Variable Discount — Sliding Points Reward Example

One reward instead of a ladder. The customer chooses how many points to spend, and the discount scales with it.

Where: Settings → Rewards → Create reward → Variable Discount

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What it does

Rather than fixing a price (“500 points = $5”), a Variable Discount lets the customer decide how much of their balance to spend, within bounds you set.

It suits programs where customers earn steadily and would rather spend little and often than save toward a milestone. It’s also the least confusing option if you’d otherwise be publishing five near-identical fixed rewards.

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The fields

Section	Field	Notes
Rule Name	Rule Name	Required. E.g. Spend your points — up to $20 off.
Reward Configuration	Points to Redeem	Required.
Reward Configuration	Discount value	Required. The amount off, in your store’s currency.
Reward Configuration	Minimum points required to redeem	Required. The floor on a single redemption.
Reward Configuration	Maximum points allowed to redeem	Optional. Leave blank for no ceiling.
Reward Configuration	Minimum Order Value	Optional order floor.
Reward Configuration	Discount Code Prefix	The prefix on generated codes.
Reward Configuration	Coupon Expiry	Days before the code stops working.
Reward Configuration	Return points back after expiration	Refunds unused points.
Discount Scope	Everything / collections / products	Collections or products, never both.
Redemption Limits	Maximum uses per customer + Frequency
Order Type Eligibility	One-time orders, or subscriptions too
Discount stacking	Order / Product / Free shipping discount	Nothing stacks unless ticked.
Rule Status	Active / Disabled

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Worked example: spend between 200 and 2,000 points

Staying on the 100 points = $1 rate:

1. Go to Settings → Rewards and click Create reward.
2. Choose Variable Discount.
3. Fill in:

Field	Value
Rule Name	Spend your points — up to $20 off
Points to Redeem	100
Discount value	1
Minimum points required to redeem	200
Maximum points allowed to redeem	2000
Minimum Order Value	20
Discount Code Prefix	POINTS
Coupon Expiry	60 days
Return points back after expiration	✅ on
Redemption Limits	Maximum uses 1, Frequency Week
Rule Status	Active

4. Save.

Why each number is what it is

The floor of 200 points. Without a minimum, a customer redeems 30 points for 30 cents off, generating a discount code worth almost nothing and a redemption you had to process. Two hundred points — $2 — is the smallest reward worth the round trip.

The ceiling of 2,000 points. A customer with a 12,000-point balance could otherwise take $120 off a single order. A ceiling turns that into six visits instead of one, which is the whole point of a loyalty program.

Once a week. Combined with the ceiling, this bounds your maximum exposure per customer at a number you can actually plan around.

Minimum Order Value $20. Keeps the slider from being used to make small orders free.

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Variable or fixed?

Use a Variable Discount when…	Use Fixed Amount rewards when…
Customers earn steadily and shop often	Customers shop occasionally
You’d rather they redeem little and often	You want savings goals and milestones
You’d otherwise publish five similar rewards	You want each reward to feel like an achievement
Your catalogue has a wide price range	Your prices are consistent

There’s no rule against running both, but be careful: if a fixed reward offers a better rate than the slider, customers find it immediately and the slider goes unused. Keep the rates equal, or don’t run both.

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Tips

• Always set a maximum. A slider with no ceiling is an invitation to empty a large balance in one order.
• Set the floor at something worth having. Two dollars, not twenty cents.
• Match the rate to your fixed rewards if you run both, or one will cannibalise the other.
• Name it as a permission, not a price. “Spend your points — up to $20 off” describes what the customer can do; a points figure in the name would be misleading, since they choose it.

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FAQ

How does the customer choose?

In the loyalty widget on your storefront, within the minimum and maximum you set.

What happens to points they don’t spend?

They stay in the balance. Only the points used in the redemption are deducted.

Can I run this alongside fixed rewards?

Yes, but keep the exchange rate identical or customers will only use whichever is better value.

Do unused codes return the points?

Only if Return points back to customer after expiration is ticked.

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Next steps

• Next: Free Shipping — the cheapest reward to offer.
• Related: Fixed Amount Discount · Percentage Off Discount