> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.smile.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understand reward issuing

> Learn how rewards are generated and issued to customers, and about the meaning of each reward status.

When a customer redeems their points for a reward, or when a customer is issued a reward for referring a friend or entering a VIP tier, a reward is generated. The reward status provides information about whether the reward was successfully generated and whether the reward has been used on an order by the customer. You can use reward status information to help diagnose issues like why a customer didn't receive their reward, or to verify what rewards a customer has available to use.

## How rewards are issued

When Smile issues a reward to a customer (like a coupon code or gift card), Smile has to first generate the reward in the external platform (e.g. Shopify or BigCommerce). The reward generation can happen either immediately (synchronously) or in the background (asynchronously).

If a reward is generated ***synchronously*** (e.g. when redeeming points), it will either be:

* Successful, and then saved to the customer's profile, or,
* Unsuccessful, and an error message will be displayed to the customer + the reward will not be saved to the customer's profile.

If a reward is generated ***asynchronously*** (e.g. referral or VIP tier entry rewards), the reward will always be saved to the customer's profile, and Smile will use the reward status to convey information about whether the reward generation was successful or not.

After a reward has been successfully generated, the reward status can also convey information about whether it has been used or canceled.

## Identify the status of a reward

The reward status is visible from the profile page of the customer who was issued the reward.

1. In Smile Admin, find the relevant customer.
2. In the **Activity** section, click on the **Rewards** tab.
3. Use the **arrow buttons** to scroll and find the reward you're interested in.

The status of a reward is shown in the **Status** column of the table.

## Reward statuses

| **Status** | **What it means**                                                                                                                 | **Visible to customer** |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| Pending    | Smile is working on generating the reward and it is not yet available for the customer to use.                                    | No                      |
| Failed     | Smile was unable to generate the reward and the reward will never be available for the customer to use.                           | No                      |
| Issued     | A reward code has been generated for the customer and is available to use. The reward has not yet been used on a completed order. | Yes                     |
| Canceled   | The reward was manually canceled from within Smile and is no longer available for the customer to use.                            | No                      |
| Used       | The reward was used on a completed order.                                                                                         | Yes                     |

<Info>
  **Important:** Applying a reward code during checkout does not mark the reward as **Used**. If the customer removes the code, abandons checkout, or uses a different discount instead, the reward remains **Issued** unless the order is completed with the reward applied.
</Info>

<Note>
  **Note:** Smile does not track the usage of gift cards and these will never be marked as **Used**.
</Note>

## FAQ

**Does applying a reward code at checkout mark it as Used?**

No. A reward is only marked as Used after an order is successfully completed with the reward applied. If a customer applies the code at checkout but removes it or abandons checkout, the reward remains in Issued status and can still be used later.