What happens when a customer reaches their reward?
Published · Updated
The card on their phone shows the reward is ready. The visit that fills the card is paid as normal; the reward is theirs on the next visit. Then the customer taps to use it and shows a live screen with the reward, their first name and a moving clock, so a screenshot won't pass. The card then starts again.
The moment the whole program was for
Every stamp was building to this. The card on their phone changes to show the reward is ready (for example, "Free coffee ready"), and the customer walks in already smiling. What happens next decides whether your program feels like a bank statement or like hospitality.
The mechanical part should be boring and quick. On Rewardtree, the visit that fills the card is paid as normal, and the reward is saved for the next visit. Then the customer scans your QR and their phone asks "Use it now?". At the counter they tap once and show you a live screen: the reward, their first name and a moving clock. You hand it over. Your staff type nothing, and the card on the customer's phone updates on its own. No screenshots, no arguments, no "the app said I had ten".
Why a live screen matters more than it looks
A reward that can be shown again and again (a barcode that always works, a screen anyone can screenshot) is where loyalty programs quietly lose money. A live screen with a moving clock makes each reward count once: this customer, this minute. Your generosity goes to the customer who earned it, and your staff never have to play police. If something goes wrong, the owner can see every reward and give one back.
Use the moment while it's warm
A customer holding a free coffee they earned is in a good mood to leave you a review. If you want more Google reviews, this is the moment to ask: once, kindly, and never every visit. Say "this one's on us", hand it over, and let the moment do the marketing.
We make Rewardtree, so weigh our advice with that in mind.
More questions, answered#
How does digital redemption prevent fraud?#
On Rewardtree the reward is a live screen: the reward, the customer's first name and a moving clock, for about 2 minutes. A screenshot doesn't move, and once a reward is used it can't be used again. If a reward is used by mistake, the owner can give it back.
Does the card reset after the reward?#
Yes. After the reward is used, the card starts again and the customer collects towards the next one. Nobody loses progress they've earned.
What if I change my reward or threshold later?#
You choose what happens to customers who already have stamps. By default they finish the card they're collecting, with the same number and reward, until they use that reward. Then their next card is your new one, and new customers start on it the same day. Or pick "Move everyone now": everyone moves to the new card at once, so a lower number can make a reward ready straight away. Before you save, your owner page shows what each choice does for your customers. Nobody loses their stamps, and the QR on your counter stays the same.
Should staff make a thing of the reward moment?#
Ten seconds of it, yes: say "this one's on us" and mean it. It's what the whole card was building towards, and it's a good moment to ask for a Google review, while they're happy.
