Setting Up Referrals.
How partners configure referral campaigns with point rewards for their loyalty program.
Enable referrals to let your existing members invite friends—and reward both parties when new members make their first purchase.
Prerequisites
Before setting up referrals, ensure you have:
- At least one active loyalty card — Points are awarded to loyalty cards, not stamp cards
- A club created — Referral campaigns belong to clubs
If you haven't created a loyalty card yet, see Creating Loyalty Cards first.
Accessing Referral Settings
You can configure referrals from the partner dashboard:
- Log in to your Partner Dashboard
- In the sidebar, navigate to Loyalty Programs > Refer & Earn
- You will see a list of your referral campaigns
- From here, you can Add new campaigns or Edit existing ones
Creating a Referral Campaign
You can create multiple referral campaigns for different clubs or purposes.
- Click Add Campaign (or Create New)
- Select the Club this campaign applies to
- Ensure the Active toggle is ON (enabled by default for new campaigns)
- Configure your rewards (see below)
- Click Save
Once saved and active, members who have cards in that club will see the referral option in their dashboard.
Configuring Rewards
You can configure rewards for both parties in a referral:
Referrer Reward
The existing member who shares their link receives this reward when their referral completes.
- Referrer Points — How many points the referrer earns (e.g., 500)
- Referrer Card — Which loyalty card receives the points
Referee Reward
The new member who signs up receives this welcome bonus on their first purchase.
- Referee Points — How many points the new member earns (e.g., 200)
- Referee Card — Which loyalty card receives the points
Rules and Validation
- At least one reward required — You must set either referrer points, referee points, or both
- Card selection required — If points are greater than 0, you must select a card
- Cards must be active — Only non-archived loyalty cards can receive rewards
- Points are always positive — Use whole numbers only
Example Configurations
Standard Two-Way Reward
Award points to both parties:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Referrer Points | 500 |
| Referrer Card | Coffee Rewards |
| Referee Points | 200 |
| Referee Card | Coffee Rewards |
Result: Referrer earns 500 points, new member earns 200 points—both on the same card.
Generous Welcome Bonus
Focus on attracting new customers:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Referrer Points | 100 |
| Referrer Card | Loyalty Plus |
| Referee Points | 500 |
| Referee Card | Loyalty Plus |
Result: Lower referrer reward, but the generous welcome bonus becomes a strong selling point for referrers to share.
Different Cards for Each Party
Use different cards for more sophisticated programs:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Referrer Points | 1000 |
| Referrer Card | VIP Rewards |
| Referee Points | 250 |
| Referee Card | Starter Rewards |
Result: Referrer earns VIP points while new members start on a beginner card.
Best Practices
Setting Point Values
- Make it meaningful — Rewards should feel valuable, not trivial
- Consider your economics — 500 points might be $5 or $50 depending on your rate
- Balance incentives — Generous referrer rewards drive sharing; generous referee rewards improve conversion
- Think about perception — "500 points" sounds better than "$5 off" even if equivalent
Choosing Cards
- Same card for simplicity — Most businesses use one card for both parties
- Different cards for segmentation — Send new members to a "starter" program
- Active cards only — Ensure selected cards aren't archived or disabled
Before Launching
- Test with a friend — Complete the full referral flow yourself
- Verify emails work — Check that notification emails are configured
- Announce to members — Let existing members know about the program
- Add to signage — Remind customers they can earn by sharing
What Members See
Once you enable referrals, members experience:
Member Dashboard
A new Referrals section appears in their navigation showing:
- Their unique referral code and shareable link
- Share buttons (copy, WhatsApp, email)
- Stats: invited count, completed count, total points earned
- Recent referrals with status badges
Referral Landing Page
When someone clicks a member's link, they see a branded page with:
- Your business branding
- The referrer's name ("Jane invited you!")
- The welcome bonus prominently displayed
- A clear call-to-action to join
Managing Active Programs
Viewing Activity
Referral completions appear in your transaction history with the event types:
referral_bonus— Points awarded to referrersreferral_welcome_bonus— Points awarded to new members
Disabling Referrals
If you need to pause or stop referrals:
- Edit the referral campaign
- Toggle Active to OFF
- Save changes
Important: Pending referrals (friend signed up but hasn't purchased) will remain pending. They won't complete even if the new member later makes a purchase while the program is disabled.
Changing Point Values
You can adjust point values at any time:
- New completions use the current settings
- Already-completed referrals aren't affected
- Pending referrals will use whatever values exist when they complete
Troubleshooting
"Members Don't See Referrals"
Check that:
- The program is enabled
- Members have at least one card in the club
- They're accessing the Referrals page (not just My Cards)
"No Points Were Awarded"
Verify that:
- Points are configured (not set to 0)
- Cards are selected for point awards
- The new member actually made a purchase (not just signed up)
- The program was enabled when the purchase was made
"Referral Stuck on Pending"
This is normal until the new member makes a purchase. Pending referrals:
- Only complete when the referee earns points on a loyalty card
- Don't complete from stamp card transactions
- Don't complete if the program is disabled
Related Topics
- Referral Program Overview — How referrals work
- The Landing Experience — What new members see
- Creating Loyalty Cards — Set up cards first
- Understanding Clubs — Organize by location