Does Shopify have a built-in loyalty program feature, or do I need third-party apps?

Shopify Discussion
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Topic summary

Shopify does not offer a native, full-featured loyalty program. While the platform includes a “Store credit” feature that can function similarly to loyalty points, it lacks comprehensive capabilities like points-based systems, referral rewards, and VIP tiers.

Key Points:

  • Store Credit: Shopify’s built-in option allows merchants to issue credits to customers, which can be used as a payment method. Some view this as a basic loyalty mechanism, though it differs from traditional loyalty programs that reward ongoing engagement.

  • Third-Party Apps Required: For robust loyalty features—including points accumulation, referrals, tiered rewards, and automated discounts—merchants must use apps from the Shopify App Store.

Popular Solutions Mentioned:

  • Smile.io, LoyaltyLion, Yotpo, Rise.ai, Growave, Joy, Rivo
  • Newer or niche options: Koin (free), Credita, Loloyal, Alpha Loyalty, AiTrillion, 99minds

Consensus: Most participants agree that while Shopify’s store credit exists, a dedicated third-party app is necessary for a complete loyalty program. Many apps offer free plans or trials, making them accessible for businesses of all sizes.

Summarized with AI on October 24. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
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Is there a native option within Shopify for running loyalty programs, or is it all app-based?

1 Like
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@William96 Yep - they do support a feature called “Store credit”

Here’s a few documentations from their side for your reference

https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/store-credit

We’ve built our solution on top of this functionality native to Shopify.

https://apps.shopify.com/dollarback

Let me know if you have any questions.

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Richard from 99minds Gift Card & Loyalty here!

Shopify itself doesn’t really have a built-in, full-featured loyalty program. They offer basic discount codes and gift card options, but if you want to run a proper points-based system, referral rewards, or something like VIP tiers, you’ll definitely need a third-party app.

That’s where solutions like 99minds Loyalty Program come in. It integrates smoothly with Shopify and lets you set up everything from points and referrals to gift card rewards, all in one place. Plus, if you have a physical store as well, 99minds helps unify your loyalty program across both online and offline sales, which is super handy.

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  • here’s a blog from Shopify that details the use cases of Store credit.

https://www.shopify.com/blog/store-credit

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@William96

A built-in loyalty program feature is not available in Shopify.
You have to use third-party apps from the Shopify App Store.
It is possible to use Smile, Rivo, Joy, Growave or LoyaltyLion as some of the best alternatives
The mentioned applications provide points, referrals, VIP tiers; they can be obtained for free or at a cost within the app itself.
The fact that Shopify has introduced a new system called “store credits feature”, but it’s still a bit enough in terms of loyalty and devotion.

6

Shopify does not offer a native loyalty program feature built into its core platform. All loyalty and rewards programs on Shopify are handled through third-party apps.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • There is no built-in loyalty system like points, tiers, or rewards in Shopify’s default setup.
  • To run a loyalty program, you’ll need to use an app from the Shopify App Store.

Popular Loyalty Apps:

  • Smile.io – Points, referrals, VIP tiers
  • LoyaltyLion – Advanced rules, analytics, integrations
  • Rise.ai – Store credit, gift card automation, loyalty features
  • Yotpo Loyalty & Referrals – Integrated with reviews and SMS

These apps integrate directly with your store, and many offer free plans for small businesses.

Summary:

Shopify does not have a native loyalty program feature — you’ll need to use an app to set one up. The good news is, these apps are easy to install and flexible for different store sizes.

7

Yes, Shopify has a built-in feature called ‘store credit’ which works like loyalty points and is easy to set up. You can find more details here: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/store-credit

However, I’m using a free app called Koin for more loyalty solutions with store credit. They offer options like cashback on orders, rewards for first-time purchase, and incentives for product reviews. Worth trying because it’s free.

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Hello! If you’re looking for an app to manage your loyalty program via Shopify’s store credit—such as rewarding new sign-ups, high-value purchases, or fulfilled orders—our Credita app could be the ideal solution.

It lets you create flexible rules to issue Shopify’s native store credit without any coding required. Every credit issued is neatly documented in an activity log, making it simple to track and review your store credit history. You can easily install the app and try it out for yourself.

