How to Integrate Recharge with Loyalty: The Complete Setup Guide

Subscription brands that fail to connect their loyalty program with Recharge leave substantial revenue on the table. With 71% of Shopify subscriptions powered by Recharge and 68% of Shopify stores running loyalty programs, the opportunity to unify these systems is clear. Integrating your Shopify loyalty program with Recharge takes 30-60 minutes—and the payoff includes higher conversion rates, reduced churn, and measurable revenue growth within weeks.

Key Takeaways

• Recharge processes $42B in GMV annually, making loyalty integration a high-impact opportunity for subscription brands
• Subscription customers deliver 3x higher lifetime value than one-time buyers
• Portland Leather Goods generates 17.4% of revenue from their loyalty program after migrating to Rivo
• Setup requires only 30-60 minutes for basic integration with API token connection
• Merchants using Shopify Flow automation for subscription points eliminate manual point adjustments
• Auto-apply referral rewards to subscriptions—a feature unique to Rivo—prevents churn by automatically rewarding advocates

Understanding the Synergy: Recharge, Loyalty, and Retention

Subscription commerce and loyalty programs serve the same goal: keeping customers coming back. When these systems operate in silos, customers can't earn points on recurring orders or redeem rewards on subscriptions. The result is friction that drives churn.

Integrating Recharge with a loyalty platform creates a unified retention strategy that:

• Syncs discount codes automatically between Shopify and Recharge—no manual coupon management
• Awards points on subscription renewals through Shopify Flow automation
• Allows point redemption directly on recurring subscription orders
• Enables referral rewards to apply automatically to active subscriptions

The business impact is measurable. Subscription customers already deliver 3x higher lifetime value than one-time buyers. Adding loyalty program engagement compounds that value by reducing churn rates and increasing average order value.

Phase 1: Preparing Your Loyalty Program for Recharge Integration

Before connecting to Recharge, configure your loyalty program with subscription-specific earning rules and redemption options. This groundwork ensures customers can participate fully in your program regardless of how they purchase.

Setting Up Subscription-Specific Earning Rules

Your loyalty program should reward subscription behavior distinctly from one-time purchases. In your Rivo Loyalty dashboard, create custom earning rules for:

• First subscription signup — Award bonus points (e.g., 200 points) when customers commit to recurring orders
• Subscription anniversaries — Recognize loyalty milestones with escalating rewards
• Consecutive renewals — Incentivize streak behavior with bonus points for uninterrupted subscriptions

These rules require Custom Actions configured in your loyalty platform, triggered automatically through Shopify Flow when subscription events occur.

Configuring Redemption Options for Recurring Purchases

Set all redemption rewards to apply to "Both" purchase types—not just one-time orders. This flexibility matters because:

• Customers want to use points on subscription renewals
• Restricted redemption creates friction and support tickets
• Flexible redemption increases engagement and reduces customer support tickets

Supported reward types for Recharge include:

• Amount discount ($ off)
• Percentage off (% off)
• Free product (specific SKU at $0)
• Free shipping

Phase 2: Connecting Recharge to Your Rivo Account

The technical integration requires generating a Recharge API token and connecting it to your loyalty platform. The process takes approximately 30 minutes for standard setups.

Step 1: Verify Your Recharge Checkout Type

Navigate to Recharge Admin Portal > Settings > Checkout. Confirm whether you're using:

• RCS (Recharge Checkout on Shopify) — Full integration support available
• SCI (Shopify Checkout Integration) — Contact Recharge support to enable integration on backend first

SCI users may wait 1-2 business days for Recharge to activate the integration.

Step 2: Generate Your API Token

In Recharge Admin Portal:

1. Navigate to Apps > API Tokens
2. Click "Create an API Token"
3. Enter Internal Name (e.g., "Rivo Loyalty Integration")
4. Add contact email for webhook failure notifications
5. Under Permissions, select:
   
   • Discounts: Read and Write Access
   • Customers: Read and Write Access
   • Addresses: Read and Write Access
6. Check the Terms of Service box
7. Click Save
8. Immediately copy the generated API key (starts with sk_...)

