RewardsWP integrates with Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) to award points on purchases, display earning opportunities on download pages, and generate discount codes when customers redeem their rewards. This guide covers how the integration activates, what it does, and how it compares to the WooCommerce integration so you can run a full rewards program in your EDD store.
Prerequisites
Before the Easy Digital Downloads integration can activate, you need:
- Easy Digital Downloads installed and active – The integration requires EDD to be running on your site. If EDD isn’t installed, you’ll see a message on the integrations page: “Please install and activate Easy Digital Downloads to enable this integration.”
- No conflicting integration – RewardsWP supports one eCommerce integration at a time. If WooCommerce is active, EDD can’t be used as the integration, and you’ll see: “This integration cannot be used because WooCommerce is active.”
If both plugins are installed but only EDD is active, the EDD integration takes priority.
How activation works
Just like the WooCommerce integration, the EDD integration activates automatically. There’s no toggle or manual setup step. When EDD is active on your site, RewardsWP detects it and enables the integration.
To verify the status, navigate to RewardsWP » Settings » Integrations and look for the Easy Digital Downloads section. When everything is working, you’ll see the confirmation: “The Easy Digital Downloads integration has been automatically enabled.”
There’s no toggle to turn it on or off. If you need to deactivate the integration, deactivate the Easy Digital Downloads plugin itself.
What the integration provides
The EDD integration connects RewardsWP to your digital store’s purchase flow. Here’s a summary of what it enables:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Download page points banner | Shows customers how many points they’ll earn from a download |
| Payment tracking | Awards points when a payment is completed |
| Refund handling | Reverses points automatically when a payment is refunded |
| Discount code generation | Creates EDD discount codes when customers redeem rewards |
| Review points | Awards points for approved product reviews (requires EDD Reviews) |
| Purchase confirmation | Shows a rewards card on the payment receipt page |
| Advocate conversion | Converts customers into advocates after purchase |
Each of these is covered in detail below.
Download page points banner
When a customer views a single download page, RewardsWP displays a banner showing how many points they can earn by purchasing that download. The banner appears after the download content area. You can configure earn rates in RewardsWP » Settings » Points to control how many points customers earn per dollar spent.
The banner only appears when the calculated points are greater than zero. If a download is free or the earn rate produces zero points, no banner is shown.
Banner variants
The banner adapts its message based on the visitor’s status:
| Visitor type | What the banner shows |
|---|---|
| Logged-in member | “Earn X points with this download” with personalized messaging |
| Guest (guest participation enabled) | A points preview encouraging them to join or make a purchase |
| Non-member (members only) | A prompt to become a member to start earning points |
These are the same three variants used by the WooCommerce integration, adapted for EDD’s download terminology.
Payment tracking and point awards
RewardsWP monitors EDD payment completions and awards points when a purchase is finalized. The tracking model is simpler than WooCommerce’s because EDD uses a single trigger point.
How it works
Points are awarded when EDD marks a payment as complete. Unlike WooCommerce, which uses multiple qualifying statuses (Processing and Completed), EDD uses a single completion trigger regardless of which payment gateway you use. This means:
- Credit card payments – Points awarded when the gateway confirms payment.
- PayPal payments – Points awarded when PayPal confirms the transaction.
- Manual payments – Points awarded when you manually mark a payment as complete.
RewardsWP tracks which payments have already been credited to prevent duplicate awards, so there’s no risk of double-counting.
Refunds and point reversals
When you refund a payment in Easy Digital Downloads, RewardsWP automatically reverses the corresponding points. EDD 3.0 and newer uses a streamlined refund system, which RewardsWP integrates with for clean, reliable point reversals.
- Full refund – All points earned from that payment are reversed and deducted from the customer’s balance.
- Partial refund – Points are recalculated based on the updated payment amount, and the difference is deducted.
The reversal is logged in the customer’s activity log so both you and the customer have a clear record of the adjustment.
For stores running EDD 2.x, RewardsWP uses the older refund system to provide the same behavior. You don’t need to configure anything differently based on your EDD version.
Discount code generation
When customers redeem their points for a reward, RewardsWP generates a native EDD discount code (not a WooCommerce coupon). These discounts appear in your Downloads » Discounts list alongside any discounts you’ve created manually.
The integration supports two discount types:
| Reward type | EDD discount type |
|---|---|
| Fixed discount | Flat amount (e.g., $5 off) |
| Percentage discount | Percentage (e.g., 10% off) |
Every generated discount code is:
- Single-use – The discount can only be applied once by the customer who earned it.
- Tied to the customer – Only the member who redeemed the points can use the discount.
- Configurable – If you’ve set a minimum purchase amount or product requirements on the reward, those restrictions carry over to the generated discount code.
- Tracked – The discount appears in your EDD discount list and is linked to the member’s RewardsWP activity log.
If you’ve configured a coupon prefix on the reward (set when creating the reward in RewardsWP » Rewards), generated codes will include that prefix for easy identification when browsing your EDD discounts.
Purchase confirmation page
After a customer completes a purchase, RewardsWP displays a rewards card on EDD’s payment receipt page. The card appears after the standard receipt content and shows:
- Points earned from the current purchase.
- Current balance reflecting the newly awarded points.
- Pending points if any are still being processed.
This immediate post-purchase reinforcement is valuable because it reminds customers they’re earning rewards, which encourages them to return and make additional purchases.
Advocate conversion
The EDD integration can automatically convert customers into advocates for your referral program after they complete a purchase. This uses the same trigger as point awards: when EDD marks a payment as complete.
Once converted, the customer gains access to their referral link and can start referring friends to your store. This is a one-time conversion; if a customer makes multiple purchases, they’re only converted on their first qualifying order.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch from WooCommerce to Easy Digital Downloads?
Yes, but only one integration can be active at a time. To switch, deactivate WooCommerce and activate Easy Digital Downloads. RewardsWP will automatically detect the change and enable the EDD integration. Keep in mind that any WooCommerce coupons previously generated from rewards will remain in your WooCommerce coupon list but won’t work as EDD discounts. New reward redemptions will generate EDD discount codes instead. Customers’ point balances and member records are preserved regardless of which integration is active.
Does it work with the EDD Reviews addon?
Yes. When the EDD Reviews addon is active, RewardsWP integrates with the review approval process to award points for approved product reviews. If EDD Reviews isn’t installed, RewardsWP falls back to standard WordPress comments, so basic review-based points can still work.
How are refunds handled?
When you refund a payment in EDD, RewardsWP automatically reverses the corresponding points. Full refunds reverse all points from that payment. Partial refunds recalculate based on the new payment amount and deduct the difference. Both EDD 3.0+ and older versions are supported automatically.
Does EDD support free shipping rewards?
Free shipping rewards are specific to the WooCommerce integration because EDD is designed for digital products that don’t typically involve shipping. If your EDD store does handle physical goods through an extension, the free shipping reward type won’t generate an EDD-compatible discount. Consider using a fixed or percentage discount reward instead.
That’s it! The Easy Digital Downloads integration activates automatically and connects your rewards program to EDD’s purchase flow, from download pages to payment confirmations.