# Set up referral rewards

> To set up referral rewards in Velarya, open Organization settings > Challenges and turn on Refer a Friend. Choose points or a free service for the friend and for the referring patient, add an activation rule if the friend must spend or buy first, choose whether your team approves each referral, and select Save.

- Source: https://velarya.com/help/set-up-referral-rewards
- Who can do this: Admins and roles with Challenges (check-in/referral) at edit or above
- Plans: Basic, Scale, Branded, Connected
- Time: 10 minutes
- Last verified: 2026-10-01

## Before you begin

- Your patients use the patient app: the Velarya app, or your own app on the Branded and Connected plans. Each patient's referral code lives in the app.
- To give a free service as a reward, the service is listed in Organization settings > Service Catalog.
- To use the Buy a membership rule, you offer at least one plan in Organization settings > Memberships: see Create a membership plan.

## Turn on Refer a Friend

Referral rewards live on the **Refer a Friend** card in **Organization settings** > **Challenges**, set once for your whole practice and every location.

1. Open the menu at the bottom of the left sidebar and select **Organization settings**.
2. Select **Challenges** under **Client Experience**.

![Organization Settings menu with Challenges selected under Client Experience](https://velarya.com/assets/help/set-up-referral-rewards/challenges-nav-6013b5c0.webp)

3. Turn on the switch in the **Refer a Friend** card header. The card's settings become editable.

> **Good to know:** Until the friend's reward under **Reward for the new customer** is saved, the switch unlocks the card, and Refer a Friend goes live when you select **Save** at the end. After that, the switch turns Refer a Friend on or off at once.

## Choose what each patient receives

Refer a Friend rewards two patients: the friend who joins with a code (**Reward for the new customer**) and the patient who shared it (**Reward for the referrer**). Each side is set on its own.

1. Choose **Points** or **Free service** under **Reward for the new customer**, then enter the reward:
   - **Points**: a whole number of points. The card shows its value beside it, ≈ $10.00 cash value for 1,000 points.
   - **Free service**: select **Browse**, check the service under **Choose a service to comp**, and select **Done**. The friend receives a voucher for it.
2. Set **Reward for the referrer** the same way. To reward only the friend, enter 0 points.
3. Enter the most referrals one patient can have, 1 or more, in **Max referrals per patient**, or leave it empty for no limit. Expired and rejected referrals free a place.

![Refer a Friend card with 1,000 points for the friend, 2,500 for the referring patient and no referral limit](https://velarya.com/assets/help/set-up-referral-rewards/referral-rewards-93896fe4.webp)

Referral points join the patient's balance at 100 points to $1.00 of wallet credit, as [How points work](https://velarya.com/help/how-points-work) explains. They appear in the **Point Ledger** at the bottom of **Rewards Program** under every location, because referral rewards belong to the whole practice.

| Your settings | One rewarded referral pays | Five rewarded referrals pay the referring patient |
|---|---|---|
| Friend 1,000 points, referring patient 2,500 points | The friend 1,000 points ($10.00) and the referring patient 2,500 points ($25.00) | 12,500 points ($125.00) |
| Friend a free service, referring patient 2,500 points | The friend a voucher for that service and the referring patient 2,500 points ($25.00) | 12,500 points ($125.00) |
| Friend 1,000 points, referring patient 0 points | The friend 1,000 points ($10.00) | No referral reward |

## Decide when rewards are paid

Referral rewards are paid the moment the friend joins with the code, unless you turn on **Require activation** or set **Approve referrals** to **Manually**. With activation on, Velarya waits until the friend meets an **Activation rule** within the **Activation window**, and counts only what the friend does after joining.

1. Turn on **Require activation**. With it off, a referral qualifies as soon as the friend joins with the code.
2. Choose an **Activation rule**:
   - **Spend ≥ $X**: what the friend pays your practice after joining, less refunds, reaches the **Minimum spend** you enter, in whole dollars.
   - **Buy a service**: the friend pays for a service, and it isn't fully refunded.
   - **Buy a membership**: the friend starts a membership plan, and it is active.
3. Enter the number of days the friend has after joining in **Activation window**. The default is 30 days.

![Refer a Friend card with Require activation on, Buy a membership chosen and a 30-day Activation window](https://velarya.com/assets/help/set-up-referral-rewards/referral-activation-757cf1a5.webp)

4. Choose **Automatically** or **Manually** under **Approve referrals**. **Manually** holds each referral that qualifies as **Awaiting approval** in **Rewards** > **Referrals** until your team approves or rejects it.

A referral that meets the rule in time is rewarded: both patients receive their rewards at once, or when your team approves it. One that misses its window is marked **Expired**, and neither patient receives a reward. [How referral rewards work](https://velarya.com/help/how-referral-rewards-work) shows how to approve and reject referrals.

## Set an end date and save

A **Campaign end date** closes Refer a Friend at the end of the day you pick, in your practice's time zone. Leave it empty and Refer a Friend runs with no end date.

1. Pick the last day in **Campaign end date**, or leave it empty. With a date set, the app shows "Ends MM/DD/YYYY" on the challenge.

![Refer a Friend card with Campaign end date empty, for a challenge with no end date](https://velarya.com/assets/help/set-up-referral-rewards/referral-end-date-b57fa802.webp)

2. Select **Save** in the **Unsaved changes** bar at the top of the page. The bar closes, and patients see the updated challenge the next time they open **Rewards**.