The API key displays only once. If you navigate away without copying, you must create a new token. Follow API security best practices when storing credentials.

Step 3: Connect to Your Loyalty Platform

In your Rivo integrations dashboard:

1. Navigate to Integrations > Payments section
2. Click Recharge
3. Paste your API token in the Private API Key field
4. Click Save
5. (Optional) Check "Auto-apply advocate discounts to active subscriptions"
6. Toggle the switch ON to enable

Verify the integration shows "Connected" status before proceeding.

Automating Loyalty Rewards for Subscription Events

Manual point awards don't scale. Shopify Flow integration automates the entire process—awarding points for subscription creation, renewals, and milestones without staff intervention.

Building Your Shopify Flow Workflow

Create a workflow that triggers point awards when customers have active subscriptions:

Trigger: Order created (Shopify trigger)

Condition:

• If all conditions are met
• Navigate: Shopify API > Order > customer > productSubscriberStatus
• Set condition: Equal to ACTIVE

Action:

• Select Rivo: Loyalty & Referrals
• Choose: Add Points for a Custom Action
• Customer Identifier: {{order.customer.email}}
• Custom Action Name: Enter exact name from Rivo (e.g., "New Subscription Created")

Turn on the workflow and test with a dummy subscription order. Points should appear in the customer's loyalty account within minutes.

Leveraging Win-Back Campaigns

Configure Rivo Retain to trigger automated campaigns when subscriptions are cancelled. Offer bonus points or exclusive rewards to re-engage lapsed subscribers before they're lost permanently.

Enabling Point Redemption on Subscription Purchases

Customers should spend points on any purchase type—including recurring subscription orders. This requires proper configuration in both your loyalty platform and Recharge customer portal settings.

Configuring Discount Code Sync

Once your Recharge integration is active, all loyalty rewards automatically create corresponding discount codes in Recharge. When a customer redeems points:

1. Discount code generates in Rivo
2. Code syncs to Recharge discount list (real-time)
3. Customer applies code to subscription via customer portal
4. Discount applies to next charge

Important: Recharge allows only one discount code per charge. Customers cannot stack loyalty rewards with other promotional discounts.

Streamlining the Portal Experience

Direct customers to your loyalty portal to view available rewards before managing their subscription. Consider adding a banner in your Recharge customer portal linking to point balances and redemption options.

Optimizing the Customer Journey with Unified Accounts

Fragmented account experiences create confusion. Rivo Accounts consolidates loyalty dashboard, referral links, and subscription management into a single personalized portal.

Integrating Subscription Details

Your customer account portal can display:

• Current loyalty points balance and tier status
• Active subscription details and next charge date
• Available rewards applicable to subscriptions
• Referral link for sharing
• Order history across both one-time and subscription purchases

This unified view eliminates the need for customers to navigate between multiple portals. Passwordless login through Rivo Activate further reduces friction—one brand reported 500-1000% increase in activated accounts after implementation.

Leveraging Analytics for Subscriber Segmentation

Integrated data unlocks targeting precision impossible with disconnected systems. Your Klaviyo integration passes loyalty events and VIP tier data for segmented email campaigns.

Key Metrics to Track

Monitor these indicators quarterly to optimize program performance:

• Redemption rate — Target 50-65%; lower suggests rewards aren't compelling enough
• Subscriber vs non-subscriber churn — Loyalty members should churn 40-50% less
• AOV by VIP tier — Should increase with tier level
• Points liability — 35-50% unredeemed is normal

Building Targeted Campaigns

Segment subscribers based on:

• VIP tier status (synced from Rivo to Klaviyo)
• Points balance approaching redemption threshold
• Subscription tenure (milestone-based rewards)
• Referral activity (reward top advocates)

Brands using advanced Klaviyo integration for subscriber segmentation report measurable results. Stationery brand Milligram achieved 12% AOV increase through targeted loyalty campaigns.

Advanced Use Cases: Memberships, Referrals, and Subscriptions

Beyond basic points programs, consider layering paid memberships and referral marketing to maximize subscription customer value.

