Send a reward to a friend

Let customers share the free gifts and gift cards they redeem — delivered straight to a friend's inbox by email.

What is "Send to a friend"?

After a customer redeems a Free gift or Gift card reward, they can pass it on to someone else by email instead of using it themselves. Joy — or your Shopify Flow / Klaviyo setup — sends the friend a branded email with the reward, turning every redemption into a moment that brings new shoppers to your store.

Why use it?

• Turn redemptions into referrals: each shared reward puts your store in front of a new person, with a gift already in hand.
• Works for gift cards and free products: both reward types can be sent, each with the right email experience.
• No developer work: the recommended Joy in-app method sends the email for you — nothing to build.

Turn on Send to a friend

Set up the email your friend receives

Open Notifications → Reward program and edit the Send gift to friend template (marked New). You can customize the sender, subject, header, content, the Claim your gift button, colors, and footer — with a live preview and a Send test option.

The email adapts automatically depending on the reward: gift cards and free products each show the right wording. Available variables include {{sender_name}}, {{recipient_name}}, {{reward_title}}, {{coupon_code}}, and {{personal_message}}.

What your customers see

After a successful redemption, next to the coupon code customers get a Send to a friend button. They enter the friend's email (required), an optional name, and a short message (up to 200 characters), then hit Send.

It's available across the loyalty widget, loyalty page blocks, My Rewards, and the Customer Account extension.

Sending a gift card

When the reward is a Shopify gift card, the friend receives a native Shopify gift card email they can use right away — no checkout and no separate coupon step. Customers can also schedule the date the gift is sent.

Where friends find their gift

Recipients see rewards sent to them in a From friends section of My Rewards — even if they weren't a loyalty member before.

FAQs

Can a customer send a reward to themselves?

No. Sending a reward to your own email is blocked.

What happens if the coupon expires before the friend uses it?

It isn't refunded automatically — you decide whether to reissue it from the customer's profile.

Does turning the feature off affect gifts already sent?

No. Previously sent gifts stay valid; only the Send to a friend button is hidden for new redemptions.

Is it available at checkout?

Not in this version. It works in the loyalty widget, loyalty page, My Rewards, and the Customer Account extension.

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