What are pending loyalty points?

Pending loyalty points are loyalty points that a customer has earned (via an action such as a purchase) but which are not yet available for redemption. These points remain in a temporary state, a pending balance, until a predefined activation condition is met (e.g. a waiting period, successful delivery confirmation, fraud check, return window expiry). Once the conditions are satisfied, the points are converted into active loyalty points that the customer can spend, redeem, or use toward tiers/rewards.

In Voucherify, pending points support is built-in allowing brands to add control, flexibility, and protection to loyalty programs.

Why pending points are important?

Using pending points helps brands solve several common loyalty-program problems:

• Protect against returns & refunds abuse: Points only become available after the return window or refund period closes, preventing customers from earning points for items they later return.
• Mitigate fraud and gaming: By delaying availability, you reduce the risk of customers exploiting points.
• Align point issuance with fulfillment or order status: Ensures that points reflect real purchases (paid, fulfilled, not returned).
• Improve program stability: Prevents sudden inflation of redeemable points, reduces liability spikes, and avoids potential margin or financial risk associated with immediate crediting.

How pending points work in Voucherify?

• When an earning rule triggers (e.g. order paid), Voucherify can be configured to grant pending instead of active points.
• Pending points record metadata: associated customer, order (or event), campaign, timestamp, and an activation date.
• Points remain pending until a predefined time period passes (e.g. 7, 14, 30 days) or manual activation is triggered via API (useful if you want to wait for manual QA, fulfillment confirmation, or special checks).
• Voucherify provides endpoints to manage pending points: list them, activate them, adjust (increase/decrease), or cancel them if needed.
• Once activated, pending points move to the user’s actual loyalty balance and become eligible for redemption, tier progression, or other loyalty mechanics.

Common use cases for pending points

Pending points are especially valuable in scenarios like:

• Retail/ecommerce with return window: only grant points after returns/refund window closes.
• High-risk categories (electronics, high-cost items): add a delay to prevent quick returns after point redemption.
• Subscription or service-based models: wait until service delivery or subscription activation before granting points.
• B2B or paid-invoice workflows: grant points only after invoice payment or payment confirmation.
• Fraud-sensitive business: use manual review or validation before activating points.

Best practices for pending points

• Communicate clearly to customers: show in the wallet UI that some points are “pending” and explain why/when they’ll become active. Transparency builds trust.
• Set realistic pending period: too long and customers feel cheated; too short and you expose yourself to return or refund risk.
• Use automation and webhooks: let your system automatically activate points, send notifications, and manage edge cases (returns, cancellations, disputes).
• Account for liability and breakage: track how many pending points never activate (returns, cancellations) vs. how many convert for financial forecasting.
• Ensure concurrency and consistency: if an order is refunded or partially returned, make sure pending (or activated) points are revoked or adjusted appropriately.
• Avoid over-complicating the UX: if customers see a wall of pending points, they may mistrust the program. Use clear labels.