Buyer guide · Mechanism
Choose points, stamps, or prepaid passes from the buying rhythm.
Start with how customers buy, what staff can verify, and when value changes hands. The best mechanic is the one the business can explain and operate on a busy day.
- Points fit
- Variable eligible spend
- Stamps fit
- A similar repeat action
- Passes fit
- A defined future package
Short answer
Match the promise to the purchase.
Choose points when eligible basket values vary and higher spend should earn more. Choose stamps when one repeat action has a similar value each time. Choose a prepaid pass when the customer pays at the till for a defined number of future uses or a period of access. Use one as the base mechanic, then test its staff work and customer promise before adding another layer.
Decision criteria
Choose from operating evidence.
Purchase rhythm, basket variation, capacity, cash flow, and staff effort reveal which mechanic creates the clearest promise.
Purchase rhythm
List what the customer repeats, how often it happens, and whether the eligible value stays similar or changes from visit to visit.
Value timing
Decide whether the business wants to reward past activity or receive cash before it owes future fulfilment.
Counter routine
Choose the amount, stamp, sale, use, correction, and customer explanation that staff can handle during the busiest service period.
Mechanism fit
Start with the transaction shape.
The same customer goal can lead to a different mechanic when basket value, frequency, or fulfilment changes.
Points for variable value
Use purchase-based earning when eligible subtotals vary. Reward Loyalty can apply earning rules, a minimum purchase, and transaction limits before recording points and progress toward configured rewards.
Stamps for a named repeat
Use a stamp when the qualifying action is easy to name, such as one eligible visit or service. A minimum purchase and daily or transaction caps can protect the rule.
Passes for paid commitment
Use a counted or time-limited pass when the customer buys a defined package at the till. Reward Loyalty records the sale and later uses; it does not collect the payment.
Customer consequence
Points ask customers to understand value and thresholds. Stamps show visible progress toward one completion. A pass creates a paid entitlement whose uses, validity, and exclusions must be clear.
Decision matrix
Let the awkward cases decide.
Test the cases that create disputes instead of choosing from the most attractive card design.
Basket value changes
Points can follow eligible spend. A stamp can over-reward a small order or under-reward a large one unless the qualifying action is tightly defined.
Demand is capacity constrained
A free completion reward or pass use consumes stock, time, or appointments. Set availability and exclusions around the periods the business can fulfil.
Cash flow matters now
A pass brings payment forward and creates a future service obligation. Points and stamps reward activity after it occurs and do not represent prepayment.
Staff cannot judge exceptions
Reduce the number of eligible items and publish a short rule. A mechanic that needs a manager for ordinary transactions will create delays and corrections.
Worked choice
Compare three ordinary purchase patterns.
These examples are illustrative. Replace the amounts, costs, and frequency with current business data.
Coffee counter
If the target is ten similar drinks and the qualifying purchase is easy to verify, a ten-stamp card gives staff and customers one visible rule.
Mixed retail basket
If eligible baskets range from 15 to 90 in the business currency, points can make earning respond to value while minimums and caps control edge cases.
Weekly class
If a customer can buy ten future sessions at the till, a counted pass can record the remaining uses and validity while the business tracks the unfulfilled obligation.
Mixed behavior
Choose the behavior that deserves the base mechanic. Use controlled vouchers or another supporting feature later instead of launching three overlapping promises.
Implementation test
Prove the rule before launch.
A useful decision survives customer copy, staff rehearsal, corrections, and a month of operational review.
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1
Write the customer sentence
State what qualifies, what the customer receives, when it expires, and the main exclusion without relying on internal product terms.
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2
Model three customer histories
Run a low-value, typical, and high-value case through earning, completion or use, expiry, and correction.
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3
Rehearse the busy-shift workflow
Have staff join a test member, record the action, explain progress, fulfil the reward or use, and reverse a mistake.
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4
Review 30 operating days
Inspect first actions, progress, completions, uses, corrections, and staff participation. Thirty days cannot establish long-term retention or customer lifetime value.
Product and operating limits
Keep each mechanic inside its real boundary.
- Reward Loyalty records a prepaid-pass price and use ledger, while payment is handled outside the application at the point of sale.
- Points, stamps, and passes have different customer meanings. Do not describe points or stamps as money already paid, and do not present a pass as a free loyalty reward.
- Product records can show activity and fulfilment. They cannot prove that the mechanic caused incremental visits after only 30 days.
Implementation guides
Use current documentation for changing details.
Requirements, interfaces, settings, limits, and release behavior belong in the maintained product documentation.