The clauses every program needs
Loyalty terms settle the arguments that would otherwise happen at the counter. A clause that disagrees with the software is worse than none: the software wins, and the customer was told otherwise. The right-hand column names the matching setting in Rewardfinity's program editor, for programs created with New program; in other software, find the equivalent.
| Clause | What to write | Setting it must match |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Earning | What earns, the minimum spend, any cap, what does not earn | Earning rule (per spend, visit, item or manual award), minimum spend, per-event and per-day caps, one earning event per day |
| 2. The reward | What it is, its size or value, limits, no cash value | Each reward's value, its "Terms customers see" text, use limit and minimum spend |
| 3. Expiry | When the card, earned balance and each reward expire | "Card expiry", "Earned balance expiry", "When this reward expires": none, a fixed date, or a set period after issue |
| 4. Who runs it | Legal name, one contact route, where the terms live | "Full terms URL" in the join form |
| 5. Joining | Who can join, minimum age, one card per person, marketing as a separate choice | "Required agreement" and "Terms version name" in the join form; a sign-up question set to "Must be unique in this program" |
| 6. Refunds | A refund removes what the purchase earned, in proportion | No setting: a recorded refund always reverses the matching share |
| 7. Transfer and loss | Personal cards, gift card handover, lost cards, misuse | Gift cards only: "Let customers give their remaining balance to someone". The rest is your policy |
| 8. Changes and ending | Notice, where it appears, and whether earned rewards survive a pause or the end | "Customers can use rewards while the program is paused" and "Customers can use rewards after the program is archived" |
| Referrals, if you run them | What the friend must do, any limit per member | Trigger (first purchase with an optional minimum, joining, or 1 to 50 visits), per-member limits all-time or monthly, new customers only |
Clauses 1 to 4 fit on a card; 6 to 8 are where disagreements start. A few editor details help. A customer cannot join without accepting the required agreement, and each sign-up records the terms version accepted, so renaming the version when the wording changes records who agreed to what. When stamps or points expire, only those not yet turned into a reward go; an earned reward keeps its own expiry. And an expiry reminder can be timed 1 to 30 days ahead; word that clause as a courtesy, since delivery depends on how each member chose to hear from you. The member page also shows a Terms panel that summarises earning, rewards and validity from the same settings, so the two versions can agree.
A loyalty card terms and conditions sample
Copy it, replace everything in square brackets, and delete the options you do not use. Each bracket is a decision the table above ties to a setting.
[SHOP NAME] LOYALTY PROGRAM: TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Version [2], effective [date]
1. Earning
You earn one stamp for each [hot drink] bought for [3.00] or more, up to [one stamp per visit]. [Gift card sales do not earn stamps.]
2. The reward
[8] stamps earn [one hot drink of any size]. Show your card before you pay. A reward has no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash.
3. Expiry
[Stamps do not expire.] [Stamps expire [12 months] after they are earned.] A reward expires [30 days] after it is issued.
4. Who runs the program
[Legal business name], [address]. Questions: [email or phone]. The current terms are at [web address].
5. Joining
Open to anyone aged [16] or over. One card per person. Joining does not sign you up for marketing; that is a separate choice.
6. Refunds
If a purchase is refunded, the [stamps or points] it earned are removed. A partial refund removes a matching share.
7. Transfer, loss and misuse
Your card is for your own use and cannot be sold. [A lost paper card cannot be replaced.] We may cancel a card used dishonestly.
8. Changes and ending the program
We may change these terms. We will show changes [at the counter and at the web address above] at least [30 days] before they apply. Rewards already earned stay usable until they expire. If we end the program, rewards already earned can be used for [90 days].Keep the version line. When the wording changes, change the version and keep the old text: a customer who joined under version 1 agreed to version 1.
What fits on the back of a stamp card
A wallet card is 85.6 by 54 millimetres: room for four readable lines of fine print. Use them for clauses 1 to 4 and point to the written terms for the rest. The card below is drawn at true size; each marker matches a clause number.
| Marker | Line on the card | Clause it carries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | One stamp per hot drink of 3.00 or more, once a visit. | 1. Earning |
| 2 | 8 stamps earn one hot drink, any size. No cash value. | 2. The reward |
| 3 | Stamps expire after 12 months, rewards after 30 days. | 3. Expiry |
| 4 | Run by [Shop name]. Full terms at [yourshop.com/terms]. | 4. Who runs it |
If a fifth line fits, make it what happens to a lost card. The wallet-size loyalty card template has print-ready fronts at the same size, so both sides line up on a double-sided print.
