Where do I turn on refer a friend in PointsCard?

In your company dashboard, open Grow and the Referral Program tab. Enable Refer a Friend, set bonus visit points for the referrer when a friend’s first punch posts, add referral reward milestones if you want larger prizes at 1st, 3rd, or 5th successful referrals, then save.

When does the referrer get rewarded?

When someone joins through a customer’s referral and completes their first punch at your business, the referral counts as successful. The referrer earns the bonus visit points you configured, and progress toward any referral milestones you defined.

Can I use only milestones and no bonus visit points?

Yes. Set bonus visit points to 0 if you prefer to reward only through referral milestones (for example a free drink after three successful referrals), which customers redeem with a QR scan like other rewards.

Refer a friend

Word of mouth, rewarded through real friendship networks

Your regulars already tell friends about you over coffee, group chats, and neighborhood apps. PointsCard refer a friend gives that instinct a nudge: clear rewards for the advocate, a smooth path for the newcomer, and growth that does not depend on whoever wins the ad auction this week.

Set up referrals free Back to overview

Enable in Grow → Referral Program. You control bonuses, milestones, and what customers see on their card.

How a referral feels

1. Your customer shares

They show a referral path from their card. That works well for texting a coworker, a parent from the school run, or a gym buddy who keeps asking “where do you go?”

2. Friend joins & visits

The new customer signs up through that link and punches in for the first time at your place. Trust transfers from the relationship they already have, not from a cold ad.

3. You reward the advocate

Bonus visit points and milestone rewards you define, redeemed with the same QR habit as the rest of your program.

Why refer-a-friend belongs in your loyalty stack

Paid ads interrupt. Search and social feeds compete for attention. A recommendation from someone you already trust cuts through the noise. That is why systematic referral rewards matter: you are not buying reach. You are thanking customers when they do what humans have always done for businesses they love.

88%

Trust recommendations from people they know

Nielsen’s global Trust in Advertising research found that 88% of respondents trust recommendations from people they know more than any other channel, and that roughly 50% more people trust those recommendations than channels such as online banner ads, mobile ads, SMS, and search ads.¹

20–50%

Purchasing decisions shaped by word of mouth

McKinsey has described word of mouth as the primary factor behind 20 to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions, with outsized impact when someone is buying for the first time or choosing a higher-consideration offer. That is often the moment a friend’s “you have to try this place” carries the most weight.²

Friendship networks, not faceless clicks

Referrals travel along real relationships: teammates who lunch together, neighbors who trade recommendations, parents on the same sideline, clients who share a stylist or trainer. Those ties carry reputation. When you reward refer a friend, you align your marketing with how trust actually moves (person to person) instead of hoping a banner alone will do the job.

For local and service businesses, that matters every day. A referred customer often arrives pre-sold: they have heard your quality, your vibe, or your fairness from someone who does not get paid to say it. Your job becomes welcoming them and delivering, which is exactly where a good loyalty program already shines.

How refer a friend works in PointsCard

You stay in control of the story: turn the experience on when you are ready, tune rewards to your margins, and keep redemption at the counter as simple as every other punch or reward.

1

Enable Refer a Friend

In your dashboard, open Grow → Referral Program and switch on the customer-facing experience. Customers see their referral tools alongside the rest of your card.
2

Set bonus visit points (0–10)

Choose how many extra visit points the referrer earns when a friend’s first punch posts at your business. Use 0 if you only want to use milestone rewards below.
3

Layer referral milestones

Add referral rewards for 1st, 3rd, 5th successful referrals, or any cadence you like. Each successful referral (friend’s first punch) advances the advocate. They redeem with a QR you scan, same as visit rewards, so training stays one habit.
4

Watch word of mouth compound

Happy customers bring people who already trust them. Clear milestones give advocates a reason to mention you again when the moment is natural, not forced.

Reward structures that match how people actually refer

The best refer-a-friend programs feel fair to you and exciting to the customer. Mix small, frequent wins (bonus visit points on every successful referral) with bigger milestone prizes (a free item or service after several friends have genuinely visited).

Office & crew: lunch spots, coffee runs, and “we always go there” salons spread through Slack, shift handoffs, and carpools.
Neighborhood & family: parents, dog walkers, and block chats are built-in distribution for groomers, cafés, and kids’ activities.
Hobby tribes: runners, lifters, crafters, and gamers trust peers who share their standards. That is ideal for studios, shops, and specialty retail.
Milestones that match effort: a modest perk after the first successful referral, a standout reward after three or five, so superfans feel seen without breaking unit economics.

Make refer a friend easy to explain at the counter

Staff can say in one sentence: “If you love us, invite a friend from the app. When they come in for their first visit, you get credit toward your rewards.” No coupons to track, no manual punch cards for “friend brought friend.”

Refer a friend sits alongside leaderboards and badges, prepaid packages, and the rest of PointsCard so growth and retention share one customer experience.

Sources for the statistics above

Nielsen, Trust in Advertising (2021). Summary discussion: Beyond martech: building trust with consumers and engaging where sentiment is high (November 2021). Underlying study: 2021 Nielsen Trust in Advertising (PDF sell sheet). Figures cited: 88% trust recommendations from people they know more than any other channel; roughly 50% higher trust in recommendations vs. selected lower-ranked digital ad formats (as described in the article).
McKinsey & Company. A new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing (McKinsey Quarterly). Widely summarized finding: word of mouth as the primary influence behind an estimated 20–50% of purchasing decisions, with stronger effect for first-time or higher-consideration purchases. Refer to the full article for methodology, context, and nuance by category.

Third-party figures are provided for general interest; they reflect survey-based or modeled estimates, not guarantees of results for your business.

Common questions

Where do I turn on refer a friend?: Open Grow → Referral Program in your company dashboard, enable Refer a Friend, adjust bonus visit points and milestones, then save.
When is a referral “successful”?: When someone joins through a customer’s referral and their first punch is recorded at your business, the referral completes and the referrer earns the bonuses you configured.
Can I offer milestone rewards only?: Yes. Set bonus visit points to 0 and use only referral rewards (milestones) so bigger perks unlock after multiple successful referrals.