# Set up a birthday gift

> Velarya sends each eligible patient a birthday gift automatically on their birthday. Under Organization settings > Rewards Program, turn on Birthday Gift, choose a discount, a free service or points, pick an Eligible audience and select Save.

- Source: https://velarya.com/help/set-up-birthday-gift
- Who can do this: Admins and roles with Rewards & loyalty program set to Edit
- Plans: Scale, Branded, Connected
- Time: 5 minutes
- Last verified: 2026-10-01

## Before you begin

- Patients add their date of birth in the patient app under My information, or an Admin or Location Manager records it on their profile in Clients.

## Turn on the birthday gift

The **Birthday Gift** on the **Rewards Program** page sends each eligible patient one gift a year, automatically, on their birthday.

1. Open the menu at the bottom of the left sidebar and select **Organization settings**.
2. Under **Client Experience**, select **Rewards Program**.
3. Scroll to **Birthday Gift** and turn the switch on.
4. Choose a **Gift type**:
   - **Whole-shop discount (% off)**: a percentage off every service and add-on.
   - **Category discount (% off)**: a percentage off one category of services, which you pick in **Category**.
   - **Free service**: one service of your choice, free.
   - **Points**: a number of points added to the patient's balance.
5. Enter the gift's value: a **Discount percentage** from 1 to 100 and a **Validity period** for a discount, a **Service** for a free service, or a **Points amount** for points.
6. Select **Save** at the top of the page. The **Unsaved changes** bar closes, **Estimated reach** appears below the settings, and the gift goes to eligible patients from their next birthday.

![Rewards Program settings for the Birthday Gift: Whole-shop discount (% off), 20%, valid for 1 week](https://velarya.com/assets/help/set-up-birthday-gift/birthday-gift-discount-b2adc6e9.webp)

## How long does a birthday discount last?

A birthday discount lasts for the **Validity period** you choose, counted from the day Velarya issues the gift on the patient's birthday.

| Validity period | The discount can be used |
|---|---|
| **Same day** | until the end of the patient's birthday, in your practice's time zone |
| **3 days** | for 3 days |
| **1 week** | for 7 days |
| **2 weeks** | for 14 days |
| **1 month** | for one calendar month |
| **Custom** | for the number of days you enter, from 1 to 365 |

The birthday price applies to anything booked while the discount is active, even when the appointment itself falls after the validity period.

The **Validity period** applies to the two discount gift types. A free service arrives as a voucher the patient schedules when it suits them, and birthday points join their balance.

## Who receives the birthday gift?

The birthday gift goes to patients in the **Eligible audience** you choose who also use the patient app and have a date of birth on file.

1. Open **Eligible audience** and choose one:
   - **All clients**: every patient.
   - **Members only**: patients with an active membership.
   - **Visited in the last N months**: patients whose last completed visit falls inside the number of **Months** you enter, from 1 to 120.
   - **Spent above a threshold**: patients whose paid orders add up to at least the **Minimum lifetime spend** you enter.
2. Select **Save** at the top of the page. The settings show the **Estimated reach**: how many patients match today.

![Rewards Program settings with Eligible audience set to Visited in the last N months, 6 months](https://velarya.com/assets/help/set-up-birthday-gift/birthday-audience-09325bf9.webp)

## What do patients see?

Patients learn about their birthday gift from a message titled **Happy birthday! 🎂**, such as "[Your practice] gave you 20% off as a birthday gift. 🎂" A free service reads "gave you a free service as a birthday gift", and points read "added 500 points to your account as a birthday gift". The message appears in the notifications inside the patient app, and as a push notification when the patient allows notifications.

| Gift | Where the patient finds it |
|---|---|
| A discount | The reduced price next to the regular price on each service in the app, with a **Birthday gift** badge, and a **Birthday Gift** line when they review the booking. It also applies automatically on your online booking page and at your front desk |
| A free service | A voucher for the service, shown as **Needs Scheduling** with a **Schedule** button |
| Points | On their points balance, ready to redeem as wallet credit |

To set how patients earn points the rest of the year, see [Set up points earning](https://velarya.com/help/set-up-points-earning). For the rest of the program from the patient's side, see [Med spa loyalty program software](https://velarya.com/features/loyalty-program-software).

