Overview
The points expiration feature allows you to set a time limit on loyalty point redemption. When loyalty point redemption is not limited in time, customers may lack the motivation to make additional purchases within a specific timeframe. By implementing points expiration, you create a sense of urgency, encouraging customers to return and make purchases before their points expire.
🚀 Feature availability
The Points expiration feature is available starting from the Growth plan.
Key benefits / use cases
Encourages repeat purchases: Expiring points motivate customers to earn and redeem points, driving more sales.
Keeps your brand top-of-mind: Customers will likely remember your brand and their loyalty balance to avoid losing points.
Simplifies program management: Points expiration limits the potential for customers to redeem large quantities of rewards at once and helps distinguish active users from dormant ones.
How to set a points expiration date in Growave
Navigate to your Growave admin panel → Rewards → Settings.
Scroll down to the Points expiry section.
Check Enable points expiration and enter your desired expiration time in days.
Set up two reminder emails and define the notification period (in days) for each reminder before the points expire.
⚠️ Important
The expiration countdown restarts for all customers if you change the expiration date and refreshes for individual customers upon any rewardable activity or points redemption.
The expiration applies to all accumulated points, including those earned before activating this setting, added by the shop admin manually, or imported.
Growave does not support setting separate expiration times for different types of points, ensuring that all points adhere to the same expiration policy.
✅ Example
On January 1, 2024, the shop owner sets the points expiration to 365 days.
Customer John earns 1,000 points on January 2, 2024, set to expire on January 2, 2025.
If John performs a rewardable activity or redeems points before January 2, 2025, the expiration resets for another 365 days from the latest activity.
Changes to the expiration period made by the shop owner after January 1, 2024, will reset the expiration countdown for all customers based on the new settings from the update date.
How points expiration works in Growave
In Growave, we offer dynamic expiration for the total points balance. Points expire after a certain period if they aren’t used or if the customer doesn't earn more points.
Dynamic expiration is effective for increasing purchase frequency, as it allows customers to save points for bigger rewards without feeling immediate pressure to redeem them.
Choosing the right points expiration period
Each company has unique customer behavior, which is important to consider when setting the points expiration period.
Calculate purchase frequency:
Number of orders (within 365 days) / Number of unique customers who made an order (also within 365 days) = Average purchase frequency
Determine points expiration period:
365 days / Average Purchase Frequency (during 365 days) = Time between purchases
✅ Example
Number of orders in 365 days: 1000.
Unique customers who made an order: 250.
Average purchase frequency: 1000 / 250 = 4.
Points expiration period: 365 days / 4 = 91 days.
This approach ensures the expiration period aligns with your sales cycle, making it more effective for your specific business model.
How to ensure customers are aware of points' expiration date
Mention the points expiration logic in FAQ: Clearly outline the expiration rules in the frequently asked questions section to keep customers informed.
Enable notifications about points expiration: Set up automatic notifications to alert customers about their points' expiration date.
Utilize Klaviyo integration for reminders: Configure multiple reminder notifications before the points expire using Klaviyo integration.
Include points expiration rules in the Terms & Conditions: Clearly state the points expiration rules in your Terms & Conditions document.
Default places to view Points expiry
When the Points expiration is enabled, customers will see the date their points expire across several Growave widgets and extensions.
Rewards pop-up widget
The expiry banner appears in the upper part of the Rewards pop-up widget, just below the Points balance section. The timing of this banner depends on your active notification settings:
Active notifications | Banner display rules |
None | Appears 30 days before points expire. If the customer closes the banner, it will not appear again. |
First notification | Appears based on the set number of days for this notification. If closed, it will not appear again. |
First notification & Last chance reminder | Appears based on the first notification timeline. If closed, it reappears based on the last chance reminder timeline. If closed a second time, it will not appear again. |
Always-visible widget locations
For the following locations, the expiry date is always visible to the customer when the setting is enabled:
Rewards page: The text "Expiration: [Month Day, Year]" appears in the upper right side of the Ways to earn section.
Loyalty info widget: The text "(expiration: [Month Day, Year])" appears directly under the Points balance.
Loyalty info extension (Shopify account page): The text "Expiration: [Month Day, Year]" appears directly under the Points balance.
Rewards page extension (Shopify account page): The text "Expiration: [Month Day, Year]" appears directly under the Points balance.
Considerations before enabling
While points expiration can encourage engagement, poorly implemented expiration policies can make customers feel cheated, leading to dissatisfaction and frustration. Loyalty programs should be built with both parties' interests in mind. Deciding whether points should expire depends on your company’s goals and marketing strategy. Evaluate your competitors' strategies and test different approaches to find the best solution for your loyalty program.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to us at [email protected] or use the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of you Growave admin panel. We’re here to help! 🤗