Quick Answer — Sway Funded Challenge Refresh
- • Lets you restart a failed challenge phase without buying a full new challenge
- • Before failing: costs 75% of original entry price — cheaper than a new challenge
- • After failing: costs 150% of original entry price — more expensive than a new challenge
- • Can restart from Phase 1 beginning or just the failed phase — your choice
- • Not available on the Instant Account — Rapid and Regular Challenge only
Research-based breakdown: I haven't run Sway Funded accounts personally — my funded trading is in futures. Everything here comes from their official help center, Terms of Service, pricing pages, and community data. I've cross-referenced all figures and flagged anything unverified.
For the full add-ons overview, read the Sway Funded account types overview. For the complete firm breakdown, see my complete Sway Funded review. For current Challenge Refresh pricing, check Sway Funded's website or their help center.
The Challenge Refresh is one of the more practical add-ons Sway Funded offers — and also the one where the timing of your purchase changes the price significantly.
Buy it before you fail a phase: 75% of the original challenge entry fee.
Buy it after you fail: 150%.
That's a 2x price difference based entirely on when you decide to pull the trigger. This article breaks down what the Refresh actually does, the math on when to buy it, and when you're better off starting fresh.
What the Challenge Refresh Does
When you fail a challenge phase — meaning you breach a drawdown limit or make an error that terminates the account — the standard situation is to buy a new challenge from scratch.
The Challenge Refresh gives you an alternative. Instead of starting a completely new challenge, you restart the failed phase (or go back to Phase 1, your choice) using the same challenge account. Your trading history resets, the balance resets to the original starting amount, the drawdown floor resets, and the profit target resets.
You're not getting a different challenge. You're getting a fresh start on the same challenge you already purchased.
Before vs After Failing: The Full Math
The price difference is the entire point of this add-on. Let's run the numbers on a $10,000 Regular Challenge ($79 entry fee):
ScenarioCostTotal Spent (Entry + Refresh)vs Buying New ChallengeBuy Refresh before failing$59.25 (75% of $79)$138.25—Buy Refresh after failing$118.50 (150% of $79)$197.50$118 more expensive than new challengeBuy a brand new challenge$79.00$158.00 (original + new)Baseline
The numbers are clear:
- Before failing: Refresh at $59.25 is cheaper than a new challenge ($79). Makes sense.
- After failing: Refresh at $118.50 is far more expensive than just buying new ($79). Does not make sense.
The only reason to buy the Refresh after failing would be if you wanted to continue on the same account number, or if there's some other operational reason to prefer the refresh over a new purchase. On pure cost grounds, it loses.
What Exactly Resets When You Use the Refresh?
When you activate the Refresh, the following reset:
1. Account balance — returns to the original starting amount
2. Drawdown floor — resets to the original floor
3. Profit and loss history — cleared
4. Trading day count — resets to 0 (you need to trade 4 days again from scratch)
5. Any active positions — closed before reset
What does NOT reset:
- The add-ons you purchased for the original challenge — these carry over
- The profit split — stays the same as the original challenge setup
Phase 1 vs Phase 2 Restart: What Are Your Options?
The Refresh gives you two restart choices:
Option A: Restart the failed phase only.
If you failed Phase 2, you restart Phase 2. Phase 1 is already passed — you don't redo it. This is the most common use case for traders who cleared Phase 1 cleanly and hit turbulence in Phase 2.
Option B: Restart from Phase 1.
You can go all the way back to the beginning. This makes sense if you barely scraped through Phase 1 and want a cleaner run at both phases rather than trying to fix Phase 2 with a compromised drawdown profile from Phase 1.
The choice is made at the time of activating the Refresh. There's no additional cost difference between the two options.
On the Rapid Challenge: Different Structure
On the Rapid Challenge, there's only one phase. The Refresh simply restarts that single phase with the original balance and rules.
