The Purchase rule is the most important earning rule for most stores. It automatically awards customers points every time they complete an order. This article covers how to set it up, the fields available, and how it works with VIP tiers and bonus campaigns.
ℹ️ Note
For general steps on creating, editing, pausing, or deleting any earning rule, see Configure Ways to Earn Points.
Set Up the Purchase Earning Rule
Steps to Configure
Go to Loyalty in the Mage Loyalty app.
Scroll to Earning Points and click Add Earning Rule.
Select Purchase as the rule type.
Set the earning rate. Enter how many Points a customer earns and the amount they need to spend to earn them. For example, 1 point for every $1 spent, or 5 points for every $10 spent.
Optional. Under Points Restrictions, tick Exclude discounted products from earning points if you do not want items bought with a discount to earn points.
Optional. Set an Approval Time in days if you want to delay when points become available, for example to cover your returns window. Leave it at 0 for instant points.
Click Save. The rule will be Active immediately.
Purchase Rule Field Reference
Field | What It Does | Example |
Rule Name | Internal label for this rule in your admin | "Purchase Reward" |
Points for every $ spent | Sets the earning rate. Enter the points earned and the spend amount needed to earn them | 1 point for every $1, or 5 points for every $10 |
Exclude discounted products | Optional. When enabled, items bought with a discount code or automatic discount do not earn points | Off by default |
Approval Time | Optional. Number of days before earned points become available. Useful to cover your returns window. 0 means instant | 0 days (instant) |
Set Custom Points per VIP Tier (Advanced)
If you run VIP tiers, you can give each tier its own purchase earning rate. This lets higher tiers earn points faster on every order.
Each tier overrides the points value only. The spend amount stays shared from the base rule. For example, your base rule can be 5 points for every $1 spent, while Gold members earn 8 points for every $1 spent.
Before you start
VIP Tiers must be enabled and you need at least two tiers.
This is a Growth plan feature.
Steps to Configure
Edit your Purchase earning rule.
Open Advanced Settings.
Tick Set custom points per VIP tier.
Enter the points value for each tier above your entry tier. The spend amount (for example $1) stays the same across tiers.
Click Save.
ℹ️ Note
Your entry tier (the tier every member starts in) always earns the base rate, so its row is locked to the base value. This keeps the rate shown to visitors who are not signed in identical to what they earn the moment they join. The base rate is also the comparison rate for bonus campaigns that override VIP tiers. When per-tier rates are enabled, they replace the tier's Points Multiplier on purchases.
How VIP Tiers and Bonus Campaigns Affect Purchase Points
Purchase points can be boosted by two things at once: a customer's VIP tier and an active bonus campaign. How they combine depends on your setup.
Using the tier Points Multiplier (per-tier rates off)
A customer's VIP tier can multiply their purchase points, if your Points Multiplier is set to apply to purchases.
A bonus campaign then stacks on top, or overrides the tier, based on the campaign's Override VIP tier multipliers setting.
Using per-tier rates (per-tier rates on)
The per-tier rate replaces the tier multiplier on purchases.
Bonus campaigns still apply on top of the tier rate.
Bonus campaign type | Effect with per-tier rates on |
Standard (stacking) | The campaign multiplier is applied to the tier rate. Example: Gold earns 8 points per $1, a 2x weekend makes it 16 points per $1. |
Override VIP tier multipliers enabled | The customer earns whichever is higher: their tier rate, or the base rate times the campaign multiplier. They never earn less than their tier rate. |
When Purchase Points Are Awarded
Points are awarded once the order is paid.
If an approval time is set, points stay pending until it passes.
If the order is later refunded, the points earned on it are automatically reversed. A partial refund reverses a proportional share.
Guest checkouts do not earn points. The customer must be signed in to their account.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
⚠️ Common Mistake
Setting points too low or too high: Start with 1 point per $1 spent and adjust based on your margins and reward values. If points are too easy to earn, your rewards become expensive to fund.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Duplicate rule types: Adding two active Purchase rules can cause unexpected behaviour. Make sure you only have one active Purchase rule unless you are intentionally running a bonus campaign.
Troubleshooting
Customers are not earning points after a purchase
Check that the Purchase earning rule is set to Active.
Confirm that the order was not cancelled or refunded.
Make sure the customer is logged in to their account. Guest checkouts do not earn points.
🗨️ Still need help or can’t find the answers you’re looking for? Reach out to the Mage Loyalty team through our live chat support.