Points Expiry
Points expiry lets you automatically expire customer points after a period of inactivity or after a set time. This encourages customers to stay active in your loyalty program and creates healthy urgency around earning and redeeming points.
When enabled, customers can see their expiry dates in the loyalty widget and on their account page, and you can send automated email reminders before points expire.
✨ This feature is available on paid plans that include Expiry (such as Startup, Scale, and Plus). See pricing →
Getting to Expiration Settings
From your Rivo dashboard, go to Settings in the left sidebar
Click Expiration in the settings navigation
Choosing an Expiration Method
Rivo offers two ways to expire points. Choose the method that best fits your program:
Per Points Event Expiry (FIFO)
Each batch of points expires individually, based on when it was earned. If a customer earns 100 points today and 200 points next month, each batch has its own expiration date - the 100 points expire first, then the 200 points.
This is a “first in, first out” approach: the oldest points are always used (and expired) first.
💡 Best for: Stores that want a fair, granular approach where customers don't lose all their points at once.
Bulk Points Expiry
All of a customer’s points expire at once when their expiration date is reached. The entire balance resets to zero.
The expiration date is based on the customer’s last activity. Every time a customer earns (or redeems, depending on your settings) points, the clock resets and a new expiration date is set.
💡 Best for: Stores that want a simple "use it or lose it" approach tied to customer activity.
Setting Up Points Expiry
Navigate to Settings > Expiration
Check Enable points expiration
Select your expiration method:
Set the expiration period - the number of months after which points will expire (default is 12)
Click Save
Once enabled, Rivo will display when you turned on expiry and when customer points will start expiring.
Should I Enable Points Expiry?
Points expiry can be powerful, but it is not right for every program. Use it when it supports your customer experience and business goals.
Enable points expiry if you want to:
Encourage customers to come back sooner instead of saving points forever
Reduce long-term points liability by creating a clear redemption window
Run a more active, campaign-driven program where points are meant to be used regularly
You may want to leave it off if:
Your brand promise is built around flexible, no-pressure rewards
Customers make infrequent purchases (for example, seasonal or high-consideration products)
You are early in your loyalty journey and want to maximize trust and adoption first
If you are unsure, start with a longer expiration period and shorten it later based on customer behavior.
Choosing an Expiration Period
Your expiration period sets the tone for your loyalty program. Shorter windows create urgency; longer windows feel more generous.
Short window (1 to 3 months)
Creates strong urgency and can increase repeat purchase frequency
Best for high-frequency businesses where customers buy often
Can feel strict if customers do not shop regularly
Medium window (6 months)
Balanced option for many brands
Encourages return visits without feeling too aggressive
Good starting point if you want urgency and flexibility
Long window (12+ months)
Most customer-friendly option
Best for lower-frequency purchase cycles
Slower urgency, but stronger perceived generosity
💡 Practical tip: Start at 12 months, monitor redemption behavior for a few months, then shorten to 6 months if you need more urgency.
Activity and the Expiry Clock (Bulk Mode)
When using Bulk points expiry , the expiration date resets every time a customer is “active” in your program. Here’s how activity works:
What Counts as Activity
Earning points - Placing an order, completing a social action, writing a review, or any other earning action always resets the expiry clock (unless you’ve excluded specific types - see below)
Redeeming points - Redemptions count as activity only when Earnings only is turned off
Earnings Only Mode
Enable the Earnings only option if you want only earned points to count as activity. When this is turned on, redeeming points does not reset the expiry clock - customers must actively earn new points to keep their balance from expiring.
This is useful if you want to encourage ongoing engagement (like placing orders), not just spending down existing balances.
Excluding Specific Point Sources
When using the Latest version of bulk expiry (recommended), you can choose to exclude certain types of points from being considered as activity. This means earning these types of points will not reset the expiry clock:
Birthday points - Annual birthday bonus points
Anniversary points - Annual anniversary bonus points
Manually added points - Points added by your team directly
Referral points - Points earned from referring friends
Review points - Points earned from writing product reviews
By default, expired, birthday, and anniversary points are excluded, since they are automatic/system-generated and don’t represent fresh customer engagement.
