Configure Points Expiration

Would you like to give your customers a reason to return before their points fade away? Points expiration helps turn passive balances into action by adding a time window to redemption. It does this automatically, quietly, and predictably once enabled.

This guide explains what point expiration is, how to configure it, how notifications work, what customers see, and how the system manages points once the timer runs out.

What is points expiration?

Points expiration is an optional feature that automatically removes unused points from a customer’s balance after a set period of time. When points expire, customers can no longer redeem them for rewards.

Why use expiration?

• Drives action — The fear of losing earned rewards prompts purchases
• Creates urgency — Customers are motivated to return and redeem before their points disappear
• Encourages engagement — Regular expiration reminders bring customers back to your store
• Reduces liability — Expiring points helps manage your long-term reward obligations

Configuring the Expiration Period

To configure points expiration:

1. Navigate to RewardsWP » Settings in your WordPress admin
2. Click the Points tab
3. Scroll to the Points Expiry section
4. Select your desired expiration period from the dropdown
5. Click Save Changes

The selected expiration period applies to all newly earned points from the moment you save. Existing points that were earned before this change are not affected—they retain whatever expiration date they had when originally awarded.

Available Expiration Options

RewardsWP Pro offers several expiration periods to suit different business needs.

• Never expires — Points remain available indefinitely. Choose this if you want a simple program without time pressure, or if you’re testing before implementing expiration.
• 30 days — Points expire one month after being earned. Best for businesses that want aggressive urgency and fast customer return cycles. Works well for consumables and frequent-purchase products.
• 3 months — Points expire quarterly. Provides moderate urgency while giving customers reasonable time to accumulate and redeem. A popular balanced option.
• 6 months — Points expire semi-annually. Good for businesses with longer purchase cycles, such as seasonal products or higher-priced items.
• 1 year — Points expire annually. This is the default setting. Offers gentle urgency while accommodating customers who shop less frequently.
• 2 years — Points expire after two years. Maximum flexibility for customers. Best for businesses with very long purchase cycles or high-value products where repeat purchases are infrequent.

How Expiration Works Behind the Scenes

Understanding the technical mechanics helps you make informed configuration decisions.

When Expiration Dates Are Set

The expiration date is calculated at the moment points are earned—not when you change the setting. This means:

• Points earned today use today’s expiration setting
• Points earned yesterday keep their original expiration date
• Changing the expiration period only affects future points

For example, if you switch from “1 year” to “3 months” today, only points earned from today onward will expire in 3 months. Points earned yesterday still expire in 1 year.

How Points Actually Expire

RewardsWP runs a daily automated task that:

1. Identifies all approved points with an expiration date before today
2. Updates each expired point’s status to “expired”
3. Creates a corresponding expiration entry that deducts the points from the member’s balance

This process runs automatically—you don’t need to do anything. Points are expired in batches to handle large volumes without impacting site performance.

Expiration Date Calculation

When a customer earns points, the expiration date is calculated from the start of that day (midnight) plus your configured period. The points expire at the end of the calculated date (11:59:59 PM).

For example, if you have “3 months” expiration and a customer earns points on January 15th, those points expire at 11:59:59 PM on April 15th.

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That’s it! Once configured, points expiration becomes part of your store’s rhythm—encouraging repeat visits while staying fair and predictable. Customers are notified in time, balances update automatically, and every expired point is logged clearly for transparency. The result is a loyalty system that motivates customers naturally, runs in the background reliably, and keeps your reward economy sustainable without manual intervention.