Edit points cancellation settings
By default, Smile cancels points when an order’s status is Refunded. Points are automatically deducted from the customer’s account when an order’s financial status matches this value. Notifications are not sent to customers when points are cancelled due to a refund. You have the option to edit or add additional Order Statuses in your program settings.Important: Returns issued as store credit will not automatically have points cancelled. These must be manually marked as Refunded to be recognized and have points removed.
- In Smile Admin, navigate to Settings > Platform.
- In the Order Settings card, click Edit.
- Under Cancel rewards when the financial status is one of, select the order statuses you’d like to trigger points cancellation.
- Click Save.
How points cancellation is calculated
Points cancellation is based on the Place an order earning rule in your points program. Points will only be cancelled if the original Place an Order earning rule—used when the points were awarded—still exists and is enabled. If the original earning rule has been deleted or is disabled at the time of the refund, the customer’s points will not be cancelled. If the earning rule value has changed between the order and the refund, the cancellation will use the current value. This may result in a discrepancy between the points awarded and the points removed.Examples:
If your Place an Order earning rule gives 1 point for every $1 spent, and a customer makes a $50 purchase, they will earn 50 points. Here’s how Smile handles cancellations in different scenarios:| Order rule scenario | Cancelled points behavior if the $50 product is returned |
|---|---|
| The earning rule remains active and unchanged. | 50 points are removed. |
| The earning rule is disabled. | No points are removed. |
| The earning rule is deleted. | No points are removed. |
| The earning rule is active and has been changed to 2 points for every $1 spent. | 100 points are removed (50 original + 50 based on the updated earning rule) |
Points cancellation for partial refunds on Shopify
In addition to Refunded, if an order’s status changes to Partially Refunded in Shopify, Smile will also cancel the corresponding amount of a customer’s points. By default, partial refunds are included in the Refunded status and Partially Refunded does not need to be added as a separate status. Examples of partially refunded orders:| Order scenario | Points cancellation behavior on Shopify |
|---|---|
| A customer purchases two products, one $40 and one $20. They earn points on the $60 spent on the order. | If the customer later returns the $20 product, they receive $20 back. The points earned on the $20 are removed, and they keep the points earned on the remaining $40 of the order. |
| A customer purchases two products, one $40 and one $20. They use a $10 off coupon. They earn points on the $50 spent on the order. | If the customer later returns the $20 product, they receive $16.67 ($20 minus 1/3 of the $10 discount) back. The points earned on the $16.67 are removed and they keep the points earned on the remaining $33.33 of the order. |
Note: Partial Refunds are not currently available for BigCommerce merchants.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to reward coupons when an order is refunded?
Reward coupons are not automatically reissued when an order is refunded. If you’d like to restore the value of a redeemed reward, you can manually adjust the customer’s points balance to reinstate the points used for the reward coupon.Can refunds affect a customer’s VIP tier?
Yes, but the impact depends on the type of VIP program you’re using:- Points-based VIP: If points earned from an order are removed due to a refund (based on your points cancellation settings), those points are also removed from the customer’s VIP progress. If the customer no longer meets the requirements for their current tier, they may be moved to a lower tier.
- Amount spent VIP: The refunded amount is automatically deducted from the customer’s total spend, regardless of your points cancellation settings. If the refund causes the customer to fall below a tier threshold, their VIP tier will be recalculated accordingly.