If you’re planning to wind down your loyalty program, a little preparation can go a long way. This guide walks through the key things to think about so you can offboard smoothly and give your customers a positive experience along the way.
There’s no single “right” way to do this - the best approach depends on your business and your customers - but the tips below should help you decide what works best for you.
1. Plan your exit
We don’t have step-by-step instructions for winding down a program, as this is up to you. That said, planning ahead makes everything easier.
Before you get started, think about:
When your program will end
What will happen to customer points and rewards
How and when you’ll let customers know about the change
Giving yourself enough lead time will help avoid surprises and keep things running smoothly.
2. Decide what to do with points and rewards
Option 1: Use it or lose it
This option encourages customers to redeem their points before the program ends.
How it works:
Let customers know the program is ending
Set a clear deadline for redeeming points and rewards
After that date, points and rewards can’t be used
This is a good option if you’re looking for a clean, time-bound exit.
Option 2: Carry points over
If you’d like customers to still get value from their points, you can carry them over in another format.
Refunding unused rewards
We can refund any unused vouchers back into points so you can see exactly how many points each customer has when the program ends.
How to do this:
Before your program ends, email our Support team at support@loyaltylion.com to refund unused rewards.
Once the rewards are refunded, run a customer export to get an up-to-date list of point balances.
From there, you can decide what to do with those points — for example, emailing customers a voucher code worth the same amount.
3. Let customers know what’s changing
Letting customers know your loyalty program is winding down is an important part of the offboarding process. Clear, friendly communication helps set expectations, reduces confusion, and keeps customer sentiment positive.
We recommend planning your communications in advance and giving customers at least four weeks’ notice so they have time to redeem their points or understand what will happen next.
A few tips before you get started:
Give customers advance notice (we recommend at least four weeks)
Be clear about key dates, especially when points or rewards will need to be used by
Keep the message positive and focused on improving their experience
Where to communicate
On-site banners to highlight key dates and reminders
Email campaigns explaining what’s happening and what customers need to do
If you’re planning something new to replace your loyalty program, a simple “Coming soon” message can help set expectations.
On-site communication examples
1 - Program closing / no replacement yet:
Why this works:
The message clearly states that the program is ending
A specific end date is included
The tone is calm and reassuring
The focus is on what’s next, not just what’s ending
On-site banners are especially helpful for reinforcing key dates and reaching customers who may not open emails.
2 - Replacing with a new offering:
Why this works:
The message encourages action (and includes a CTA) without sounding negative
The deadline is clear and easy to spot
Customers are reassured that the brand is evolving
This type of banner works well as an early heads-up or a reminder during the wind-down period.
3 - Email example:
Why this works:
Customers are clearly told what will happen to their existing value
The tone is friendly and reassuring
Next steps are explained in a simple, easy-to-follow way
Support contact details are easy to find
This approach is ideal if you’re refunding rewards, converting points into store credit, or carrying value over after the program ends.
Top tip: Try to focus on what customers can do and any extra value you’re offering. A pleasant surprise goes a long way.
4. Export your data
Once your program has ended, you won’t have access to LoyaltyLion anymore. We recommend exporting any data you might need before your subscription ends.
You may want to export:
Customers
Points accounting
Referrals
Rewards
You can find more details in our guide: Exporting Your Data.
5. Uninstall LoyaltyLion
After your program has ended and you’ve exported your data, you can uninstall the LoyaltyLion app from your Shopify store.
Follow the steps in our guide: Uninstalling LoyaltyLion.
Need help?
If you have any questions about offboarding, refunds, or exports, our Support team is always happy to help.
Just reach out to support@loyaltylion.com.