Schedule programs and control who can redeem
Schedule when a redemption program is available with start and end dates, and control who can redeem it by Shopify customer segment.
Scheduling works on all redemption programs. Customer-segment eligibility is available on Discount, Buy X Get Y, Free Gift, and Free Shipping programs.
Overview
By default, a redemption program is always available to every logged-in customer. Two controls let you narrow that:
- Schedule — set a Start date and End date so a reward only runs during a chosen window (flash sales, holidays, or a time-boxed migration offer).
- Customer eligibility — restrict a reward to a Shopify customer segment, so only matching customers can see and redeem it.
Use them together or on their own.
Schedule a program
Every redemption program type — Discount, Buy X Get Y, Free Gift, Free Shipping, and POS — supports scheduling.
Open a redeeming program
Go to Reward programs → Redeeming programs, then select any program to edit it.
Set the Start date and End date
In the Setup rewards card, below the program name, set the Start date and End date. Leave End date empty to keep the program running with no end date.
Save
Click Save. A program with a future start date shows a Scheduled badge in the program list.
Outside the window: before the start date or after the end date, the program is hidden in the widget and can't be redeemed. Discount codes already issued before the end date stay valid until their own expiry.
The End date must be after the Start date — Joy blocks saving otherwise.
Control who can redeem
On Discount, Buy X Get Y, Free Gift, and Free Shipping programs, the Who can use setting decides who can see and redeem the reward:
- Everyone — any logged-in customer.
- Only customer who redeemed — the reward's code works only for the customer who redeemed it (unchanged).
- Specific customer segments — only customers in the Shopify customer segment(s) you choose.
Choose "Specific customer segments"
In the program editor, open the Who can use setting and select Specific customer segments.
Select one or more segments
Search and select the Shopify customer segment(s) that should have access. You must choose at least one.
Save
Click Save. Only customers in those segments will see and be able to redeem the reward.
How Joy enforces it: a customer who isn't in the segment won't see the program in the widget, can't redeem it, and can't use the code at checkout. Logged-out visitors never see segment-restricted programs — with no "log in to check" prompt.
If you also set Member eligibility (VIP tier) on the same program, the two work together — a customer must match both the tier and the segment.
Behavior change for existing programs. Programs that already used a customer segment were previously only enforced at checkout. After this update, the segment is enforced everywhere — the widget, the redeem action, and checkout. Your settings aren't changed, but we recommend re-checking any program that uses segment eligibility so it still targets the right customers.
FAQ
Which programs support customer-segment eligibility? Discount, Buy X Get Y, Free Gift, and Free Shipping. POS programs support scheduling but not segment eligibility.
What is a customer segment? A Shopify customer segment — you create and manage segments in your Shopify admin, and Joy reads membership from Shopify. It isn't a customer tag.
Do codes stop working the moment a program ends? No. When a program ends (or its end date passes), no new redeems are allowed, but a discount code a customer already received stays valid until the code's own expiry.
A segment was deleted in Shopify — what happens? The program stops showing to customers, since no one matches a deleted segment. Point the program at an existing segment to restore it.