Short answer: since January 19, 2026, completing a Pokémon GO Weekly Challenge with your group pays more than friendship points and a Lucky Friends chance. It also guarantees an encounter with Tandemaus, the Together Pokémon, and hands out Link Charges - the currency spent entering Mega and Super Mega Raids. Link Charges cap at 600 held at once; Niantic hasn't published the exact amount one challenge pays out.
Trainer school
What do Pokémon GO Weekly Challenges reward besides friendship points?
Our Weekly Challenges guide covers the friendship-point math and matchmaking. This one covers the two rewards that have nothing to do with friendship level at all.
The Tandemaus encounter
Niantic's January 19, 2026 update added a guaranteed encounter with Tandemaus, the Together Pokémon, as a Weekly Challenge completion reward. It's handed out alongside the friendship-point bonus and Lucky Friends chance, not instead of them - finishing the challenge with your group of up to 4 Trainers triggers all of it at once.
Link Charges - the Mega Raid currency
Link Charges are a separate currency from Raid Passes, used to enter Mega Raids and Super Mega Raids. Weekly Challenges are one of the ways to earn them, alongside opening Gifts from friends and checking into select Campfire community meetups.
- You can hold up to 600 Link Charges at once outside of special events.
- Niantic hasn't published exactly how many Link Charges a single Weekly Challenge pays out, and third-party guides disagree on the number - treat any specific figure you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until you see it on your own reward screen.
Why this matters for a friend-code site
Weekly Challenges need a group, and matchmaking only fills that group with strangers if you opt in - it won't pick people for a specific country or time zone. If you want the Tandemaus and Link Charge rewards on a predictable schedule, it's easier to run your own group of 4 with friends you've already added than to wait on a random match. See every way to add friends if you need to fill out that group.
FAQ
Is the Tandemaus encounter a one-off, or does it repeat every week? Niantic's post describes it as the new standing reward structure, not a one-time event - so it's available each time your group completes a Weekly Challenge, not just once.
Does the Tandemaus reward replace the friendship-point bonus? No - it's paid in addition to the friendship points and Lucky Friends chance covered in the main Weekly Challenges guide.
How many Link Charges does one Weekly Challenge give? Niantic hasn't published an exact number, and the figures floating around online don't agree with each other - check your own in-game reward screen rather than trusting a specific claim.
What else can I spend Link Charges on? Entering Mega Raids and Super Mega Raids. They're a separate currency from both Raid Passes and Max Particles, which power regular Max Battles instead.
Do I need to be friends with my Weekly Challenge group to get these rewards? No - matchmaking can group you with strangers, and the Tandemaus/Link Charge rewards pay out the same either way. Only the friendship-point side of the bonus needs you to end up as friends, which matchmaking does automatically if you weren't already.