Cashback Rewards
Configure order-based cashback — reward value, expiration, and reward delay with pending balance protection.
Order-based cashback is Angle's primary reward mechanism. When a customer makes a purchase, they earn store credit as a percentage of the order value or a flat dollar amount. The credit is deposited directly into their Shopify account and can be used as a payment method on future orders.
Enabling Cashback
Cashback is configured per tier. Navigate to the tier's edit page (Membership → click the tier → scroll to Rewards) and click Enable next to "Order-Based Cash Back."
The UI describes it as: "Give members store credit as a percentage of each purchase or a flat amount per order."
Configuration Settings
Reward Value
Choose how much credit customers earn on each order:
| Option | How It Works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| % of order value | Credit is calculated as a percentage of the order total, excluding any store credit already applied to that order. | 10% cashback on a $100 order where $20 of store credit was applied → cashback is calculated on $80 → customer earns $8.00 |
| Flat amount | A fixed dollar amount per qualifying order, regardless of order size. | $5.00 credit on every order |
The percentage-based calculation explicitly excludes store credit from the cashback basis. This prevents circular reward compounding — customers cannot earn cashback on credit they're spending.
Reward Expiration
Set the number of days before earned credit expires. Common ranges:
- 90 days — Creates urgency, encourages faster redemption
- 180 days — Balanced approach
- 365 days — Generous, low-pressure
- 0 (no expiration) — Credit never expires
When credit expires, Shopify automatically removes it from the customer's balance. Angle sends expiration reminder events to Klaviyo at 30 days, 7 days, and 24 hours before expiration (if Klaviyo is connected).
Shopify uses FIFO (first-in, first-out) expiration — when a customer applies credit, the soonest-expiring credit is consumed first.
Reward Delay
This is one of Angle's most important features. The reward delay sets a waiting period between when cashback is earned and when it becomes available for use.
Why you should use a reward delay:
Without a delay, cashback is issued immediately after purchase. If the customer then returns the item, you've already given them credit — and clawing it back creates a poor experience and operational headaches.
With a reward delay (e.g., 14 or 30 days), the earned credit enters a pending state. During the delay window, Angle continuously recomputes the reward against any cancellations, returns, or post-order modifications to the original order. When the delay expires, Angle issues the correct amount based on the final order value.
What customers see:
Customers see their pending balance displayed separately from their available balance. For example:
- Balance: $58.25
- Pending Balance: $25.20
This transparency lets customers know credit is coming without creating over-issuance risk for the merchant.
Recommended delay periods:
| Scenario | Suggested Delay |
|---|---|
| Low return rate, fast shipping | 14 days |
| Standard e-commerce | 21–30 days |
| High-value items, longer return windows | 30–45 days |
| Subscription-based or pre-order models | Match your return window |
Setting a reward delay is strongly recommended for all programs. It protects you from over-issuing credit on returned orders — a problem that competitors either don't address at all or require manual clawback to fix.
How Cashback Scales Across Tiers
Cashback rates should increase with tier level to create a meaningful incentive for customers to spend more. Example:
| Tier | Threshold | Cashback Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | $0 | 5% |
| Silver | $250 | 7% |
| Gold | $500 | 10% |
Each tier is configured independently — navigate to each tier's edit page and set its cashback reward value separately.
How It Works End to End
- Customer places a qualifying order
- Angle calculates the cashback based on the order value (excluding any store credit applied)
- If a reward delay is configured, the credit enters the customer's pending balance
- During the delay period, Angle monitors the order for returns, cancellations, or modifications
- When the delay expires, Angle recomputes the final reward amount and issues the corrected credit to the customer's available balance
- The credit appears in their Shopify account, on their wallet pass, and in the Customer Account Extension
- Klaviyo receives a "Store Credit Earned" event for marketing automation
- If Shopify notifications are enabled, the customer receives a store credit email
If no reward delay is configured, steps 3–5 are skipped and credit is issued immediately after purchase.