A referral wasn’t credited
Check the app embed, the qualifying purchase and the attribution window.
Last reviewed
If a customer says they referred a friend but didn’t receive their points, work through these checks.
The app embed isn’t enabled
Referral tracking needs the EarnKit app embed turned on in your theme, under Online Store › Themes › Customize › App embeds. Without it, EarnKit can’t connect a referral link visit to the friend’s later order. See Set up referrals.
The friend ordered from a different cart
Referral attribution is tied to the friend’s cart and can last for 30 days. Ordering from another browser or device can prevent EarnKit from connecting the visit to the order.
The link was opened after the order, not before
A referral link only counts a purchase that happens after the friend opens it. An order placed before the friend ever saw the link can’t be attributed to it.
More than 30 days passed
A referral link stays valid for 30 days after the friend opens it. If their qualifying order happens after that window, it isn’t credited.
It wasn’t the friend’s first order
The referral reward is for a friend’s first order with your store. An existing customer who uses a referral link on a later order doesn’t trigger the referrer’s reward.
The order didn’t reach the minimum purchase
If you’ve set Require a minimum purchase under Program › Refer a Friend, the friend’s order must reach your Minimum qualifying purchase amount, in eligible spending after discounts and refunds, for the referrer to earn their reward.
The referrer referred themselves
EarnKit checks the referring customer and the referred customer against each other. If they’re the same person, even under two different accounts that were later merged, the referral doesn’t qualify.
The reward is still on hold
If you’ve turned on Hold the referrer’s reward before paying it, the referrer’s points are held for your configured period after the friend’s qualifying purchase before they’re paid. Check Hold referral rewards for what that means for your program.
The friend’s order was canceled or refunded below the minimum
If the referral is still being held and hasn’t been paid yet, canceling the friend’s order stops it. A full refund also stops it, even if you have no minimum purchase set. A partial refund stops it only if eligible spending falls below your minimum qualifying purchase.
The friend’s order was refunded after the referral was paid
A referral that’s already been paid is only reversed by a refund on the friend’s order, not by a cancellation. See When referral points are reversed.
The order needs a closer look
Some orders carry evidence that EarnKit can’t automatically resolve, such as a discount code that doesn’t clearly match one referral. These show up as unresolved rather than being silently skipped. See Unresolved referrals.