---
title: How Do I Create Point Earning Rules
description: "## What is the Points Program? The **Points Program** screen is where you decide how customers earn points. Each rule, called a **point channel** in the admin, connects a store event such as placing an order, writing a review, creating…"
url: "https://themewinter.com/docs/plugin-docs/points-program/how-do-i-create-point-earning-rules/"
updated: "2026-08-25"
category: Pointics / Points Program
---

# How Do I Create Point Earning Rules

## What is the Points Program?

The **Points Program** screen is where you decide how customers earn points. Each rule, called a **point channel** in the admin, connects a store event such as placing an order, writing a review, creating an account, or referring a friend to a specific points award.

Each rule has three main parts:

1. **A trigger:** The event that activates the rule.
2. **A calculation:** Flat points, points per currency unit, a percentage, or a level multiplier.
3. **Optional limits:** How often the rule can run and which conditions must be met.

## Why Do You Need It?

- **It powers the entire loyalty program:** Every point a customer earns comes from a point channel.
- **It defines the program economics:** Earning rules determine whether the program feels generous, sustainable, and worthwhile.
- **It rewards more than purchases:** Reviews, registrations, and referrals can also become point-earning actions.

## Prerequisites

- An Administrator account.
- At least one active integration, because triggers are supplied by integrations.
- WooCommerce for the commerce-related triggers.
- Pointics Pro to configure conditions. The free version displays the conditions section but keeps it locked.

### Where to Find It

Go to **Pointics → Points Program**.

```
/wp-admin/admin.php?page=pointics#/points-program
```

The customer-facing list of ways to earn points is explained in [How Do Customers See Their Points?](12-storefront.md)

## Step-by-Step Instructions

### Step 1: Open the Points Program Screen

Go to **Pointics → Points Program** and click **New Point Channel**. The **Add Point Earning Rule** picker will open.

![](https://themewinter.com/docs/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-106.png)

### Step 2: Pick a Trigger

![](https://themewinter.com/docs/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-107.png)

Select the store event that the rule should listen for. Recommended triggers display a badge.

| Trigger | Fires When | Money-Based? | Group | Default Points | Recommended |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Place a paid order | An order is paid for | Yes | Points Earning | 1 | Yes |
| Write a product review | A customer reviews a product | No | Social | 250 | No |
| Register at checkout | A customer creates an account during checkout | No | Points Earning | 1500 | No |
| Create an account | A customer registers on the site | No | Points Earning | 1500 | Yes |
| Referral signs up | An invited friend creates an account | No | Social | 500 | Yes |

**Place a paid order** also reverses itself. If the order is refunded, the awarded points are removed.

### Step 3: Fill In the Rule Details

![](https://themewinter.com/docs/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-108.png)

The **Add Point Earning** editor contains two sections in the left sidebar: **Rule Details** and **Conditions**.

| Field | Description | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rule Name | Displayed on the rule card and in transactions | The trigger label |
| Description | Optional supporting text | The trigger description |
| Start Date | Optional beginning of the active period | Empty |
| End Date | Optional end of the active period | Empty |

### Step 4: Set the Award

The editor displays different award fields depending on the selected trigger.

#### Standard Award

Used for flat, non-money-based triggers.

| Field | Description | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Points Awarded | Defines how many points the customer receives | The trigger default |

#### Earning Rate Award

![](https://themewinter.com/docs/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-112.png)

![](https://themewinter.com/docs/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-111.png)

Used for money-based triggers.

| Field | Description | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Earning Type | **Per $ Spent** awards points for each currency unit spent. **Fixed per Item** awards a flat number of points multiplied by item quantity. | Per $ Spent |
| Points Rate | Defines how many points are awarded for each specified amount spent | The trigger default |

If the amount in the "per every" field is empty or set to zero, the rule awards no points. Always complete both values.

#### Referral Award

![](https://themewinter.com/docs/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-110.png)

![](https://themewinter.com/docs/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-109.png)

Used for referral-based triggers.

| Field | Description | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Points Awarded -- Referrer | Points awarded to the customer who sent the invitation | The trigger default |
| Points Awarded -- Referred Person | Points awarded to the invited customer | Empty |
| Share Method | Referral Link, Referral Code, or Link & Code | Empty |
| Referral Link Base URL | The base URL used for referral links, such as `yourstore.com/ref/` | Empty |
| Referral Code | A custom referral code, such as `SAVE20` | Empty |

### Step 5: Add Conditions

![](https://themewinter.com/docs/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-113.png)

Add one or more conditions and choose whether the rule must **match all** conditions or **match any** condition.

| Condition | What It Checks |
| --- | --- |
| Minimum Amount | The order or event value is at least the configured amount |
| First Time Only | The customer has never activated this rule before |
| Date Window | The event happens between a specified start and end date |
| User Role | The customer has one of the selected WordPress roles |

**Conditions are a Pro feature.** In the free version, the conditions section remains visible but locked.

### Step 6: Save the Rule

![](https://themewinter.com/docs/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-114.png)

- **Save Draft:** Saves the rule as inactive. Only a rule name is required.
- **Publish:** Activates the rule. A rule name and a complete award configuration are required.

