Joy and Recharge Subscription
Integrate Joy Loyalty with Recharge Subscription to reward customers for every subscription purchase
This feature is available in All plans
What is the Recharge (opens in a new tab) Integration
The Recharge Integration provides two key functionalities for subscription-based stores:
- Discount Code Synchronization: Automatically syncs Joy Loyalty discount codes to Recharge, allowing customers to apply loyalty discounts to their subscription orders through the Recharge customer portal.
- Subscription Rewards: Allows merchants to reward customers with loyalty points for subscription purchases and renewals, encouraging long-term subscription retention.
This integration ensures that customers receive loyalty rewards for their recurring subscription orders and can use their earned loyalty discounts on both one-time purchases and subscription orders seamlessly.
Why do you need this feature?
The Recharge Integration creates a unified loyalty experience for your subscription customers, offering both rewards for subscription purchases and the ability to use loyalty discounts on recurring orders. Without this integration, subscription customers would be disconnected from your loyalty program benefits, missing out on earning and redeeming rewards for their most valuable purchases.
Enabling this integration creates a complete loyalty ecosystem where subscription customers can earn points for their recurring orders and apply their earned discounts seamlessly through the Recharge customer portal. This comprehensive approach significantly increases customer lifetime value, as subscription customers typically represent your most loyal segment and highest revenue potential.
How the integration works
Discount code synchronization
When a customer redeems loyalty points for a discount code:
- Discount Creation: Joy creates the discount code as usual
- Sync to Recharge: The system automatically syncs applicable discounts to Recharge
- Customer Access: Customers can apply the discount in the Recharge customer portal
- Automatic Management: The system manages discount lifecycle (activation, deactivation, deletion)
Subscription rewards
When customers place subscription orders:
- Order Processing: Recharge processes the subscription order
- Point Calculation: Joy calculates loyalty points based on your configured rules
- Point Award: Points are automatically added to the customer's loyalty account
- Notification: Customers can be notified of their earned points (if email notifications are enabled)
How to integrate Recharge Subscriptions with Joy Loyalty
Go to "Integrations", and select "Recharge Subscription"
Click on "Install Recharge Subscription"
Install Recharge Subscription app
Paste your API key to connect with Recharge Subscription
Click "Set up" to reward points for customers purchasing subscription-based products
Set up the Subscription order to give rewards for customers who place an order
Where to find your API Key?
Go to Recharge, click on Tools & Apps, then choose API tokens
Click "Create an API token"
Name the API token and add your contact email
Grant the token these permission scopes. Joy needs all four — the connection is rejected if any one is missing:
| Scope | Why Joy needs it |
|---|---|
read_orders | Read subscription orders so Joy can award points for each renewal |
read_customers | Match the Recharge subscriber to the right loyalty account |
read_discounts | Check which loyalty discount codes already exist in Recharge |
write_discounts | Create, update, and remove redeemed discount codes in Recharge |
If any of these four scopes is missing, Joy will reject the key with "Failed to authorize integration" or "Invalid API key" — even though the key itself is perfectly valid. If you see that error, come back to this screen and check all four are ticked before creating a new token.
Optional but recommended: also tick write_batches.
write_batches is not required to connect. But without it, discount codes that Joy issues in bulk (for example, an entry reward sent to every member of a VIP tier at once) are not copied into Recharge, so customers cannot apply them to their subscription orders. Codes redeemed one at a time still sync normally.
Click "Save"
Click on the new program to set up more permissions. Then click "Save"
Copy the API key then paste it in the API key of Recharge and Joy Loyalty Program integration to connect
Setting up Recharge-specific coupons
Access coupon creation
- From your Shopify admin, go to Apps
- Click on Joy Loyalty
- Navigate to Reward Programs → Redeeming Programs
- Click Create New Coupon
- Select your desired Recharge coupon type
Configure basic coupon settings
- Coupon Name: Give your coupon a descriptive name
- Point Cost: Set how many loyalty points customers need to redeem
- Discount Value: Enter the amount or percentage
- Expiration: Set when the coupon expires (optional)
Best practices for Recharge Integration
Setting up subscription-friendly rewards
- Configure loyalty rewards that work well with recurring orders
- Consider offering percentage discounts for variable subscription values
- Set up tier benefits that apply automatically to subscription orders
Managing customer expectations
- Clearly communicate that loyalty discounts work on subscriptions
- Include subscription benefits in your loyalty program description
- Send notifications when discounts are applied to subscription orders
Monitoring integration performance
- Regularly check that discounts are syncing properly
- Monitor customer usage of loyalty discounts on subscription orders
- Track the impact on subscription retention and loyalty engagement
FAQs
Do all Joy loyalty discounts sync to Recharge?
No, only discounts configured for subscription use or both one-time and subscription use will sync to Recharge. One-time only discounts remain in Shopify only. The integration automatically identifies and syncs only subscription-applicable discounts.
Can customers earn loyalty points for subscription orders?
Yes, when you configure subscription rewards in the integration settings, customers will automatically earn loyalty points for their subscription orders and renewals based on the rules you set up.
How do I get my Recharge API key?
Go to your Recharge admin dashboard, navigate to Tools & Apps → API tokens, create a new token with the four scopes listed in Where to find your API Key, and copy the generated API key to paste into Joy Loyalty's integration settings.
Joy says "Failed to authorize integration" or "Invalid API key". What's wrong?
In almost every case the token is missing one or more scopes, not mistyped. Open the token in Recharge → Tools & Apps → API tokens and confirm all four are ticked: read_orders, read_customers, read_discounts, write_discounts. Create the token from the store owner account, save the scopes, then paste the key into Joy again.
I sent a reward to a whole tier, but the codes don't appear in Recharge. Why?
Bulk-issued codes are copied to Recharge through Recharge's batch API, which needs the write_batches scope. If your token doesn't have it, those codes stay in Shopify only. Add write_batches to the token in Recharge, then reconnect the integration in Joy.
Can customers stack loyalty discounts with other Recharge discounts?
This depends on your Shopify discount stacking settings and Recharge configuration. Generally, only one discount per order type will be applied, with the system choosing the best available discount for the customer.
What happens to discounts when a subscription is cancelled?
When a subscription is cancelled, any unused loyalty discounts associated with that subscription remain available for the customer's account but cannot be applied to the cancelled subscription.
How quickly do discounts sync to Recharge?
Discounts typically sync within a few minutes of creation in Joy Loyalty. However, it may take up to 10 minutes during high-traffic periods.