## How does the birthday gift behave?

| Situation | What Velarya does |
|---|---|
| A patient visits more than one of your locations | Sends one birthday gift a year, which they can use at any of your locations |
| A member books a service while a birthday discount is active | Charges the lower of the member price and the birthday price |
| A patient enters a discount code while a birthday discount is active | Takes the code off the birthday price when the code is set to combine with birthday discounts; otherwise applies whichever saves the patient more |
| Your team rings up a treatment in **New Transaction** while a birthday discount is active | Shows the treatment at the birthday price, or the member price when that is lower, with the regular price struck through; the **Total due** matches the sale it saves |
| A patient books while their birthday discount is active and checks out after it ends | Keeps the birthday price the visit was booked with |
| A patient was born on February 29 | Sends the gift on February 28 in years without a February 29 |
| You change the gift partway through the year | Patients who already received this year's gift keep it; later birthdays get the new gift |
| A patient adds their date of birth after their birthday has passed | Sends the gift on their next birthday |

For worked examples of a birthday discount with member pricing, discount codes and a Custom Discount ($), see [How birthday gifts work](https://velarya.com/help/how-birthday-gifts-work).

## If something goes wrong

**The page shows "Discount percentage must be between 1 and 100."** Enter a whole percentage from 1 to 100 in **Discount percentage**.

**The page shows "Enter a custom validity period between 1 and 365 days."** With **Custom** chosen, enter a number of days from 1 to 365.

**The page shows "Select a category for the category discount."** or **"Select a service for the free-service gift."** Pick the category or service the gift applies to, then save again.

**The page shows "Points amount must be a positive whole number."** Enter a whole number of 1 or more in **Points amount**.

**The page shows "Enter the number of months for the visit window."** or **"Enter a spend threshold greater than zero."** Enter **Months** from 1 to 120, or a **Minimum lifetime spend** above $0, then save again.

**A patient didn't receive a gift on their birthday.** Open their profile in **Clients** and check that it shows a birthday, not "No birthday recorded". Then check that they use the patient app and match your **Eligible audience**. Velarya checks for birthdays every 6 hours and sends one gift per patient per year.

**The Estimated reach line doesn't appear.** It appears once the birthday gift is saved with the switch on. Select **Save** at the top of the page, and the line shows below the audience.

## Frequently asked questions

### When does a patient receive their birthday gift?

On their birthday, in your practice's time zone. Velarya checks for birthdays every 6 hours and sends each eligible patient one birthday gift per calendar year. The patient sees a message titled Happy birthday! 🎂 in the notifications inside the patient app, and as a push notification if they allow notifications.

### What can a patient use a birthday discount on?

A Whole-shop discount takes the percentage off every service and add-on the patient books while it is active, in the patient app, on your online booking page or at your front desk. A Category discount takes it off the services in the category you chose. On each service, a member pays whichever is lower: their member price or the birthday price.

### What happens if I change the birthday gift partway through the year?

Patients who already received this year's birthday gift keep it, and each patient still receives one birthday gift per calendar year. Every birthday after you select Save gets the new gift type, value, validity period and audience, so a change applies from the next eligible birthday onwards.

### How many patients will receive the gift?

The patients in your Eligible audience who use the patient app and have a date of birth on file. After you select Save, the Birthday Gift settings show that number as the Estimated reach. To raise it, have an Admin or Location Manager add missing birthdays to patient profiles in Clients, and invite patients to the patient app.

### Does a patient who visits several locations get more than one birthday gift?

No. Each patient receives one birthday gift a year from your practice, whichever of your locations they visit. A birthday discount applies when they book at any of your locations, and birthday points join the same balance they earn everywhere else, so the gift is simple to explain at every front desk.