Merchant Referral Program
What is the Merchant Referral Program
The Merchant Referral Program rewards you for introducing other Shopify merchants to Joy Loyalty. When a merchant you refer subscribes to a paid plan and completes their second monthly payment, you receive Joy credits — applied automatically to your next Joy billing cycle.
Your referred friend also benefits: they receive a discount on their first 3 months of Joy, depending on the plan they choose.
This is a merchant-to-merchant program, separate from the customer referral programs you set up for your store's shoppers.
How it works
The referral process follows these steps:
- You join the program and receive a unique referral code
- You share your code with another Shopify merchant
- They install Joy and enter your code during onboarding
- They choose a paid plan and receive a discount on their first 3 months
- After they complete their second monthly payment, you receive Joy credits
Credits are issued automatically within 24 hours of the referee's second successful charge.
Rewards
What you earn per referral
Your credit amount depends on which plan your referred merchant subscribes to:
| Referred plan | Your Joy credit (USD) | Friend's discount |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | $29 | 50% off × 3 months |
| Advanced | $90 | 30% off × 3 months |
| Ultimate | $250 | 15% off × 3 months |
Credits are Joy credits — use them to pay for your Joy subscription. They are auto-applied on your next billing cycle.
The credit amount is locked to the plan your friend is on at the time of their first successful charge. If they change plans before the second payment, the credit still follows the original plan.
Milestone bonuses
Earn additional one-time bonuses when you reach referral milestones. Only Advanced and Ultimate referrals count toward milestones.
| Milestone | Qualifying referrals | Bonus credit (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Milestone 1 | 2 referrals | +$30 |
| Milestone 2 | 5 referrals | +$100 |
| Milestone 3 | 10 referrals | +$300 |
Your progress toward the next milestone is displayed on your Referral Dashboard with a progress bar.
Eligibility requirements
To join the program, you must:
- Be on an active Essential, Advanced, or Ultimate plan
- Have used Joy for at least 60 days
- Have completed at least 2 monthly payments to Joy
- Have no pending payments on your account
- Not be an agency account (agencies have a separate partner program)
Join the program
You can start the Referral Program from two places in the Joy admin — both lead to the same join flow.
Option 1 — From the Joy Home page
A "Your loyalty skills are worth Joy credits" card appears on your Joy Home page when you are eligible. Click Start earning credits to open the join modal.
Option 2 — From Settings → Subscription
Go to Settings → Subscription. Below your subscription fee, you will see a Referral Program card. Click Start your referral to open the join modal.
Accept the Terms & Conditions
The Referral Program modal opens with the program highlights and terms of service. Check the box to agree to the Referral Program Terms & Conditions (opens in a new tab), then click Join Program. Your unique referral code is generated automatically and you are redirected to the Referral Dashboard.
Referral Dashboard
Once you join, you land on your Referral Dashboard. It includes:
- Your referral code — with a copy button
- Reward tiers — what you earn per plan (Essential / Advanced / Ultimate)
- Stats — total referrals, pending, approved, unsuccessful, and total credits earned
- Milestone progress — progress bar toward the next milestone bonus
- Your referrals — table with store name, plan, date, and status (filterable)
- Credit history — all credits received, including referral credits and milestone bonuses
- Share tools — copy message, X, LinkedIn, email
- FAQ — common questions answered inline
Share your referral code
Your Referral Dashboard provides several ways to share your code:
- Copy code — Copy your unique referral code to share manually
- Copy message — Copy a pre-written share message with your code and the Joy app link
- Share on X (Twitter) — Opens a pre-filled tweet with your code
- Share on LinkedIn — Opens a pre-filled LinkedIn post
- Email — Opens your email client with a pre-written referral message
Your referral link directs merchants to the Joy Loyalty app listing (opens in a new tab) on the Shopify App Store.
How your friend uses your code
When a merchant you referred installs Joy, they can enter your referral code during onboarding:
Install Joy Loyalty from the Shopify App Store
The referred merchant installs Joy on their Shopify store.
Enter the referral code during onboarding
A prompt appears to enter a referral code. The merchant types in your code and clicks Apply.
Choose a paid plan
The discount is applied automatically when they select a plan. They see the discounted price before confirming.
Referral codes can only be entered during onboarding. If your friend has already completed setup, the code cannot be applied retroactively.
Referral statuses
Each referral goes through a lifecycle:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Waiting | Friend installed Joy but hasn't subscribed to a paid plan yet |
| Pending | Friend subscribed and paid the first month — awaiting second payment |
| Credit Issued | Friend completed the second payment — your credit has been issued |
| Cancelled | Friend uninstalled Joy or downgraded to the Free plan before completing the second payment |
| Rejected | Referral was flagged by the anti-fraud system or rejected by admin |
Credits are only issued after the Pending → Credit Issued transition, which happens automatically after the referee's second successful charge.
What happens when you lose eligibility
If you uninstall Joy, downgrade to the Free plan, or otherwise lose eligibility while you have pending referrals:
- Pending referrals are still honored — if your friend completes their second payment, you still receive the credit
- Your referral link is deactivated — no new referrals can be created
- You can rejoin if you meet the eligibility requirements again
Frequently asked questions
How do I earn credits?
Share your unique referral code with other Shopify merchants. When they install Joy, enter your code during onboarding, and complete two monthly payments on a paid plan, you receive Joy credits automatically.
When do I receive my credits?
Credits are issued within 24 hours after your referred merchant completes their second monthly payment. This typically takes about 60 days from when they first subscribe.
What are Joy credits?
Joy credits are applied to your Joy subscription billing. They are automatically deducted from your next invoice. You can view your credit balance and history in the Referral Dashboard.
Which referrals count toward milestones?
Only Advanced and Ultimate referrals count toward milestone bonuses. Essential referrals earn you credits but do not count toward milestone progress.
Why was my referral rejected?
Referrals may be rejected if the system detects the same owner (shared email or IP), the referred store is a development store, or the daily referral limit has been reached.
Can I refer my own store?
No. The system automatically detects stores with the same owner and rejects self-referrals.
Can I still earn credits if I downgrade?
Yes — pending referrals are still honored. See What happens when you lose eligibility for the full breakdown.