A punch card rewards customers for coming back. Every qualifying order adds a punch to their card, and once they collect enough punches the reward is given automatically. It is the digital version of the paper card a coffee shop stamps at the counter.

Common examples:

Punch cards are available on the Starter plan and above.

You decide how many orders a customer needs to place and what they earn when they get there. Every order that meets your rules adds one punch. When the customer reaches the number you set, the reward is given automatically. There is nothing for the customer to claim.

A few things worth knowing before you set one up:

The Summary panel on the right updates as you fill the form in, so you can check the card reads the way you expect before you save. Counting begins the moment you turn the card on.

These options control which orders earn a punch and what happens when a card is finished.

The number of qualifying orders a customer needs. If you set 3, the reward is given on their 3rd qualifying order.

Leave this blank and every order earns a punch. Set an amount and only orders that reach it count. This stops customers collecting punches with very small orders.

The amount is checked against the value of the products in the order after any discounts have come off. Tax and shipping are not counted.

By default every product counts. If only part of your catalogue should build the card, choose Specific collections or Specific products and pick the ones you want.

A coffee shop can use this to count drinks and leave merchandise out, so a customer buying a t-shirt does not get a punch.

Two things change once you set this:

Leave this off and customers can take as long as they like to finish the card. Turn it on and set a number of days, and the customer has to finish the card within that time.

The clock starts from a customer's first punch, not from when you created the card, so everyone gets the full time no matter when they begin. Customers can see how long they have left when they open the card on your storefront.

If the time runs out before they finish, their punches are cleared and their next qualifying order starts a fresh card with a fresh clock. Any reward they already earned is kept.

This is a waiting period for each punch. It is useful as a returns window.

Set to 0: every punch shows as complete the moment the order is paid, and the reward is given the moment the card is finished.

Set to a number of days: each punch shows as pending on the customer's card for that many days, then turns complete on its own. Pending punches still count towards the card. When the customer finishes the card, the reward waits for the same number of days before it is given.

For example, with 3 orders required and a 7 day approval time, a customer who places their 3rd order on Monday sees the card full with the last punch pending, and receives their reward the following Monday.

Changing this only affects orders placed from then on. Punches already earned are not changed.

Punch cards are shown in your loyalty displays by default. Tick Hide on storefront to keep a card out of your loyalty widget, sidebar and rewards pages. It still earns punches in the background.

You can also upload a Custom icon to replace the default one on the card's tile, and your own Punch icons for empty, pending and complete punches.

Tick Hide punches to show progress as text only, without the row of punches.

Use Custom description to replace the wording customers see under the card name.

You can have several punch cards running at the same time. Each one keeps its own count, and a single order can add a punch to more than one card.

For example, you could run both of these together:

An order of £60 of drinks adds a punch to both cards. An order of £60 of merchandise only adds a punch to the big spender card, because it has no drinks in it.

Give each card a clear name, because customers see those names on your storefront.

What counts as a qualifying order?
A paid order, placed after you turned the card on, that meets the rules you set. If you set a minimum spend, the order has to reach it. If you chose specific products or collections, the order has to include at least one of them. An order worth zero, for example one fully covered by a discount, does not earn a punch.

Do orders placed before I created the card count?
No. Counting starts the first time you turn the card on. This is deliberate, so launching a new card does not instantly complete it for your regular customers.

Does a large order give more than one punch?
No. Each order gives one punch at most, whatever is in it.

Do discounts, tax and shipping affect the minimum spend?
The minimum spend looks at the value of the products after discounts have come off. Tax and shipping are not included. So a £50 order with a 20% discount code counts as £40.

What happens if an order is refunded?
If an order is refunded in full, its punch is removed and the customer's count goes down by one.

If an order is only partly refunded, the punch is removed when the order no longer meets your rules, for example the refund takes it below your minimum spend, or the refunded items were the eligible ones on a card limited to certain products. Refunding items that were never part of the card does not remove the punch.

Does a refund take back a reward the customer already received?
Only when the order that completed the card is refunded in full. A partial refund can remove a punch without affecting a reward that has already been given.

Why does one of a customer's punches show as pending?
You have set an approval time on the card. A punch shows as pending while its order is inside that waiting period, and turns complete on its own once it has passed. Pending punches still count towards the card. Cards with an approval time of 0 never show pending punches.

What happens when a customer runs out of time?
Their punches on that card are cleared and they start again from zero. Any reward they already earned is kept. Their next qualifying order counts as the first punch of the new attempt.

Does turning a card off pause the time limit?
No. The time limit runs on the calendar, so a customer's deadline stays where it was while the card is off. Orders placed while the card is off do not count either way.

Can I add or change a time limit on a card customers are already using?
Yes. Deadlines already given to customers are kept as they are. A new or changed limit applies from each customer's next punch.

Can a customer earn the same card more than once?
That depends on your completion setting. "Card resets so customers can earn it again" lets them start from zero and earn it repeatedly. "One time per customer" gives the reward once. If the card has a time limit and the customer runs out of time, they can try again straight away.

Can I change the settings once customers have started collecting?
Yes. Progress is kept and your changes apply to orders placed from that point on. Punches already earned stay as they are. Keep in mind that raising the number of orders required moves everyone further from the reward.

What happens if I turn a card off?
Punches and progress are kept. When you turn it back on, customers carry on from where they left off and the original start date does not change. Orders placed while the card was off do not count.

Do VIP tier multipliers or bonus campaigns increase the reward?
No. A punch card always gives exactly the amount you set.

Does this work if my program uses store credit?
Yes. On a store credit program the card awards store credit instead of points, and the amount field asks you for a money value.

Where do customers see the punch card?
It appears with your other ways to earn on your storefront, using the name you gave it. If you would rather keep it hidden, tick Hide on storefront in the advanced settings.

A customer placed an order but did not get a punch. What should I check?
Check that the card is turned on, that the order was placed after you turned it on, and that it meets your minimum spend and eligible product rules. Also check that the order was paid and that it is linked to a customer who is part of your loyalty program. Every punch is listed in the customer's activity log on their profile page as "Punch 2 of 3" with the order number, so you can see exactly which orders counted.