The math works the same way:
- Before failing (while you're still active but struggling): 75% of the Rapid entry fee
- After the challenge terminates: 150% of the Rapid entry fee vs just buying a new Rapid
On a $10K Rapid ($119 entry fee):
- Refresh before failing: $89.25
- Refresh after failing: $178.50
- New Rapid Challenge: $119
Again, post-fail refresh loses on cost.
When Should You Buy the Refresh?
Buy it before starting if:
- You're on a large account size (where the fee savings are more meaningful in absolute dollars)
- You've had issues passing Phase 2 before and want protection before entering
- You're trading a volatile period (earnings, major central bank decisions) where you expect some turbulence
- You have a Challenge Refresh "insurance" mindset and the cost fits your budget
Buy it while active but struggling if:
- You see a path forward but your current drawdown is getting tight
- You want to reset the floor and give yourself another clean shot without losing the account entirely
Do NOT buy it after failing. The math doesn't work. Just buy a new challenge.
Challenge Refresh vs Just Buying New: Summary
SituationBest OptionWhyFailed Phase 2, want to try againBuy new challengeCheaper than Refresh after failPhase 2 struggling, drawdown tightRefresh before failing75% cost, adds-ons carry overBought Refresh upfront, failedUse the RefreshAlready paid for itFailed and didn't buy RefreshBuy new challengeRefresh at 150% beats new price
Does the Challenge Refresh Cost Get Included in the Fee Credit?
Yes. If the Challenge Refresh was purchased as part of the original challenge setup (before starting), its cost is included in the total fee credit toward your first payout — alongside the entry fee and any other add-ons.
The bottom line:
The Challenge Refresh is a useful tool when bought before you need it. At 75% of the original entry price, it's cheaper than a new challenge and gives you a full reset on the same account with all your add-ons intact. The 150% post-failure price makes no financial sense against just starting fresh. The decision is simple: buy it when you're still active if your confidence in the current run is fading, or don't buy it at all and start a new challenge after a failure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Sway Funded Challenge Refresh?
The Challenge Refresh is an add-on that lets you restart a failed evaluation phase without buying a completely new challenge. It resets the account balance, drawdown floor, P&L history, and trading day count back to their original starting values.
How much does the Sway Funded Challenge Refresh cost?
75% of the original challenge entry price if purchased before failing, and 150% of the original price if purchased after failing. Buying after failing costs more than purchasing a brand new challenge, so it only makes financial sense to buy before a failure occurs.
Should I buy the Challenge Refresh before or after failing?
Before. The Refresh at 75% of the original price is cheaper than a new challenge. After failing, at 150% of the original price, it's more expensive than simply buying a new challenge. If you wait until after a fail, just buy a new challenge instead.
Does the Challenge Refresh let you restart from Phase 1?
Yes. When activating the Refresh, you can choose to restart from Phase 1 or restart only the failed phase. There is no additional cost difference between the two options.
Do add-ons carry over after using the Challenge Refresh?
Yes. Any add-ons purchased for the original challenge (Fixed Drawdown, 90/10 Split, etc.) carry over after the Refresh. You do not need to repurchase them.
What resets when you use the Sway Funded Challenge Refresh?
Account balance, drawdown floor, P&L history, and trading day count all reset to their original values. Open positions are closed before the reset. Add-ons and profit split settings carry over.
Is it cheaper to use the Challenge Refresh or buy a new challenge after failing?
Cheaper to buy a new challenge. After failing, the Refresh costs 150% of the original entry fee vs 100% for a new challenge. Example: $10K Regular Challenge is $79. Refresh after failing = $118.50. New challenge = $79.
Is the Challenge Refresh available on the Instant Account?
No. The Challenge Refresh is only available on Rapid and Regular Challenge accounts.
Is the Challenge Refresh cost included in the fee credit?
Yes, if purchased as part of the original challenge setup. All add-on costs including the Challenge Refresh are included in the total fee credit applied toward your first payout on a successful challenge.
Can you use the Challenge Refresh on the Rapid Challenge?
Yes. On the Rapid Challenge, the Refresh restarts the single evaluation phase. Before failing: 75% of the Rapid entry price. After failing: 150% of the Rapid entry price.
