> ## 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 VIP tier milestones

> How VIP tier milestones work and how different settings impact customer progression.

VIP tier milestones determine how customers move through your VIP program. They define what a customer needs to do to unlock each tier and how their progress is tracked over time.

When setting up milestones, you’ll choose:

* How progress is measured (points or amount spent)
* How progress is tracked over time (calendar year or lifetime)

These settings determine how customers earn, maintain, and progress through VIP tiers.

<Check>
  **Feature availability**: VIP is available on **Growth, Plus,** and **Enterprise** plans.
</Check>

## Milestone types

### Points-based milestone

Customers enter VIP tiers based on the number of points they earn. Because points can be awarded for more than just purchases, this option allows for more flexible progression.

**Best for:**

* Rewarding multiple actions (purchases, social actions, and other engagement)
* Encouraging ongoing interaction beyond spending

**Important details:**

* Customers may reach tiers without high spending if many non-purchase actions are rewarded.
* If you've enabled the [points delay](/en/articles/configure-points-delay-for-orders) setting for orders, pending points don't count toward VIP tiers — customers won't move up until their points are released.

### Amount spent milestone

Customers enter VIP tiers based on how much they spend. This ties VIP progression directly to revenue.

<Note>
  **Note:** **Amount spent** is calculated using the **Grand Total** of each order marked as **Paid**, excluding any discounts used. This includes shipping fees and taxes.
</Note>

**Best for:**

* Rewarding high-value customers
* Keeping VIP tiers closely aligned with purchase behavior

**Important details:**

* Only purchases contribute to tier progression.
* Orders count toward a customer's tier as soon as they reach a status matching your order settings — unlike points, there is no option to add a time-based delay.
* Tier progression is typically slower but more predictable.

## Milestone timeframes

### Lifetime

Customer progress never resets. Customers move through VIP tiers based on their total activity over time. Once they reach a tier, they keep it permanently.

**Best for:**

* Rewarding **long-term loyalty**
* Letting customers progress at their own pace
* Creating a more **stable VIP experience**

**Important details:**

* Customers **do not need to re-qualify** for their tier
* Customers **cannot move down tiers** once they’ve advanced

### Calendar year

Customer progress is measured within a single calendar year and resets at the start of the next year.

**Best for:**

* Customers who make **frequent purchases throughout the year**
* Encouraging **consistent repeat purchases**
* Reducing time between purchases

**Important details:**

* Customers must **re-qualify each year** to maintain their tier
* Customers can **move down tiers** if they don’t re-qualify

#### How Calendar year works

When a customer reaches a VIP tier, they keep it:

* For the remainder of the current year
* For the entire next calendar year

<Note>
  **Note**: When using the Calendar year method, start dates before the current calendar year automatically reset to January 1 of the current year.
</Note>

**Example:**

* A customer reaches **Gold** in November 2026
* They keep Gold for the rest of 2026 and all of 2027
* During 2027, they must re-qualify to keep Gold in 2028

If they don’t re-qualify, their tier is recalculated based on their activity in that year.

<Note>
  **Note:** Milestone progress is only tracked while a customer is eligible to participate in your loyalty program. If your participation setting is set to *Only customers who have a store account*, milestone progress begins once a customer becomes a member of your program. Activity completed before becoming a member is not tracked retroactively. To learn more about participation settings, see [Configure program participation](/en/articles/4536631-configure-program-participation).
</Note>

## Choosing the right setup

Your milestone type and timeframe should reflect your program goals:

**Choose a milestone type:**

* Want to encourage engagement beyond purchases? → **Points-based**
* Want to reward spending directly? → **Amount spent**

**Choose a timeframe:**

* Want customers to stay active every year? → **Calendar year**
* Want long-term progression without resets? → **Lifetime**

You can combine these settings to create the experience that best fits your program.

Once you’ve chosen your milestone type and timeframe, you can configure your VIP program in **[Configure VIP settings](/en/articles/4036300-configure-vip-settings).**