Clauses that cause disputes: refunds, expiry, transfer and changes
Refunds
A partial refund causes the argument: a customer returns one item from a larger order and expects to keep everything it earned. In Rewardfinity this is not a setting. A recorded refund always reverses the matching share, at the earning rule that applied at the sale, as a separate entry; the FAQ answer on refunded orders describes the record it leaves.
| Step | Sale still standing | Points kept | Removed at this step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sale recorded | 40.00 | 40 | 0 |
| Partial refund of 10.00 | 30.00 | 30 | 40 − 30 = 10 |
| Remaining 30.00 refunded | 0.00 | 0 | 30 − 0 = 30 |
The working, at 1 point per 1.00 with no bonus multiplier (a setting you choose, not a default): the 30.00 still standing earns 30 points, so 10 are removed. Once nothing stands, the order keeps nothing.
Expiry
Expiry disputes start when nobody can tell what the clock started from. Name it: when the card was issued, when each stamp was earned, or a fixed date. Rewardfinity offers the card, the earned balance and each reward the same choices: no expiry, a fixed date, or a set period after issue. Lapsed rewards also change what the program costs, as the loyalty program cost guide explains.
Transfer and loss
A paper card belongs to whoever holds it, so a lost card is lost. A digital card you can look up allows a kinder clause, but promise only a replacement you can issue. Gift cards are the card people expect to pass on, and a Rewardfinity gift card program can let customers give their remaining balance to someone. A referral program needs a line on who counts as a new customer. Members can’t refer themselves.
Changes
Every program changes, so give a notice period, say where notice appears, and say what happens to what is already earned. In a Rewardfinity stamp program created with New program, a card part-way through keeps the rules it started with; changed rules apply from that member's next card. A referred friend keeps the offer that applied when they joined. Pausing or ending a program stops earning, and two switches decide whether rewards can still be used. Set those first, then write the clause.
Local rules to check
Consumer, privacy and promotion rules differ by country, and sometimes by state or province. Take these questions to someone qualified in your country before the terms go up.
- 01Can it expire?Is expiry limited on value a customer paid for, such as a gift card or prepaid pack?
- 02Does the change clause hold?Is a one-sided right to change the rules fair where you trade, and what notice is expected?
- 03What does joining collect?Link your privacy notice from the terms rather than repeating it.
- 04Is marketing consent separate?Rewardfinity's join form keeps the required agreement apart from marketing opt-ins.
- 05Are prize draws regulated?A raffle or prize wheel may need a free entry route or a licence.
- 06Does a reward carry an age rule?If so, set that age in clause 5.
Questions people ask
What should loyalty program terms and conditions include?
Eight clauses cover most small programs: what earns a stamp or point, exactly what the reward is, when cards, balances and rewards expire, who runs the program and where the terms live, who can join, what a refund does, whether a card can be transferred or replaced, and how the rules can change. Each should describe the setting your program actually uses.
Can I change my loyalty program rules later?
Yes, if your terms keep that right and you give notice before the change applies. Say how much notice, where it appears, and what happens to stamps or points already earned. In a Rewardfinity stamp program created with New program, a card already in progress finishes under the rules it started with; new rules apply from that member's next card.
What should my terms say about refunded orders?
That a refunded purchase loses what it earned, and a partial refund removes a matching share. Without that sentence, a customer can return part of an order and argue for every point it earned. When a refund is recorded, Rewardfinity reverses the matching share automatically, at the earning rule that applied at the sale, and writes the reversal as a separate entry so the original record stays intact.
Should my loyalty terms say when stamps and points expire?
Yes, even if the answer is that they never expire, because silence leaves the decision to whoever is at the counter. Name the clock: from when the card was issued, when each stamp was earned, or a fixed date. Say separately when an earned reward expires. In Rewardfinity, only progress that has not yet become a reward expires; a reward already earned keeps its own expiry.
Who should check my loyalty program terms?
Someone qualified in your country, before the terms go on a card or a sign-up page. Rules on expiry, unfair terms, marketing consent and prize draws differ between countries and sometimes between states or provinces, and a template cannot know which apply to you. Bring the clause list and your program settings, so the check covers what the program actually does.
Set the program first, then write the terms from it.
Terms copied from settings stay true. Settings copied from terms drift.