![The Unsaved changes bar at the top of the page, with the Save button outlined next to Discard](https://velarya.com/assets/help/set-up-referral-rewards/referral-save-c08af543.webp)

## What do patients see?

Refer a Friend appears to patients under **Challenges** on the **Rewards** tab of the patient app, with a title Velarya writes from your settings:

| Your settings | Title on the patient's card |
|---|---|
| Referring patient earns 2,500 points, no limit | Earn 2,500 pts per referral |
| Referring patient earns 2,500 points, limit of 5 | Earn up to $125 (12,500 pts) |
| Referring patient earns a free HydraFacial | Refer friends, earn a free HydraFacial |
| Referring patient earns 0 points, friend earns 1,000 | Invite a friend: they earn 1,000 points |

![The patient app: Rewards, the referral challenge, sharing a code](https://velarya.com/assets/site/app-referral.jpg)

Tapping the card opens **How it works** and **More need-to-knows**, written from your rule, window and limit. **Invite A Friend** then shows the patient's code with steps that follow your rule, and shares it with a link to your practice's invite page. The patient's side of a referral, from the shared code to both rewards, is in [How referral rewards work](https://velarya.com/help/how-referral-rewards-work).

## How do referral rewards behave when you change them?

Velarya applies a saved change to the rewards or rule of Refer a Friend to referrals that are already pending. A new **Activation window** applies only to referrals that start after you save.

| Situation | What Velarya does |
|---|---|
| You change a reward while referrals are pending | Pays the new reward on every referral rewarded after you save |
| You change the Activation rule | Checks pending referrals against the new rule |
| You change the Activation window | Applies it to referrals that start after you save |
| You turn off Require activation | Rewards pending referrals within 5 minutes, or holds them for approval with **Approve referrals** set to **Manually** |
| You switch **Approve referrals** to **Manually** | Holds each referral that qualifies from then on as **Awaiting approval** |
| You switch **Approve referrals** to **Automatically** | Rewards referrals that qualify from then on; any already **Awaiting approval** still wait for your team |
| The Campaign end date passes | Removes the challenge from the app; new sign-ups with a code start no referral, and pending referrals can still qualify in their window |
| You turn Refer a Friend off | Removes the challenge from the app and starts no new referrals; pending referrals wait, and once you turn it back on, each qualifies if the friend meets your rule inside its window |

## If something goes wrong

**The card shows "Enter a points amount greater than 0".** The **Reward for the new customer** is set to **Points** with no points. Enter a whole number above 0, or choose **Free service**.

**The card shows "Pick a service to comp".** A reward is set to **Free service** with no service chosen. Select **Browse**, check a service and select **Done**.

**The card shows "Set an activation window" or "Set a minimum spend amount".** With **Require activation** on, the **Activation window** needs at least 1 day, and **Spend ≥ $X** needs a **Minimum spend** above $0.

**The card shows "Must be a whole number".** **Minimum spend** is in whole dollars. Enter 50, not 49.50.

**The card shows "Enter 1 or more, or leave empty for no limit".** **Max referrals per patient** is 0 or below, and the field is outlined in red. Enter 1 or more, or clear it for no limit.

**Referrals sit at Awaiting approval and nobody is rewarded.** **Approve referrals** is set to **Manually**. Approve them in **Rewards** > **Referrals**, which needs **Challenges (check-in/referral)** at **moderate**, or choose **Automatically** for referrals that qualify from then on.

**Challenges isn't in my Organization settings menu, or its settings are read only.** Seeing the page needs **Challenges (check-in/referral)** at **view**, and changing it needs **edit** or above. Ask an Admin to update your role; see [Loyalty roles and permissions](https://velarya.com/help/loyalty-roles-and-permissions).

**A patient's friend joined, but no referral appears in Rewards > Referrals.** Velarya starts a referral when the friend enters a code from your practice as they join it in the app, including a patient already in your Clients list, while Refer a Friend is on and before its **Campaign end date**, if you set one. The referring patient must also be under their **Max referrals per patient**. [How referral rewards work](https://velarya.com/help/how-referral-rewards-work) lists every check Velarya runs before it starts a referral.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does a referred friend also get the sign-up bonus?

Yes, when your Sign-Up Bonus is on. A friend who joins your practice with a referral code receives the bonus the moment they join, like every new patient, plus the reward you set under Reward for the new customer. With Require activation on, the referral reward waits until the friend meets your activation rule, while the sign-up bonus arrives straight away.

### Can I reward only the friend and not the referring patient?

Yes. Enter 0 points under Reward for the referrer, set points or a free service under Reward for the new customer, and select Save. The patient app then leads the challenge with the friend's reward, for example "Invite a friend: they earn 1,000 points". Each rewarded referral still appears in your Referrals log.

### Can the friend and the referring patient receive different rewards?

Yes. Velarya sets Reward for the new customer and Reward for the referrer separately, and each can be points or a free service. For example, give the friend a free service to book their first visit, and give the referring patient 2,500 points, worth $25.00 of wallet credit, for each rewarded referral.

### How does a patient use a free-service referral reward?

As a voucher for the service you chose. Velarya adds it to the patient's account when the referral is rewarded, and the patient finds it in the app, ready to schedule. Your team redeems it at checkout like any other voucher for that service, and it stays on the patient's account until they use it.

### How many friends can one patient refer?

As many as you allow. Leave Max referrals per patient empty for no limit, or enter 1 or more. The count includes referrals that are pending, awaiting approval or rewarded, so an expired or rejected referral frees a place. At the limit, the patient's code still brings friends to your practice, without a referral reward. Their card then shows Completed, and the invite sheet reads "You've reached this program's referral limit." in place of the Invite A Friend button.