The entry method determines what activity counts toward moving customers through your VIP tiers. You choose one entry method for your entire VIP program and all tiers use the same method.
Amount spent ($)
Customers progress through tiers based on how much money they've spent at your store. Tier thresholds are set in your store's currency.
Example setup:
Tier | Threshold |
Bronze | $0 (base tier) |
Silver | $500 |
Gold | $2,000 |
Platinum | $5,000 |
A customer who has spent $2,100 would be in the Gold tier. A customer who has spent $450 would be in Bronze.
When progress updates: Immediately when an order is paid. Customers are promoted as soon as payment clears, they don't need to wait for the order to be fulfilled.
Best for: Most stores. Dollar spend is intuitive for customers and directly tied to revenue.
Number of orders
Customers progress based on how many orders they've placed, regardless of order value.
Example setup:
Tier | Threshold |
Bronze | 0 orders (base tier) |
Silver | 5 orders |
Gold | 15 orders |
Platinum | 30 orders |
A customer who has placed 16 orders would be in Gold, even if their total spend is low.
When progress updates: Immediately when an order is paid.
Best for: Stores where order frequency matters more than order value — for example, consumables, food & drink, or subscription-style purchasing.
Points earned
Customers progress based on their total loyalty points earned (not their current balance — points that have been spent still count toward tier qualification).
If your program runs on store credit, Points earned is not available as an entry method. Use Amount spent or Number of orders instead.
Example setup:
Tier | Threshold |
Bronze | 0 points (base tier) |
Silver | 1,000 points |
Gold | 5,000 points |
Platinum | 15,000 points |
A customer who has earned 6,200 lifetime points (even if they've redeemed 4,000 of them) would be in Gold.
When progress updates: When points are approved. If your earning rules have an approval delay (e.g., points are held pending for 14 days), the customer won't be promoted until the points are marked as approved. Earning rules with instant approval promote the customer immediately.
Best for: Stores that want tier progression to reflect overall engagement across all earning actions — purchases, social follows, referrals, birthdays, and more.
Advanced entry method criteria
This feature is available on the Growth plan
Most stores use a single entry method, but you can combine two entry methods with AND or OR logic for more control over who qualifies for each tier.
Open Entry Method → Advanced on the VIP tiers page, tick Enable advanced entry method criteria, pick a secondary entry method (must be different from your primary), and choose AND or OR.
Like the entry method itself, these options can only be changed while VIP tiers are disabled (see Changing your entry method below).
AND Criteria
The AND criteria means both set criteria must be met to qualify. For example:
Primary: Amount spent ($). Secondary: Number of orders.
Tier | Spend | Orders |
Bronze | $0 (base tier) | 0 |
Silver | $500 | 3 |
Gold | $2,000 | 10 |
A customer with $2,500 spent but only 5 orders stays in Silver - they meet the Gold spend but not the Gold orders. They would need 10 orders too.
OR Criteria
The OR criteria means that meeting either criteria qualifies. For example:
Primary: Amount spent ($). Secondary: Number of orders.
Tier | Spend | Orders |
Bronze | $0 (base tier) | 0 |
Silver | $500 | 10 |
Gold | $2,000 | 20 |
A customer with 22 orders but only $1,200 spent reaches Gold on orders alone - OR lets either criteria carry the customer through.
Setting tier thresholds
When advanced criteria is active, the Add Tier and Edit Tier forms show an input for the secondary criterion alongside the primary one. Set both — leaving the secondary blank tells the system "no requirement for the secondary on this tier", which typically defeats the purpose of AND.
How storefront progress is shown
The VIP progress bar in your storefront widget and account sidebar handles compound criteria automatically:
Under AND, if a customer has met the primary but not the secondary, the bar pauses at 95% and the countdown text swaps to count down the secondary criterion (the actual blocker).
When both are still owed, a small "and X more orders" / "or 200 more points" badge appears below the bar so customers know what's left.
Under OR, the bar reflects whichever criterion the customer is closer to clearing.
Best for: Stores that want both engagement and value to matter. For example, requiring meaningful spend and a minimum number of orders before unlocking the top tier so revenue alone (one big order) doesn't qualify a one-time buyer.
Changing your entry method
The entry method is locked while VIP tiers are enabled. The Entry Method card on the Program Settings tab shows the notice "Disable VIP tiers to change this setting." To switch your entry method:
Give every tier above your base tier a requirement for the new method. Open each tier and, under Entry criteria, fill in Minimum spend, Orders required or Points earned required. The switch is blocked until every tier has one, and two tiers cannot share the same requirement.
On the Tiers tab, turn off VIP Program Status.
On the Program Settings tab, choose the new entry method and save.
In the Apply VIP tier changes window, choose Only count activity going forward (the default: existing tier assignments stay as they are and no recalculation runs) or Recalculate now (every customer is re-evaluated using the new method), then confirm.
Turn VIP Program Status back on when you are ready.
If you choose Recalculate now, this means:
Some customers may move up if they qualify under the new method
Some customers may move down if they no longer qualify
The recalculation begins after a 15-minute window, giving you time to cancel if needed
Both options, and how to cancel a scheduled recalculation, are explained under "What happens when you change settings" in the article "Tier progress expiry: Lifetime, Calendar Year, and Rolling Year".
Choosing to change your entry method is a big change if you are deep into your VIP program. Be aware that it could cause customers to change tiers significantly based on your configuration. Double check your previous and desired configuration to get an idea as to how your customers will be impacted.