Key Takeaways
- ScoreCard+ launches July 1 at $99 a year, with DICK’S pegging available annual benefits at more than $350, anchored by a guaranteed $100 in Rewards.
- The free ScoreCard tier now pays a $5 Reward after 150 Points, down from a $10 Reward at 300 Points, lowering the bar to a member’s first payout.
- Points and Rewards now apply to in-store services and experiences such as restringing, bike repairs, batting cages, and golf simulators, not only merchandise.
- DICK’S loyalty base spans roughly 30 million athletes and accounts for more than 75% of company sales, making the program central to its growth.
- In an interview with YSBR, DICK’S declined to announce any GameChanger integration or team, club, or league features, leaving that white space open.
Inside the $99 ScoreCard+ Tier
DICK’S Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) introduced ScoreCard+ on July 1, a paid membership that sits above its free loyalty program. Members pay $99 a year and gain access to benefits the company values at more than $350 annually.
To understand what the changes mean for youth sports families specifically, YSBR sat down with Kate Fedishen, DICK’S Vice President of Marketing Transformation. Her answers, woven throughout this piece, frame the launch as a deliberate move to reward the full sports journey rather than a single checkout.
The headline perks are built to recur. ScoreCard+ members receive a guaranteed $100 in Rewards each year, paid in $25 increments every quarter, plus unlimited free standard shipping on most purchases. They also get one free service or experience a year worth up to $100, an always-on 20% discount on in-store services and experiences, access to exclusive discounts, and a chance to earn 3x Points on one purchase annually.
To pull in early adopters, DICK’S is adding a July-only sign-up bonus: $100 toward its owned brands, delivered as five $20 coupons for full-priced CALIA, DSG, VRST, Alpine Design, and Walter Hagen apparel. That offer expires July 31.
The structure rewards members who return often rather than those who make one large purchase. Quarterly Reward drops and a free annual service give families a reason to come back across a full calendar year, which maps neatly onto a youth sports season.
Lowering the Bar on the Free Tier
DICK’S did not reserve the upgrades for paying members. Every existing ScoreCard member began receiving new benefits on July 1, and enrollment remains free.
The most concrete change is faster Rewards. Members can now claim a $5 Reward after earning 150 Points, where the previous minimum was a $10 Reward at 300 Points. That halves the distance to a first payout and gives new members a quicker taste of value.
Free members also keep earning 1 Point per dollar in stores, unlock free shipping on orders of $49 or more, and can reach Gold status by spending $500 or more a year. Gold carries a $10 annual award, a one-time 3x Points opportunity, and a dedicated customer service line.
Two other earning paths round out the system. Through MOVE, members who connect a fitness tracker can earn up to three Points a day by walking or running three miles, hitting 10,000 steps, or logging 30 minutes of activity. The relaunched DICK’S Credit Card, back in May, grants automatic Gold status and 10% back in Rewards+ on qualifying purchases.
Points for Restringing and Batting Cages, Not Just Gear
The most strategic change is easy to miss in the benefit list. Points and Rewards now apply to services and experiences, not only to merchandise. The newly eligible activities include glove steaming, restringing, bike repairs, and experiences such as all-sport cages, climbing walls, clinics, and golf simulators.
That shift reframes what the loyalty program is for. In her conversation with YSBR, Fedishen said most stores already offer maintenance services like glove steaming, restringing, bike repairs, and golf instruction, while the larger experiences such as batting cages, climbing walls, and outdoor fields are unique to House of Sport.
That experiential footprint is growing. Fedishen confirmed DICK’S expects to reach approximately 50 House of Sport locations by the end of 2026, widening access to the services that now earn Points.
The intent is to convert a one-time gear buyer into a recurring relationship. “The relationship doesn’t end once someone purchases a glove or a pair of cleats,” Fedishen said. “Equipment needs to be maintained. Skills continue to develop. Families come back season after season.” Rewarding members for services is how DICK’S plans to make those return visits a habit rather than an occasional errand.
The Youth Sports Family Math
DICK’S is explicit that ScoreCard+ is aimed at active families, not single-sport adult shoppers. A youth sports household re-gears multiple children across multiple seasons, and cleats, gloves, and bats wear out on a predictable schedule.
When YSBR asked what a typical youth sports family saves over a year, Fedishen declined to offer a single figure. “Every family’s sports calendar and shopping habits are different, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all savings number,” she said. The company’s pitch is that for $99, members can unlock more than $350 in available benefits, value that compounds across a season and from one year to the next.
The economics favor frequency. A family that ships gear several times a season, redeems its quarterly Rewards, uses the free annual service, and takes the 20% services discount can clear the $99 fee well before accounting for the July sign-up bonus. For households already spending at DICK’S across several sports, the tier functions less like a subscription and more like a discount on activity they were going to do anyway.
What DICK’S Is Not Announcing
The loyalty refresh leaves two notable gaps, both of which Fedishen addressed directly when YSBR raised them.
The first is GameChanger. DICK’S owns the youth sports app used for live streaming, scheduling, communication, and scorekeeping, alongside ScoreCard, MOVE, the relaunched credit card, and the Foot Locker business. Asked whether those pieces might connect into a single relationship with a household, for example linking a child’s season schedule to gear reminders, Fedishen said the company is not announcing additional integrations today and that protecting athlete privacy and security will remain foundational.
The second gap is team-level loyalty. Every athlete is still treated as an individual consumer. Asked about team, club, or league features, Fedishen said DICK’S is not announcing any today but continues to look at ways to make the program more relevant to how families experience sports.
Both answers keep meaningful ground unclaimed: a connected data layer across DICK’S owned platforms, and loyalty built around the clubs and leagues that organize most youth sports spending.
Built for the Re-Gear Cycle
DICK’S has roughly 30 million athletes in ScoreCard, and they drive more than 75% of company sales. The July changes are designed to make that base visit more often and spend across more categories, with services as the new hook.
“Our relationship with our athletes goes beyond transactions,” said Emily Silver, DICK’S Chief Marketing, eCommerce and Athlete Experience Officer. The program now tries to prove that by rewarding maintenance, movement, and experiences alongside purchases.
For youth sports operators, the read is straightforward. The largest sporting goods retailer in the country is using loyalty to anchor itself inside the season-long, multi-kid spending cycle, and it is expanding the physical service footprint to match. The connected ecosystem and team-level features that would extend that reach further are on the table but unannounced, which makes the next phase of ScoreCard the one worth watching.
Source: DICK’S Sporting Goods, “DICK’S Sporting Goods is Enhancing Its ScoreCard Loyalty Program and Launching ScoreCard+,” PR Newswire, July 1, 2026, with additional reporting from an exclusive YSBR interview with Kate Fedishen, DICK’S Vice President of Marketing Transformation.
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