RewardsWP’s referral program lets your existing customers refer friends to your store, rewarding both sides when a purchase is made. This guide explains how the entire referral flow works, from sharing a link to earning rewards, so you can understand and configure the program with confidence.
Prerequisites
Before setting up the referral program, make sure you have:
- RewardsWP installed and activated
- WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads active (RewardsWP needs a commerce plugin to track purchases)
How the referral program works
The referral program follows a straightforward end-to-end flow:
- Member shares their link – Every member in your rewards program gets a unique referral link. They can share it via X (Twitter), Facebook, email, or by copying the link directly.
- Friend clicks the link – When a friend clicks the referral link, they’re taken to your store and a tracking cookie is set in their browser.
- Friend browses your store – The cookie persists for a configurable duration (30 days by default), so the friend doesn’t need to purchase immediately.
- Friend makes a purchase – When the friend completes an order, RewardsWP detects the tracking cookie and creates a referral record.
- Rewards are issued – Once the referral is completed, both the advocate (the person who shared) and the friend (the person who purchased) receive their configured rewards.
Referral link structure
Every member receives a unique referral code when they join your rewards program. This code is automatically generated and stored with their member profile.
The referral link follows this format:
https://yourstore.com/?share=ABC123
shareis the default referral slug (the URL parameter name)ABC123is the member’s unique referral code
You can change the referral slug in RewardsWP » Settings » Referrals under the Referral Variable section. For example, changing the slug to ref would produce links like https://yourstore.com/?ref=ABC123.
The referral code itself is unique per member and can’t be changed. It’s generated automatically when a member joins the program.
How tracking works
When a friend clicks a referral link, RewardsWP sets two browser cookies:
rewardswp_visit_id– Tracks the visit so RewardsWP can connect the friend’s browsing session to the referral.rewardswp_advocate_id– Identifies which member referred the friend, so the correct advocate gets credit.
Both cookies share the same duration, which defaults to 30 days. You can adjust this in RewardsWP » Settings » Referrals under the Referral Cookie Duration section.
If the friend returns to your store within the cookie window and makes a purchase, RewardsWP connects that purchase back to the original referral link. The friend doesn’t need to click the link again.
What advocates and friends get
RewardsWP supports separate reward configurations for advocates and friends:
Advocate rewards (the person who shared the link):
- Fixed discount
- Percentage discount
- Free shipping
- Free product
- Points
Friend rewards (the person who purchased):
- Fixed discount
- Percentage discount
- Free shipping
- Free product
Points are only available as an advocate reward, not a friend reward, since friends may not have a member account to credit points to.
Rewards are issued automatically when a referral reaches the “completed” status. Each referral can only trigger rewards once, and RewardsWP prevents duplicate rewards for the same friend.
You configure advocate and friend rewards separately in RewardsWP » Settings » Referrals under the Referral Rewards section. For a detailed walkthrough of each reward type and its settings, see the Advocate reward and Friend reward docs.
Enabling and disabling the program
The referral program operates independently from the points program. You can run referrals without points, points without referrals, or both together.
To enable or disable the referral program:
1. Navigate to RewardsWP » Settings » Referrals.
2. In the Program Status section, toggle the program on or off.
3. Click Save Changes.
When you disable the program, existing referral links stop working (new visits won’t be tracked), but any referrals already in progress will still be honored if the friend has an active cookie.
There’s one automatic safeguard to be aware of: if you’ve configured a free product as the advocate reward and that product goes out of stock, RewardsWP will automatically disable the referral program. It re-enables once the product is back in stock or you change the reward type.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run the referral program without the points program?
Yes. The referral program and points program are completely independent. You can enable one, the other, or both. Many stores start with referrals only and add points later.
Can the same person be both an advocate and a friend?
An advocate can’t refer themselves. RewardsWP checks for self-referrals and blocks them. However, someone who was originally referred as a friend can absolutely become an advocate and refer others.
Do referral links work on any page of my store?
Yes. The referral link appends a URL parameter to your store’s address, so it works on any page. The friend will land on whatever page the link points to, and the tracking cookie will be set regardless.
How long does the referral cookie last?
The default cookie duration is 30 days. You can change this in RewardsWP » Settings » Referrals under the Referral Cookie Duration section. Shorter durations (7-14 days) create urgency, while longer durations (60-90 days) give friends more time to purchase.
What if a friend never makes a purchase?
If the friend doesn’t purchase within the cookie window, the tracking cookies expire and the referral is never created. No referral record is generated for visits that don’t result in a purchase.