Introduction
Create urgency and encourage customer engagement by adding an expiration to your rewards. Setting expiration dates on rewards helps increase redemption rates and creates a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) which can boost program participation.
Points Program
To set an expiration for any of your Points Program rewards:
From the Loyalty dashboard, go to Programs > Points.
Under Redeeming Points, click Edit on the reward.
On the reward page, scroll down to the very bottom where you will see the option to add an expiration.
You can set the expiration time to a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 24 months. This defines how long the reward will remain valid after it's been issued to a customer.
Don't forget to Save your changes!
💡 Pro Tip: Setting a moderate expiration timeframe (like 3-6 months) often strikes the right balance between creating urgency and giving customers enough time to use their rewards.
Referrals Program
You can set an expiration for Referral rewards too! This helps encourage referred customers to make their first purchase promptly.
From the dashboard, go to Program > Referrals
Under Referral Rewards click Edit on the reward and you will see the same option to set an expiration date.
Points Balance Expiration
In addition to setting expiration on specific rewards, you can also set expiration on customers' entire points balances to encourage regular engagement:
From the dashboard, go to Programs > Points
Scroll down to the Points Expiry section
Enable points expiry by checking the box "Reset points balance to zero after a certain period"
Set the number of months (1-24) after which inactive customers' points will expire
You can choose between two expiry methods:
Entire Balance - All of a customer's points will expire at once, setting their balance to zero
Expiration Window - Only points earned within the specified timeframe will expire
You can also choose to exclude redemptions when assessing customer activity, which means customers need to actively earn points (not just spend them) to keep their balance from expiring
📝 Note: Points expiry settings apply to all customers in your loyalty program. Make sure to notify your customers about your expiration policy for transparency.
Notifying your customers
You can send your customers a notification by email when their rewards are soon to expire. This helps remind them to use their rewards and increases redemption rates:
From the dashboard, go to Programs > Emails.
You will see two email options: Reward Expiry - Warning & Reward Expiry - Last Chance.
You can toggle one or both of these options. The Warning email will be sent 30 days before the reward expires. The Last Chance email will send 3 days before it expires.
Click Edit. Here you can edit all of the text for the email. Any edits you make will show in the live preview.
When you're happy with how your email looks don't forget to Save any changes.
💡 Pro Tip: Create a sense of urgency in your expiration emails by highlighting exclusive benefits of the rewards and including a clear call-to-action button.
Best Practices
To make the most of reward expiration functionality:
Balance between urgency and customer satisfaction - 3-6 months is often a good timeframe for most rewards
Always notify customers about upcoming expirations to maintain positive relationships
Consider seasonal shopping patterns when setting expirations (avoid expiring rewards during slow sales periods)
Be transparent about your expiration policy in your program terms and conditions
Use both warning and last chance emails to maximize redemption opportunities