If you're a Mobile Loyalty App or Loyalty Program ($99/mo excluding the mobile app) subscriber, your Run Free loyalty program lets customers earn points automatically on every purchase, whether in-store, online, or at events, and allows shoppers redeem those points for digital gift cards they can use with you anywhere.
This article covers everything you need to know about how the program works, how to set it up, and how to troubleshoot common issues.
We also put together a video that walks through many of the concepts we cover in this article, so please feel free to tap below and check it out as well.
How the Loyalty Program Works
The Run Free loyalty program is built directly into your eCommerce platform and mobile app. It works independently of your point-of-sale system (POS), meaning you can use any supported POS (RICS, Lightspeed, Heartland, etc.) without affecting how loyalty works for you or your shoppers. In other words, if you ever choose to switch POS systems, your loyalty program stays exactly the same.
How Customers Earn Points
Customers earn points from three sources:
In-store purchases - Points are calculated based on the dollar amount spent at your physical location(s).
Online purchases - Points are calculated based on the dollar amount spent in your eCommerce store.
Event attendance - Customers earn points when they check in to your events through the mobile app (if you've assigned point values to those events).
All points from every source are combined into a single Redeemable Points balance that shoppers can see in the app or in the My Account section of your eCommerce site.
How Customers Redeem Points
Redemption is a two-step process:
Customers accumulate points from purchases and events.
Customers redeem those points for digital gift cards at the point thresholds you define in the admin dashboard of the Run Free platform
These digital gift cards work both in-store (via scannable bar codes) and online (copy the code and apply at checkout). The system is fully self-service, which means customers can (and should be encouraged to) redeem points on their own, anytime, without staff assistance.
Setting Up Your Loyalty Program
There are three things you need to configure when setting your loyalty program up for the first time:
1 - Points Per Dollar
Decide how many points a customer earns for every dollar they spend. We recommend 1 point per $1 for simplicity. You can adjust this at any time, for example, you could run a "double points in December" promotion by temporarily changing this value.
2 - Redemption Tiers
Define up to five tiers where customers can exchange their points for a digital gift card. For each tier, you set:
A point threshold (e.g., 250 points)
A gift card value (e.g., $10)
You can change these tiers at any time. Changing the tiers affects the value of points going forward but does not change any customer's existing point balance.
Example Tiers
3 - Event Point Values
When creating an event on the Run Free platform, you can set the number of reward points a customer receives when they check in. This value is visible to customers in the mobile app alongside the event details.
The Customer Experience
In the Mobile App
Customers open your app and see their Redeemable Points on the dashboard.
Tapping the points opens their point history, which is a feed showing purchases, event check-ins, and any manual adjustments.
Tapping Redeem shows the available gift card tiers based on their current point balance.
After confirming a redemption, a digital gift card is generated with a scannable barcode (that can also be tapped to be copied for use in-app).
The gift card appears in their app and is also emailed to them.
Using the gift card
In-store: The customer simply shows the barcode on their phone or email print-out for scanning at the register.
Online: The customer simply taps to copy the gift card code and applies it at checkout.
In the eCommerce Store
Customers who prefer not to use the app can manage their rewards online. They simply:
Log in to your eCommerce site.
Go to My Account > Manage Rewards.
From there, they can view points, redemption history, and redeem points for gift cards with the same functionality as the mobile app.
Managing the Program as an Administrator
Redeeming Points for a Customer
If a customer is in your store and needs help redeeming their points (forgot their phone, doesn't use the app, etc.), you can redeem points for them easily.
Log into your Run Free Project admin dashboard.
Go to Customers in your admin panel.
Search for the customer by email address.
Click Edit on their customer record on the right.
Click Redeem Points and select the gift card tier they'd like.
The gift card UPC will appear on screen for immediate scanning, and the customer will receive an email copy for later use of any remaining balance.
Manually Adjusting Points
You can add or subtract points from any customer's account at any time. Common reasons include:
Goodwill credits: A customer had a poor experience and you want to make it right.
Missed event check-in: A customer attended your event but couldn't check in (dead phone battery, forgot their phone, etc.).
Correcting an error: Points were applied incorrectly and need adjustment.
To adjust points:
Log into your Run Free Project admin dashboard.
Go to Customers > search by email > Edit.
Use the point adjustment controls to add or subtract points.
Enter a reason for the adjustment.
The system logs every manual adjustment, including who made the change, the amount, and the reason, so you always have a clear audit trail.
Understanding Customer Account Linking
This is the most important concept for troubleshooting loyalty program issues.
