Upgrading from v3 to v4.

Reward Loyalty v4 is a direct upgrade from v3. Your existing data — partners, members, loyalty cards, stamp cards, vouchers, transactions, and settings — is fully preserved during the upgrade. No manual data migration is required.

There are no breaking changes. All v3 routes, database schemas, and configuration files are forward-compatible. If you have custom integrations, they will continue to work without modification.

Before You Upgrade

1. Back Up Your Installation

Always create a full backup before upgrading:

• Database: Export via phpMyAdmin, the command line, or your hosting panel's backup tool.
• Files: Download a copy of your entire installation directory, including the .env file.

If your hosting provider offers one-click backups (cPanel → Backup, Plesk → Backup Manager), use that as well.

2. Verify Server Requirements

v4 requires PHP 8.4 or higher. If you are running PHP 8.1, 8.2, or 8.3, upgrade PHP first. Check the Requirements page for the full list.

3. Cron (Recommended, Not Required)

v4 can use a cron scheduler for background tasks. All core loyalty features — cards, stamps, vouchers, rewards, staff, members — work perfectly without cron. You do not need cron to upgrade.

Cron is only needed if you use these specific features:

• Health Center heartbeat — Verifies your scheduler is running
• Automatic OTP cleanup — Removes expired login codes (they still expire on their own, cleanup just frees database space)
• Stamp card expiration — Processes scheduled expiration rules overnight

If you want to set it up (or plan to use the SaaS billing and dashboard features later), add this entry:

* * * * * cd /path-to-your-project && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

On cPanel, use the Cron Jobs interface with a "Once Per Minute" frequency.

Bottom line: If you don't add cron, everything still works. You can always add it later.

How to Upgrade

Use the same update methods as any other version. Choose whichever fits your hosting environment:

Dashboard Update (Recommended)

If your server supports exec() and you have an active support license:

1. Log in as an administrator
2. Navigate to Admin → License & Updates
3. Click Check for Updates
4. Click Update Now and wait for the process to complete

The updater handles file replacement, dependency installation, and database migrations automatically.

Install from Package

If you have the zip file but don't need the update server:

1. Download the latest v4 release from CodeCanyon
2. Upload the zip to storage/app/manual-update/ on your server
3. The admin dashboard detects it — click Install to apply

This uses the same automated process as dashboard updates. See Install from Package for full instructions.

Manual File Replacement

If exec() is disabled on your server (common on shared hosting):

1. Download the latest v4 release from CodeCanyon
2. Follow the Manual Update instructions
3. After uploading files, visit your site — any pending database migrations will run automatically on the next page load

After Upgrading

1. Visit the Health Center — Navigate to Admin → Health Center to verify all checks pass
2. Clear cache — Run php artisan cache:clear if you have SSH access, or visit Admin → Settings → Clear Cache
3. Verify cron — Check that the Health Center shows "Cron / Scheduler" as OK within a few minutes

What's new? See the Changelog for a complete list of new features, improvements, and translations.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues after upgrading:

• White screen / 500 error: Clear the application cache. If you have SSH access, run php artisan config:clear && php artisan cache:clear. If not, delete the files inside bootstrap/cache/ via your file manager.
• Missing styles: Run php artisan storage:link if the storage symlink is missing, or recreate it from your hosting panel.
• Database errors: Run php artisan migrate --force from the command line, or visit any admin page — pending migrations run automatically.

For additional help, see Common Issues or contact Support.