Store Credit
Learn how Store Credit works in Joy Loyalty — a flexible reward type that adds real cash value directly to your customers' accounts.
This feature is available for: All plans (earning programs), Advanced and Enterprise plans (milestones, referrals)
What is Store Credit?
Store Credit is a reward type in Joy Loyalty that grants customers a real cash-value balance on their Shopify account. Unlike loyalty points that require redemption, store credit is applied directly at checkout as a payment method — no coupon codes needed.
Store credit is powered by Shopify's native store credit system, which means the balance appears in the customer's account and can be used across future purchases seamlessly.
Why use Store Credit instead of Points?
Customer experience
Customers redeem points for coupons
Automatically available at checkout as balance
Perceived value
Abstract (e.g., "500 points")
Concrete (e.g., "$5.00 credit")
Redemption friction
Requires manual redemption step
No extra steps — applied at checkout
Coupon codes needed?
Yes
No
Best for
Gamified loyalty programs with tiers and levels
Simple, high-value reward experiences
Store credit is ideal for merchants who want a frictionless reward experience — customers see their balance and can spend it immediately.
How to enable Store Credit
Before using store credit as a reward type in any program, you must grant Joy Loyalty permission to manage store credit on your Shopify store.
Go to Settings
In your Joy Loyalty admin, navigate to Settings → Store Credit.
Grant Store Credit Access
Click the Grant Store Credit Access button. This authorizes Joy Loyalty to add and manage store credit balances on your customers' Shopify accounts.
[SCREENSHOT NEEDED: Settings → Store Credit access grant button]
Start using Store Credit in your programs
Once access is granted, "Store Credit" will appear as a reward type option across all supported programs.
Where can you use Store Credit?
Store credit is available as a reward type across multiple Joy Loyalty programs:
1. Earning Programs — Place Order
Reward customers with store credit every time they place an order. You can configure the earning rate (e.g., $1 credit per $20 spent).
👉 Learn more about Place Order rewards
2. Milestones
Award store credit when customers reach specific milestones — such as a certain number of orders, total amount spent, or earned points threshold.
Number of orders
$10 credit after 5th order
Amount spent
$15 credit after spending $500
Earned points
$5 credit after earning 1,000 points
Number of reviews
$3 credit after posting 3 reviews
Inactivity
$5 credit for customers inactive for 3 months
3. Referrals
Reward referrers with store credit when their referred friends complete a purchase. Two store credit options are available:
Store Credit (Fixed)
Referrer earns a fixed store credit amount per successful referral (e.g., $5 per referral)
Store Credit (Order-based)
Referrer earns store credit as a percentage of the referee's first order value (e.g., 10% of $100 = $10 credit)
The Order-based option is especially powerful because it scales the reward with the value the referred customer brings — creating a fairer and more motivating incentive for referrers.
How the Order-based calculation works:
Store credit = Referee's first order value × Reward rate (%)
Example: If the reward rate is 10% and the referee's first order is $100, the referrer earns $10 in store credit.
4. Shopify Flow
You can also grant store credit through Shopify Flow automations for custom scenarios — such as rewarding customers who leave a review via a third-party app, or granting credit based on custom triggers.
👉 Learn more about Shopify Flow + Store Credit
How customers use Store Credit
Once store credit is added to a customer's account:
The balance appears in the customer's Shopify account
At checkout, the store credit balance is shown as an available payment method
Customers can apply their store credit to reduce the order total — no coupon code required
Any remaining balance carries over to future purchases
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use both Points and Store Credit in the same program? No. Each program is configured with one reward type — either Points or Store Credit. However, you can have different programs using different reward types (e.g., Place Order earns points, Referrals earn store credit).
Does Store Credit work with VIP Tiers? Yes. If you have VIP tiers with tier-based reward rates, the store credit earning rates will adjust based on the customer's tier level.
Is Store Credit the same as a discount code? No. Store credit is added to the customer's Shopify account balance and applied at checkout as a payment method. It does not generate a discount code.
Can I manually adjust a customer's store credit? Store credit balances are managed through Shopify's native system. You can adjust balances from the Shopify admin under the customer's account.
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