# How check-in rewards work

> Velarya check-in rewards add the points you set each time your front desk checks a patient in: by scanning their QR code, moving their appointment to Arrived, or checking in a booking or walk-in. Each appointment earns once, within your Frequency limit and Max check-ins per patient, counted across all your locations.

- Source: https://velarya.com/help/how-check-in-rewards-work
- Who can do this: Admins and roles with Challenges (check-in/referral) set to Edit change the rules; staff whose role has Check-in & scanning turned on add the points
- Plans: Scale, Branded, Connected
- Time: 4 minute read
- Last verified: 2026-10-01

## What are check-in rewards?

Check-in rewards in Velarya give a patient points each time your front desk checks them in for a visit. They are your practice's check-in challenge: you set them once, on the **Check-In** card in **Organization settings** > **Challenges**, and patients see them as a challenge in the patient app. Check-in points come on top of the points a visit earns for what the patient spends, and they turn into wallet credit at the same 100 points to $1.00, as [How points work](https://velarya.com/help/how-points-work) explains.

## Which front desk actions add check-in points?

Velarya adds the check-in **Reward** whenever a staff member checks a patient in, whichever of these five ways they use:

1. **Scan QR code** on **Front Desk** opens the **Check-in scanner**. Staff scan the code in the patient's app, or find the patient under **Manual lookup**, and select **Check in**.
2. Dragging the patient's appointment card into **Arrived** on the **Front Desk** board.
3. **Mark Arrived** in an appointment's panel, on **Front Desk** or **Calendar**.
4. **Check In** beside an upcoming booking in the **Front Desk** search.
5. **Promote to appointment** for a walk-in linked to a patient.

![Front Desk board with the Scan QR code icon and the Arrived column outlined and numbered 1 and 2](https://velarya.com/assets/help/how-check-in-rewards-work/front-desk-check-in-df0c97a5.webp)

Every way records the check-in at the location where it happened, adds the points at once, and tells staff whether points were added and, when none were, why. The scanner also checks in a patient with no appointment that day, which adds the check-in points only. Adding points takes **Check-in & scanning** in the staff member's role, which the Admin, Location Manager and Front Desk roles have by default.

## What limits check-in points?

Check-in rewards follow the settings on the **Check-In** card and two fixed rules, and the limits count a patient's check-ins at all your locations together.

| Rule | What Velarya does |
|---|---|
| The **Check-In** switch is off | Adds no points. An appointment still moves to **Arrived** |
| The appointment already earned its check-in | Adds nothing more: each appointment earns once, however many times staff check it in |
| **Frequency limit** | Adds no points when the patient's last check-in was less than this many hours ago. It starts at 24 and takes 1 to 8,760 hours |
| **Max check-ins per patient** | Adds no points once the patient has this many check-ins in all. Empty means no cap |
| A check-in with no appointment | Adds points at most once per day, in your practice's time zone |
| No **Reward** above 0 is saved | Adds no points and records no check-in. The challenge goes live once a **Reward** above 0 is saved |

A check-in that the switch, the one-award-per-appointment rule or a limit stops from adding points is not recorded as a check-in, so it neither restarts the **Frequency limit** nor counts toward **Max check-ins per patient**. A change you save on the card applies from the next check-in, and points patients already earned stay on their balance.

Here a practice gives 50 points per check-in, with a **Frequency limit** of 24 hours and **Max check-ins per patient** of 10:

| Check-in | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 9:00 AM, the QR code scanned for a facial | 50 | The first check-in |
| Monday 9:05 AM, the same appointment dragged into **Arrived** | 0 | That appointment already earned its check-in |
| Monday 4:00 PM, a second appointment at another location | 0 | 7 hours since the last check-in, inside the 24-hour **Frequency limit** |
| Tuesday 9:30 AM, the next visit | 50 | 24 and a half hours have passed |
| The patient's eleventh check-in | 0 | They reached 10 check-ins, 500 points ($5.00) in all |

## What do patients see?

Patients see check-in rewards on the **Rewards** tab of the patient app, under **Challenges**, once the **Check-In** switch is on and a **Reward** above 0 is saved.

- The challenge card names the points each check-in earns, or the total a patient can earn when you set a **Max check-ins per patient**, and shows their progress, such as "2 of 10 check-ins". It reads **Completed** at the cap.
- Its **Check In** button, and the round QR button on **Home**, open **Your check-in code** for your front desk to scan.
- When staff check them in, the app confirms **Checked in!** with the points earned, and a **Points added** notification follows.
- Each check-in with points appears in their activity as **Check-In**.

## What you can change

Every check-in setting applies to your whole practice.

| Setting | Where | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Check-In** switch | **Organization settings** > **Challenges** | Off | Whether check-ins add points. The first **Save** with a **Reward** above 0 turns it on; after that it switches at once |
| **Reward** | The **Check-In** card | 0 | The points each check-in adds, a whole number above 0 |
| **Max check-ins per patient** | The **Check-In** card | Empty, no cap | How many check-ins with points a patient can ever have, 1 or more |
| **Frequency limit** | The **Check-In** card | 24 hours | The shortest time between two check-ins with points for one patient |
| **Check-in & scanning** | **Organization settings** > **Roles & Permissions** | On for Admin, Location Manager and Front Desk | Which staff add check-in points |

## Where to find check-in rewards

Velarya keeps the check-in rules in one place and every check-in in another.

1. For the rules, open **Organization settings** from the menu at the bottom of the left sidebar, select **Challenges** under **Client Experience**, and find the **Check-In** card below **Refer a Friend**. [Set up check-in rewards](https://velarya.com/help/set-up-check-in-rewards) walks through each field.
2. For the history, select **Rewards** > **Check-Ins** in the left sidebar. It lists every check-in recorded at the location you are working in, newest first, 50 to a page, with the patient, location, points and time, and **Export** downloads the whole list. Each award also appears in the **Point Ledger** at the foot of **Rewards Program**.

To check patients in with the scanner step by step, see [Check in a patient with a QR code](https://velarya.com/help/check-in-a-patient-with-a-qr-code).

## Frequently asked questions

### Do check-in points add to the points a visit earns?

Yes. Check-in points are a separate award from the points a treatment earns under your Earning Rule. A patient who checks in for a $300.00 laser treatment, at 5 points per $1 and a check-in Reward of 100, earns 1,500 points for the treatment and 100 for the check-in: 1,600 points, worth $16.00 of wallet credit.

### Do check-ins at different locations count toward the same limits?

Yes. Velarya sets the check-in challenge once for your practice and counts every patient's check-ins at all your locations together. A patient checked in at one location this morning earns nothing at another this afternoon while your Frequency limit runs, and Max check-ins per patient caps their total across every location. Each check-in is still logged at the location where it happened.

### Do check-in rewards work when online booking is off?

Yes. Staff open the Check-in scanner, find the patient by the QR code in their app or by name, email or phone, and select Check in. With no Velarya appointment that day, the check-in adds the points only, at most once a day in your practice's time zone, under the same Frequency limit and Max check-ins per patient.

### Why did a check-in add no points?

The message staff see at check-in names the reason: the Check-In switch is off, that appointment already earned its check-in, the patient checked in within your Frequency limit, or they reached Max check-ins per patient. A staff member whose role lacks Check-in & scanning checks the appointment in without points. A check-in stopped by any of these does not count toward either limit.

### Do patients need the app to earn check-in points?

No. Staff can find any patient in Clients with Manual lookup, or check them in from their appointment, and the points join their balance. Patients who use the patient app also scan their check-in code at the desk, follow their progress on the Rewards tab, and see a Checked in! confirmation with the points they earned.