### Step 7: Manage Your Rules

![](https://themewinter.com/docs/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-115.png)

- **Edit:** Click **Configure** on a rule card. The editor title changes to **Edit Point Earning**. The trigger cannot be changed after saving, so create a new rule if you need a different trigger.
- **Turn On or Off:** Use the switch on the rule card. If saving fails, the switch returns to its previous state and an error message appears.
- **Delete:** Click the delete option on the rule card. Pointics asks for confirmation before deactivating it.
- **Filter:** Use the filter chips above the rule grid. Available groups include **All Points**, **Points Earning**, **Social**, and any groups added by integrations.

> Delete this point channel? **{name}** will stop awarding points. Points customers already earned from it are kept.

Deleting a rule only deactivates it. Points that customers already earned are never removed.

## Key Functionality

### Calculation Types

| Type | What It Does |
| --- | --- |
| Fixed Amount | Awards a flat number of points |
| Points per Currency Unit | Awards points according to the amount spent |
| Percentage of Amount | Awards a percentage of the transaction value as points |
| Tiered | Multiplies the base points by the customer's loyalty-level multiplier |

### How Often a Rule Can Run

| Setting | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| Once | The customer can receive the award only once |
| Unlimited | The rule has no usage limit |
| Daily | The rule can award points once per calendar day |
| Weekly | The rule can award points once per week |
| Monthly | The rule can award points once per month |
| Maximum N Times Total | The rule can award points no more than the configured number of times |
| Maximum N Times per Period | The rule can award points up to the configured limit during each period |

If a frequency setting becomes invalid or corrupted, Pointics falls back to **Once**, the most restrictive option. This prevents a configuration error from creating unlimited point awards.

### How a Rule Awards Points

A point-earning rule follows this process from creation to customer balance update:

1. Open the **Points Program** screen.
2. Click **New Point Channel**.
3. Select a trigger from the trigger picker.
4. Configure the rule in the rule editor.
5. Choose **Save Draft** to store the rule as inactive, or choose **Publish** to activate it.
6. When the related store event happens, Pointics checks the rule conditions.
7. If the conditions do not match, no points are awarded.
8. If the conditions match, Pointics checks the frequency limit.
9. If the customer has already reached the allowed limit, no points are awarded.
10. If the award is allowed, Pointics calculates the points.
11. A transaction is recorded and the customer balance is updated.
12. The customer sees the updated balance.
13. If a paid order is refunded, the points awarded by that order rule are taken back.

## Validation Rules

- **Rule Name, trigger, and calculation type** are required.
- The calculation type must be supported by your site. A Pro-only calculation is rejected on a free installation.
- The frequency value must be one of the supported options.
- **Editing is partial:** Any field you do not change remains unchanged.
- **Save Draft** requires a rule name.
- **Publish** requires a rule name and a complete award configuration.
- Both save buttons are disabled while a save is running to prevent duplicate submissions.

Every rule is assigned to a group. If you do not select one, Pointics uses the trigger's group. If the trigger does not provide a group, Pointics uses the integration name. There is no uncategorized group.

## Limitations

- **The free version displays conditions but does not allow you to configure them.** The section remains visible and locked unless Pointics Pro is active.
- The **Start Date, End Date, and Conditions** fields are not currently saved. Only the rule name, description, award, and active state are stored.
- The **uses** count on each rule card always displays 0. Use the Transactions screen to view actual activity.
- Deleting a rule only deactivates it. The screen does not provide permanent deletion.
- Only the **Place a paid order** trigger reverses awarded points after a refund.

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | Solution |
| --- | --- |
| Trigger picker is empty | No integration is active. Activate WooCommerce or another supported integration. |
| *"Channel not found."* | The rule was deleted, or the link you followed is no longer valid. |
| *"No updatable fields provided."* | The save request contained no changed fields. Reload the editor and try again. |
| *"Unknown calc_type..."* | The selected calculation type is not supported by your site. This commonly happens when a Pro-only calculation is selected on a free installation. |
| *"Unknown frequency..."* | The frequency value is not one of the supported options. |
| *"Award produced no points or was blocked."* | The conditions did not match, the frequency limit was reached, or the calculation produced zero points. |
| Rule is published but no points are awarded | Confirm that the trigger integration is active, the conditions match, the frequency limit has not been reached, and the calculation does not return zero. A blank "per every" value makes the rate zero. |
| Points were awarded, but the card says "not configured" | A rule is marked as unconfigured when its points value is zero. |
| A refund did not remove points | Only the **Place a paid order** trigger reverses points after a refund. |
| *"No rules in this group yet."* | The selected group contains no rules. Switch the filter to **All Points**. |

## Notes

- The default groups included with Pointics are **Points Earning** and **Social**. Integrations can add their own groups.
- Money-based events award points according to the amount spent. Other events award a flat number of points.
- The Setup Wizard uses the same distinction when it creates earning rules.
- Point awards and customer balances are updated together, so they cannot become out of sync.
- Frequency limits are checked when the transaction is written, which protects the program from duplicate events.

---

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