much feedback about it," says Nina — her team only heard from users when payments failed. The company couldn't ensure consistent user experiences across different publishers or offer standardized payment options their users prefer.

Additionally, many apps MAF wanted to partner with didn't have an established currency or cashout system. These publishers could only offer virtual in-app rewards, which limited user engagement and prevented MAF from expanding its offerwall network.

 "For apps that don't offer real world rewards yet, being able to add this ourselves was great for us," Nina explains. With MyChips powered by Tremendous, every publisher — even those without their own virtual currency or wallet system — can now integrate an offerwall and start monetizing. "This extra benefit is the reason why publishers can easily integrate us, even if they possibly would have never offered that in the first place," says Nina.

Limited reward capabilities

Many apps using MAF's offerwall lacked real-world reward capabilities, offering only virtual currency for in-app use. Without the ability to offer its own payouts, MAF couldn't provide cash rewards as a differentiator, making their offering less competitive and preventing existing clients from maximizing user engagement through monetary incentives.

Fraud protection concerns 

With fraud prevention being a high priority for MAF and its clients, the company needs robust protection measures in place. While the company had its own fraud detection processes in place, the lack of user payment details was a blind spot. "We want to make sure that our clients don't get any fraud — that is our key priority," Nina emphasized. Without last-mile payment information, MAF couldn't have a holistic view of user fraud signals, increasing the risk of bad actors cashing in.

The takeaway: This publisher-dependent model was holding MAF back as it quickly grew its client base and market demands evolved.

The solution

MAF needed a payment platform that could handle thousands of global user payouts with enterprise-level fraud protection and seamless technical integrations. That’s where Tremendous stepped in.

With Tremendous on board, MAF could offer users PayPal, Visa prepaid cards, gift cards, and other tangible rewards across their entire offerwall network — even for apps without built-in payment capabilities.

Tremendous benefits for MAF

Seamless technical integration

MAF's technical team completed the entire API integration in just one week with no complications. "The integration was very smooth and easy, without any roadblocks," Nina reported. This effortless integration meant MAF could quickly launch its direct-to-user payment offering without dedicating extensive engineering resources or long implementation timelines typically associated with payment integrations.

Complete payment control and flexibility

With Tremendous, MAF gained full control over its reward distribution. "Being able to offer the [payout] options ourselves that we know our users like to see was a key differentiator.” The company now offers cash rewards (primarily PayPal and Visa prepaid cards) even in apps that don't natively have this capability. “This is an extra benefit and reason why publishers can integrate us, even if maybe they would never have offered that," says Nina.

Enhanced fraud protection

With fraud prevention a top priority for protecting clients' budgets, MAF values Tremendous's multi-layered fraud tool that flags fraudsters based on IP address, country, amount redeemed, and more. The platform provides VPN detection, real-time fraud alerts, and a dedicated fraud review queue for suspicious transactions. These additional tools, combined with MAF's existing fraud prevention systems, ensure that rewards are paid to legitimate users acquired through their platform. 

Increased user retention

Monetary incentives have proven to be a powerful retention tool. “With real-world rewards, you can definitely make users stay in the app after their initial rewards stop," says Nina. Users who earn PayPal cash or gift cards through the MyChips offerwall continue engaging with apps long after their onboarding period ends, creating lasting value for MAF's clients beyond new user acquisition.

The impact

With Tremendous powering direct payouts, MAF has transformed its business model and dramatically improved both its user experience and client satisfaction.

• 100% of MyAppFree app rewards are now processed through Tremendous

• Quick and easy API integration with zero technical roadblocks

• Enhanced fraud protection through VPN checks and multi-layer verification

• Increased user retention after initial reward campaigns end

• New revenue opportunities by offering real-world rewards to publishers without their own user payout capabilities

• Thousands of monthly payouts processed at an average value of $5 per reward

• Over six figures spent on rewards via Tremendous platform

By offering PayPal and gift card rewards, MAF is able to engage users in publisher apps longer, creating lasting value for its clients. And with additional fraud protection tools, Nina and team are well-positioned to weed out fraudsters so rewards go to the high-quality users its partners want, building trust with clients over time. 

Ready to send rewards while saving time, hassle, and money? Sign up now or schedule a demo to see Tremendous in action.