Basic Referrals have two rewards: one for the friend who is referred, and one for the customer who referred them. This article explains every setting on the reward page so you can set up both rewards with confidence. For the full setup, including turning the program on, see Basic Referrals - Overview & Setup.
Both rewards are sent to customers as Shopify discount codes.
How to Add or Edit a Reward
To add a new reward
Open Mage Loyalty > Referrals, then click Basic Referrals in the Referrals menu on the left.
Under Referred Friend Reward or Referring Customer Reward, click Add Reward.
Choose a reward type. If you choose Discount, also pick Fixed amount or Percentage (%).
Click Create reward.
Fill in the settings, then click Save in the bar at the top of the page.
To change an existing reward
On the Basic Referrals page, click Edit next to the reward.
Make your changes and click Save in the bar at the top of the page.
Each slot holds one reward. To switch to a different reward type, click Delete and then add a new reward.
Choosing a Reward Type
Reward type | What the customer gets |
Discount (Fixed amount) | A set amount off the order, for example $10 off. |
Discount (Percentage (%)) | A percentage off the order, for example 15% off. |
Free Shipping | Free shipping on the order. |
Free Product | A product of your choice for free. |
All four reward types are available on every paid plan (Essential and above).
Discount Reward Settings
These settings apply to Fixed amount and Percentage (%) discounts.
Setting | What it does |
Reward name | The name of the reward, up to 50 characters. It is shown on the Basic Referrals page so you can tell your rewards apart. |
Discount amount | How much the discount is worth. For a fixed amount, enter the amount in your store currency (10 means 10 off). For a percentage, enter the percentage (15 means 15% off). |
Applies to | Which products the discount can be used on: All products, Specific collections or Specific products. If you choose collections or products, click Select to pick them. |
Combinations | Whether the code can be used together with other Product discounts, Order discounts or Shipping discounts at checkout. All are off unless you tick them. |
Purchase type | Which orders the code works on: One-time purchase, Subscription or Both. |
Recurring payments for subscriptions | Only shown when Purchase type includes subscriptions. Choose Limit discount to the first payment, Limit discount to multiple recurring payments (then enter the Number of recurring payments) or Discount applies to all recurring payments. |
Minimum spend | The minimum order value needed to use the code. Enter 0 for no minimum. |
Expiry days | How many days the code stays valid after it is sent, up to 365. Enter 0 for no expiry. New rewards start at 365 days. |
Free Shipping Reward Settings
Setting | What it does |
Reward name | The name of the reward, shown on the Basic Referrals page. |
Exclude shipping costs over a certain amount | Tick this to cap the shipping discount, then enter the Maximum shipping discount amount. Leave it unticked to cover the full shipping cost. |
Combinations | Whether the code can be used together with other Product discounts or Order discounts. |
Purchase type | Which orders the code works on: One-time purchase, Subscription or Both. |
Minimum requirements | Choose No minimum requirements, Minimum subtotal (a minimum order value) or Minimum quantity (a minimum number of items). |
Expiry days | How many days the code stays valid after it is sent. Enter 0 for no expiry. |
Free Product Reward Settings
Setting | What it does |
Reward name | The name of the reward, shown on the Basic Referrals page. |
Product | Click Select product to choose the free product. If it has more than one variant, tick the variants the customer can get for free. |
Minimum spend | The minimum order value needed to use the code. Enter 0 for no minimum. |
Expiry days | How many days the code stays valid after it is sent. Enter 0 for no expiry. |
Combinations | Whether the code can be used together with other Product discounts, Order discounts or Shipping discounts. |
The product cannot be changed once a Free Product reward is saved. To offer a different product, delete the reward and add a new one.
The Summary Card
The Summary card on the right of the reward page updates as you type. It gives a quick overview of the reward, such as its value and any minimum requirement. Check it before you click Save.
Once a reward has been saved, you can also give it a custom image from the card above the Summary. See Adding a Custom Image to a Referral Reward.
How Minimum Spend Affects the Referring Customer
The referring customer is only rewarded when their friend pays for an order that uses the friend's referral code. If you set a Minimum spend on the Referred Friend Reward, the friend's order must reach that amount before the referring customer gets their reward.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Limiting the friend's reward to a few products. A friend who cannot use their code on the item they want is unlikely to buy. Use All products unless you have a clear reason not to.
Setting Expiry days too short. Friends often take a while to come back and buy, and 7 or 14 days is rarely enough. Give friends at least 90 days.
Leaving Purchase type as One-time purchase when you sell subscriptions. Friends who choose a subscription will not be able to use their code. Choose Both if subscriptions are part of your store.
Setting a Minimum spend higher than most first orders. The friend cannot use their code, and the referring customer is never rewarded. Keep the minimum close to your typical first order value, or set it to 0.
Forgetting to click Save. Changes are not kept until you click Save in the bar at the top of the page.
Troubleshooting
The Add Reward button is missing
That slot already has a reward. Click Edit to change it, or Delete it to add a different type.
A customer says their code does not work at checkout
Check that the items in the cart are covered by Applies to.
Check that the order meets the Minimum spend or Minimum requirements.
Check the Purchase type if the customer is buying a subscription.
Check whether the customer is trying to combine the code with another discount. If so, tick the right boxes under Combinations.
Check whether the code has expired.
My changes did not update codes customers already have
Changes apply to codes sent after you save. Codes that were already sent keep the settings they were created with.