The right loyalty rules encourage guests to spend more and visit more often. Most venues run two or three rules together, with each one driving a different behaviour. This guide helps you match your goal to the right rule type and helps you design a commercially sustainable program.
Points and progress update after a booking is redeemed at POS (or expire), not at the point of purchase. Guests spend, check in, then see their rewards update.
Which rule is right for you?
| I want to… | Use this rule |
|---|---|
| Reward guests for every dollar they spend and encourage guests to spend more | Points-based (per $1 spent) |
| Motivate guests to spend more across visits to unlock a reward | Spend-based (cumulative spend) |
| Drive repeat visits for a specific product or products, increasing sales | Product milestone (like a digital punch card) |
Not sure which fits? Read the breakdowns below.
Points-based (per $1 spent)
Guests earn points on every dollar they spend. Points build up over time and convert to a fixed dollar discount at checkout — guests can redeem some or all of their points when they pay.
There's no milestone or reset — earning is continuous for as long as a guest is enrolled (always-on earning).
This is the simplest rule to explain to guests and staff: "You earn points for every dollar you spend."
Good for: making every purchase feel rewarded and encouraging guests to add extras to their order.
Example
- Earn rate: 2 points per $1 spent
- Point value: 100 points = $1 off
- A guest who spends $50 earns 100 points — worth $1 off their next purchase
Spend-based (cumulative spend)
Guests' spend accumulates across visits. When the total reaches the threshold you set, the reward unlocks — then the balance resets and they start building again automatically.
Because guests can see their progress, they're often motivated to spend a little more to reach the threshold sooner. This is known as the goal-gradient effect — the closer someone gets to a goal, the harder they push to reach it.
Good for: encouraging guests to return and spend more over time to unlock a meaningful reward.
Example
- Threshold: $200 total spend across visits
- Reward: $10 off next visit
- A guest who has spent $160 is likely to return sooner — and spend more — to close the gap
Product milestone (digital punch card)
Guests unlock a reward after buying a specific product a set number of times. Once the reward unlocks, the count resets and they start building toward the target again automatically.
This is the classic punch or stamp card. Guests can see their progress and visit more often as they get closer to the target.
Good for: driving repeat visits and building habits around a specific attraction, product or products.
Example
- Trigger product: 60-min Jump Pass
- Target: 10 purchases
- Reward: 1 free Jump Pass
- A guest on their 7th visit knows they're three visits away from a free session
Reward options by rule type
| Rule | Reward options |
|---|---|
| Per $1 spent | Points |
| Cumulative spend | Points, free product or fixed discount |
| Product purchase (quantity) | Points, free product or fixed discount |
Each rule can also have an optional reward expiry, which overrides any program-level expiry you've set.
Ready to set up? To create and configure loyalty rules in Venue Manager, see Set up loyalty rules and rewards in Venue Manager.
Not sure what to configure yet? Read on for an example starter program and guidance on designing a financially sustainable program.
Example starter program
Most venues combine rule types so each one drives a different guest behaviour.
| Rule | Setup | What it drives |
|---|---|---|
| Per $1 spent | Earn 2 points per $1. 100 points = $1. | Makes every purchase feel rewarded |
| Cumulative spend | Spend $200 > get $10 off your next visit | Encourages guests to return and spend more. Guests often increase spend as they get closer to unlocking ther reward. |
| Product milestone | Buy 8–10 admissions > get 1 free | Visible progress toward a free reward drives repeat visits. |
Prefer a simpler program?
You can use points as the reward for all rules.
For example:
- Spend $200, get 1,000 bonus points.
- Buy 10 admissions, get 1,000 points.
This makes it easier to model your costs — working out how much you're giving back as rewards relative to what guests spend — and lets guests choose when and how much to redeem, rather than being locked into a fixed reward.
Tangible rewards like free products or fixed discounts often feel more motivating, but a points-only model is easier to manage and explain at scale.
Designing a sustainable program
For most venues, it's worth thinking through a few things before you configure your rules.
Set your point value first
Before setting your earn rate, decide what one point is worth.
A simple starting model: 1 point = $0.01 (100 points = $1).
Choose a value that feels meaningful to guests, is easy for staff to explain, and is simple to model financially.
Choose a target give-back rate
The give-back rate is the percentage of eligible revenue you return to guests as rewards. Most venues start with 2–5%.
You control this by setting two things: the earn rate (how many points guests earn per $1 spent) and the point value (how much each point is worth as a dollar discount at redemption).
Using the starting model (1 point = $0.01, so 100 points = $1):
- A guest who earns 2 points per $1 spent accumulates 200 points on a $100 purchase — worth $2. That's a 2% give-back.
- A guest who earns 3 points per $1 spent accumulates 300 points on a $100 purchase — worth $3. That's a 3% give-back.
Finding the right balance between generosity and sustainability is the key to a program guests engage with long term.
Make milestones attainable
The goal-gradient effect works best when the goal feels reachable. If guests can't see a realistic path to the reward, the rule loses its pull.
- Set product milestones around the 6th–10th purchase.
- Set spend milestones close to what a regular guest could reach within a few months.
Choose the right trigger product
| My goal | Recommended trigger | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Get guests to visit more often | Your most popular, visit-defining product (eg admission or session pass) | The milestone compresses time between visits, even for habitual purchases |
| Build a new purchasing habit | A secondary product guests could buy but currently underuse | Every triggered purchase represents incremental revenue |
| Both | Run two separate rules — one for each goal | Each rule is optimized for its own goal |
Choose a reward that works
The reward should feel worth the effort while protecting your margin. This balance is known as the loyalty margin. Work through these questions before deciding on a reward.
| Question | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Does it feel worth the effort? | Guests typically perceive a strong reward as about 10–15% of what they've spent. |
| Does the cost work for us? | Choose rewards with low marginal cost to deliver or restrict them to off-peak times if needed. |
| Does it match the trigger strategy? | Popular trigger products often pair well with the same product as the reward or a new-trial product. |
| Is it easy to explain? | Guests immediately understand rewards like "Get a free session" or "$10 off your next visit." |
Learn more
- Get started with ROLLER Loyalty — overview of the program and what to set up first
- How loyalty works seamlessly in the background — how guests earn, progress and redeem rewards
- Set up loyalty rules and rewards in Venue Manager — configure rules, rewards and activate your program
- How guests join your loyalty program — enrollment methods and how staff can support sign-ups
- How loyalty emails work — automated emails guests receive throughout the loyalty lifecycle
- Redeem loyalty rewards at POS and online — how staff apply rewards at POS and guests redeem online
- View and manage a guest's loyalty profile from Venue Manager — check balances, history and loyalty status
- Measure the impact of your loyalty program with Analytics — track performance with built-in loyalty reports