If you need any further assistance, feel free to reach out anytime!

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Currently, Shopify does not offer a built-in loyalty feature. That said, all loyalty and rewards programs on Shopify are handled through third-party apps.

I know some folks here say the “Store credit” feature is somewhat equivalent to loyalty points. But I have to disagree with that for these reasons:

  • Firstly, most third-party apps on Shopify have their own loyalty points system that is not synchronized with the “Store credit” feature of Shopify. Therefore, you will confuse people if you say they are the same.
  • Secondly, “Store credit” is more like a payment method that you can use on your next purchase for a discount. Whereas loyalty programs or loyalty points are ongoing that they will reward you with perks or incentives for your commitment to the store.

So to answer your question: No, you will have to use 3rd-party apps for loyalty programs.

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Hi William @William96 there is something like that on Shopify’s in built features but it doesn’t cover the whole of what you’ll likely need for a programs app. I suggest you try the Smile: Loyalty Rewards app, it’s pretty good for that purpose. Also, if you want to offer subscriptions for your customers, a good app I’d recommend is the seal subscriptions app for that.

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@William96

Shopify itself doesn’t have a native loyalty program built in. It provides discounts, gift cards, and customer account, but a full loyalty system (points, rewards, referrals, VIP tiers, etc.) is only available through apps.

That’s why most merchants use a dedicated loyalty app. For example, Loloyal lets you set up points & rewards, referrals, and VIP tiers, all integrated with Shopify checkout. It’s plug-and-play, and you can start with a free plan if you just start the business.

  • Points & rewards: You can easily reward customers for purchases, reviews, and referrals.

    It is based on Points & Rewards system. Points will be redeemed for coupons applied to the next orders. Fixed amount, percentage off, free shipping, and free products are all available.

  • VIP Tiers: You can segment customers into different tiers based on point balances or money spent.

    Give VIP perks to give the most loyal customers a unique shopping experience and turn them into true brand advocates.

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  • Highly Customizable: You can easily tailor the widget’s background, colors, icons, and even every single character, offering customers choices of languages they prefer.

    It means you can create a loyalty system that’s not only fun and engaging but also closely aligned with your brand and your customers’ interests.

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    Easy and Intuitive Setup: The backend is user-friendly and designed for quick implementation, so you can have your loyalty system up and running in no time.

If you’re interested in it, try Loloyal, which provides a 7-day free trial, plus 40% off your first month with this code: “LL40%OFF.” Shopify Apps

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Hi everyone!

Jumping into the discussion to say we’ve just launched Alpha Loyalty — a new loyalty app designed to give merchants more flexibility and power in how they reward and engage customers. We’re now inviting early adopters to try it out and help shape its future.

At this point, there’s no email-related functionality, but that’s just a question of time:)

Why Alpha Loyalty stands out:

  • Points & VIP programs that target different customer groups - you can use tags for precise targeting.

  • Flexible earning rules — reward different products with different point values.

  • Automatic discounts at checkout — no need to copy coupon codes, no chance of fraud, applied instantly.

  • Wide range of rewards — from discounts and gift cards to free shipping and products.

Special early adopter offer:

Everyone who joins us now gets lifetime free access to all current features (and many upcoming ones) + full support, a personal onboarding/demo call, and a chance to influence the app’s roadmap.

We’d love to hear your feedback and see how Alpha Loyalty can fit into your store!

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Hello @William96 ,

I hope you are well!

No, the Shopify native dosen’t have any loyalty program. You need to use the app based loyalty program. I would like to inform you that our app AiTrillion can help you with the Loyalty program which includes Point rewards, VIP Tiers, Gift cards, Store credit, Refer a friend, Make a purchase, Points on Leave a review, Redeem points on Product, Collection, Order, Discount type can be Amount off, Free shipping, Product off, Collection discount, Free products and many more.

Moreover, you can also create a segment and use Email/SMS/Whatsapp/Flows to engage the customers.

I have not mentioned all the feature. There are more features available in our app which you can check by visiting - Ai Loyalty, Email, SMS, Review - AiTrillion: Loyalty Rewards Program with email & cashback | Shopify App Store