How Linking Works
Run Free uses the customer's email address as the unique identifier to connect records between your POS system and the Run Free platform. Here's what happens when a customer creates an account:
A customer signs up through your app or online store using their email address.
Run Free queries your POS system: "Do you have a customer with this email?"
If the POS has the email: Run Free creates a customer record and links it to the POS record, and from then-on, points from in-store purchases will flow automatically.
If the POS does not have the email: Run Free creates a customer record on its side only. The accounts are not linked, and in-store purchase points will not appear until the records are connected.
How to Tell If an Account Is Linked
In your Run Free admin panel under Customers, look at the POS ID column:
An alphanumeric value (e.g., `A4F2B8C9D1`) = This record originated from and is linked to your POS system. ✅
"N/A" or blank = This record was created by Run Free (either the app or online store) and is not linked to a POS record. ⚠️
Tip: When searching for a customer by name, put quotation marks around the name (e.g., "John Smith") to search for the exact phrase instead of individual words.
Timing: When Do Points Appear?
Online purchases and event check-ins: Points appear instantly because these transactions happen within the Run Free system.
In-store purchases: Points can take from 24 to 48 hours to appear. Run Free runs a continuous scanning service that crawls all loyalty-enabled stores looking for new orders and connecting them to customer records. This process runs constantly but can take up to 24 hours to complete a full cycle.
Important: If you've just linked or merged customer accounts, in-store points may take from 24 to 48 hours to appear after the merge, because the scanning service needs to pick up the newly linked records on its next pass.
The Loyalty Go-Live Date
When you launch your loyalty program, you set a go-live date. This is critical because:
Points are only calculated for purchases made on or after your go-live date.
If a customer created their account before the go-live date, their purchases from that earlier period will not be included in their point balance.
You can manually add points if you'd like to credit a customer for pre-go-live purchases.
Example: Your customer John created an online account on January 5, 2025, but your loyalty program go-live date was May 7, 2025. John's points began accruing from May 7, not January 5.
Always keep the go-live date in mind when troubleshooting point discrepancies, it's a common source of confusion.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
"My customer doesn't see their in-store points"
This is the most common issue. It's almost always caused by an email mismatch. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Check the POS record
Confirm that the customer's email address in your POS system matches the email they used to sign up for the app or online store.
Step 2: Identify the records in Run Free
Go to Customers, search for the customer, and look at the results:
Do you see two records? One with a POS ID and one with N/A?
If so, the accounts are not linked.
Step 3: Fix the email in the POS (if needed)
If the POS record has no email or a different email, update it in your POS system to match the customer's preferred email.
Step 4: Import the customer
In Run Free admin, click Import Customer. This performs a live search of your POS system (it's not a file upload). Find the customer's POS record and import it. If the emails match, Run Free will automatically link the records.
Step 5: Merge if necessary
If there are two Run Free records (one from the app/online store and one from the POS), use Bulk Actions > Merge to combine them:
Select both records.
Choose the record to merge from (the one you want to remove).
The points, orders, and history from both records will be combined into the surviving record.
Step 6: Set expectations
Let the customer know that in-store points may take up to 24 hours to appear after the merge.
"My customer has two accounts with different emails"
This happens when a customer used one email in-store and a different email for the app.
Ask the customer which email they'd like as their primary.
First, merge the duplicate records in your POS system so the correct email is the one on file.
Then, merge the records on the Run Free side using Bulk Actions > Merge.
Best practice: Always merge in the POS first, then in Run Free. This prevents store associates from accidentally adding future purchases under the old email.
"Points don't go back far enough"
Remember the go-live date. If your loyalty program started on May 7, 2025, purchases before that date are not included in point calculations, even after merging accounts. You can manually add points to credit a customer for purchases that occurred before your go-live date.
Quick Reference Sanity Checks
Points per dollar: You set it (we recommended: 1 point per $1)
Redemption tiers: There are up to 5 tiers, fully customizable
Online/event points: Appear instantly in shoppers' accounts
In-store points: Can take between 24 and up to 48 hours to appear in shoppers' accounts
Customer identifier: Email address
Linked account indicator: POS ID present in customer record
Unlinked account indicator: POS ID shows "N/A" or blank
Go-live date: Only purchases after this date will earn points
Gift card usage: Works in-store (scan UPC) and online (enter code) just like regular gift cards
Need Help?
If you need assistance with your loyalty program, customer account linking, or point adjustments:
Use the platform chat (that blue bubble to the right in the corner of this page) to reach our support team, live.
Email us at support@runfreeproject.com.
We're happy to help you troubleshoot any issues and make sure your customers have a great loyalty experience.