Bulk Expiry Version
When using Bulk points expiry, you can choose between two versions:
Latest (Recommended) - Improved expiry calculation with timezone awareness and the ability to exclude specific point sources
Legacy - The original expiry calculation
We recommend using the Latest version for all new setups. If you’re currently on Legacy, you can switch to Latest at any time.
Expiry Notifications
You can send automated email reminders to customers before their points expire. This gives them a chance to earn or redeem before losing their balance.
Two email notifications are available:
Points Expiry Warning - Sent 30 days before points expire
Points Expiry Last Chance - Sent 3 days before points expire
To enable these:
Go to Settings > Email
Find the Points Expiry - Warning and Points Expiry - Last Chance email templates
Toggle each one on or off
Click Edit to customize the email content and design
You can enable one or both notifications. We recommend enabling both to give customers multiple chances to take action.
💡 Find Out More: Keep your customers informed when their points are about to expire.
How Customers See Their Expiry Date
Customers can view their points expiration date in several places:
Loyalty widget - The expiry date appears in the widget on your storefront when a customer is logged in
Account page - Shown on the customer’s account dashboard
Email notifications - Included in the warning and last chance emails
This transparency helps customers understand when to take action and reduces surprise when points expire.
Credits Expiry
In addition to points, you can also set up expiration for store credits using the same settings page. Credits expiry works the same way as points expiry, with the same two methods available:
Per credits event expiry (Recommended for credits) - Each credit transaction expires individually
Bulk credits expiry - All credits expire at once based on last activity
Configure credits expiry separately under the Credits Expiration section on the same Settings > Expiration page.
Examples
Per Points Event Expiry (FIFO)
You set expiry to 6 months with per-event mode:
January 1 - Customer earns 500 points → These points expire on July 1
March 1 - Customer earns 300 points → These points expire on September 1
July 1 - The original 500 points expire (if unspent). The 300 points from March are still valid until September 1
Each batch of points has its own independent expiration date.
Bulk Points Expiry
You set expiry to 12 months with bulk mode:
January 1 - Customer earns 500 points → Expiry date set to January 1 next year
June 15 - Customer places another order and earns 200 points → Clock resets, new expiry date is June 15 next year
If the customer does nothing for the next 12 months after June 15, their entire balance (700 points) expires at once
Bulk Expiry with Earnings Only
Same setup as above, but with Earnings only enabled:
January 1 - Customer earns 500 points → Expiry date set to January 1 next year
June 15 - Customer redeems 200 points → Clock does not reset (redemptions don’t count as activity)
September 1 - Customer earns 100 points from a review → Clock resets, new expiry date is September 1 next year
FAQ
What’s the minimum and maximum expiry period I can set?
You can choose the number of months before points expire. The default is 12 months.
When exactly do points expire?
Rivo processes expirations daily after the expiration date has fully passed. If you use the Latest bulk version, processing follows your store timezone.
What’s the difference between the two expiration methods?
Per points event expiry expires points individually - each earning event has its own expiration date, and the oldest unspent points expire first. Bulk points expiry expires the entire balance at once when the expiration date is reached, resetting the customer’s balance to zero.
Will customers know their points are about to expire?
Yes, if you enable the notification emails. Customers receive a warning 30 days before and a last-chance reminder 3 days before their points expire. They can also see their expiry date in the loyalty widget and account page.
Can I set up points expiry and reward expiry separately?
Yes. Points expiry (this feature) controls when a customer’s points balance expires. Reward expiration controls how long a redeemed reward (discount code) stays valid before it can no longer be used. These are two separate settings.
What happens when I first enable points expiry?
The expiry clock starts from the date you enable the feature. Existing customers’ expiry dates will be calculated based on their last qualifying activity or, if they have no activity, from the date you turned on expiry.
Can I expire only certain types of points?
With the Latest version of bulk expiry, you can exclude specific point sources (birthday, anniversary, manual, referral, and review points) from being counted as activity. However, the points themselves will still expire when the customer’s overall balance expires - the exclusion only affects whether earning those points resets the clock.
Does points expiry also affect store credits?
No. Points and credits have separate expiry settings. You can configure credits expiry independently on the same settings page.