Skip to main content

Using negative points

Feature access
This feature is in the early access phase. To unlock this feature, contact your Customer Success Manager.

Profile-based loyalty programs can support a negative points balance. A customer's points balance becomes negative if the customer doesn't have enough points after a manual points deduction, or when the following events occur:

If a rollback or points deduction creates a negative balance for the customer, the following two transactions are displayed in the Loyalty points tab of the customer profile:

  • The first transaction triggers the rollbackAddedLoyaltyPoints effect, which deducts all available active points and brings the balance to zero.
  • The second transaction triggers the addNegativeLoyaltyPoints effect, which creates a negative points balance equal to the points remaining from the deduction or rollback. This transaction is highlighted in red because it creates a negative points balance.
Example
The customer currently has 50 active points. After returning an item from a particular session, 70 points are rolled back. If the loyalty program has negative balance enabled, this rollback takes place in two transactions:
  • The first transaction shows -50 points, bringing the active points balance to zero.
  • The second transaction shows -20 points in red, creating a negative points balance.

Negative points have an immediate start date, and they do not expire. If negative balance is enabled for the loyalty program, an unlimited number of negative points can be created.

To view all negative points transactions and balances for a customer, see the Loyalty points tab in the customer profile.

important

A customer's points balance cannot become negative from evaluating an effect. Negative points can only be created after a rollback or manual points deduction.

Enabling negative points​

You can allow members of a loyalty program to have a negative points balance by enabling the negative balance setting.

To enable negative balance:

  1. Click Loyalty on the leftmost menu.
  2. Click the name of the profile-based loyalty program for which you want to enable negative points balance.
  3. On the left-side menu, click Points.
  4. In Return Policy, enable Negative balance.

Disabling negative points​

Disabling negative balance for a loyalty program does not change the customers' existing negative balances. Customers can offset their negative points balance by earning active points.

To disable negative points:

  1. Click Loyalty on the leftmost menu.
  2. Click the name of the profile-based loyalty program for which you want to disable negative points balance.
  3. On the left-side menu, click Points.
  4. In Return Policy, disable Negative balance.

Offsetting negative points​

If a customer earns new active points after the session is closed, the newly added points automatically offset any negative points balance in a single transaction.

Example

The customer's current points balance is -50. If the customer purchases new items that adds 100 points to their profile, these points apply towards the negative points balance. The final active points balance is 50 points.

A customer's negative points balance is automatically offset when one of the following events occur:

  • Addition of active loyalty points: The negative points balance is automatically offset if you import loyalty points or manually add loyalty points to the loyalty program.
  • Earning loyalty points after a session: If a customer with a negative points balance earns loyalty points after a session is closed, it triggers the offsetsNegativeLoyaltyPoints effect.
  • Activation of pending points: Activating pending points offsets any negative points balance and adds to the active points balance in a single transaction.