If your organization has implemented point expiration for the points you receive, this article aims to provide clarity on point expiration deadlines. Please note that point expiration is not standardized across all recognition platforms. Policies and deadlines may vary among organizations utilizing Awardco. For clarification, please consult your internal point of contact or the platform's touch points (user widget on homepage or spend points landing page) regarding point expiration.
Key Considerations
Point expiration is designed to ensure that the points you receive have a defined lifespan. Your organization may implement point expiration for reasons such as incentivizing timely redemption or encouraging engagement. Points can expire if they remain unused within a specified period set by your organization. To check if point expiration applies to your points, refer to:
- Your user widget on the homepage
- The spend points landing page will show you the aggregate of points expiring and the expiration date.
Important Note on Expiration Timing: Points expire at 12:00 AM UTC on the expiration date. For example, points set to expire on November 1 will expire at 7:00 PM EST on October 31. Be mindful of this timing if you are in a different time zone to avoid missing the redemption deadline.
Your organization should clearly communicate its point expiration policy. You will receive an email notification 7 days before your points expire, so be sure to check your inbox regularly, and notifications in platform will be visible starting 30 days before points are set to expire. Pay attention to any notifications about point expiration and the included expiration date when receiving points through Recognition Programs, Earn Programs, etc.
Important Note on Returned Points and Expiration: If you receive points back from a return (e.g., a returned order), those points are still subject to your organization's expiration rules. The timing of when returned points expire depends on how your organization's expiration is configured:
- Cadence-based expiration (e.g., all points expire quarterly or yearly): If the points are returned after the cadence would have already expired them, they will expire on the next run of the cadence.
- Age-based expiration (e.g., 12 months from when points were awarded): The expiration timeframe resets based on the return date. For example, if your organization expires points 12 months after they are awarded, returned points will expire 12 months after the date they were returned to your balance.
FAQs
Can I get my points back if they expire?
- Once points expire, they are gone from your point balance. Please be sure you spend them before expiration!
What if I don’t want to have my points expire?
- Reach out to your internal point of contact in charge of your recognition platform for inquiries about this.
What happens if my points are returned after they were supposed to expire?
- If points are returned to your balance after they would have already expired (for example, due to a returned order), they are still subject to expiration. If your organization uses a recurring expiration schedule, the returned points will expire on the next scheduled run of that cadence. If your organization expires points based on their age (e.g., 12 months from recognition), the expiration clock restarts from the return date. Either way, be sure to use returned points promptly to avoid losing them to expiration.
If you have any questions, please contact our Awardco Support Team.