Referral Programs for Subscriber Acquisition

Shopify referral programs powered by Rivo include a feature no competitor offers: auto-apply advocate discounts to active subscriptions.

When an advocate's referral converts:

1. Advocate reward generates automatically
2. Rivo checks if advocate has active subscription
3. If yes, discount applies to their next subscription charge
4. No manual code entry required

This eliminates the common complaint of "my discount code didn't work on my subscription" and keeps advocates engaged with the referral program.

HexClad generated $450K in referral revenue within 90 days using Rivo Referrals, achieving 92x ROI with 17% higher AOV from referred customers.

Paid Membership Programs

For Shopify Plus brands, Rivo Memberships creates paid subscriber tiers with exclusive benefits:

• Stackable discounts at checkout (using Shopify Plus checkout extensions)
• Early access to products and sales
• Free shipping on all orders
• Store credit accumulation

Fresh Chile Co saw 156% lift in AOV for membership program participants.

Troubleshooting Common Integration Issues

Even straightforward integrations encounter occasional hiccups. Address these common issues before they impact customers.

API key invalid Regenerate token with all 3 permissions (Discounts, Customers, Addresses) set to Read & Write

Discounts not syncing Toggle integration OFF then ON; verify Purchase Type = "Both" or "Subscription"

Points not earned on subscriptions Check Shopify Flow workflow is ON; verify Custom Action name matches exactly (case-sensitive)

Customer can't see rewards in portal Ensure reward isn't expired; verify customer portal settings allow discount codes

Auto-apply referral failed Confirm customer has upcoming charge with no existing discount

Best Practices for Ongoing Success

• Test with dummy subscription before full rollout—verify discount syncing, point redemption, and auto-apply referral rewards
• Set point values to 3-5% back for sustainable margins (500 points = $5 on $100 spend)
• Review program analytics quarterly to optimize earning rules and redemption options
• Monitor support tickets for patterns indicating integration friction

Taking Action: Your Next Steps with Rivo

Integrating Recharge with your loyalty program isn't just a technical setup—it's a strategic retention move that compounds customer value over time. The brands seeing the strongest results are those that treat their subscription and loyalty programs as interconnected systems, not separate initiatives.

Rivo stands apart as the only platform offering auto-apply referral rewards to active subscriptions—a feature that eliminates friction and keeps advocates engaged. Beyond this unique capability, Rivo delivers:

• One-click Recharge integration available on all plans starting at $49/month
• Shopify Flow templates for subscription points automation (no custom development needed)
• White-glove migration included on Plus plans ($499/month) for brands switching from other platforms
• 99.98% API uptime with 6M+ daily API calls processed
• Month-to-month billing with no annual contracts

The platform powers 7,000+ Shopify brands including HexClad, Portland Leather Goods, and Dr. Squatch. For subscription brands seeking to unify loyalty and recurring billing, explore Rivo's pricing plans or view case studies from brands achieving measurable retention results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What data syncs between Recharge and Rivo?

The integration syncs discount codes (all types), customer identifiers (email), and subscription status. Points balances display in your Rivo loyalty portal—not directly in the Recharge customer portal. All rewards created in Rivo automatically generate corresponding discount codes in Recharge for subscription application.

Can customers use loyalty points on their Recharge subscriptions?

Yes. Customers redeem points for discount codes that apply to their next subscription charge. The discount reduces the charge amount accordingly. Note that Recharge allows only one discount per charge, so customers cannot stack loyalty rewards with other promotional codes.

How does Rivo prevent fraud with subscription referrals?

Rivo includes 20+ built-in fraud prevention tools including IP address monitoring (one referral per household), self-referral blocking, cookie tracking, new customer verification, minimum cart requirements, and order fulfillment verification before reward distribution.

Is migration from another loyalty platform to Rivo supported?

Yes. Rivo provides white-glove migration assistance on Plus and Enterprise plans, including customer points balance import, VIP tier assignments, and integration reconfiguration. The process typically takes 1-3 weeks depending on your current platform complexity.

What Shopify plan is required for subscription points automation?

Shopify Flow—required for automating points on subscription renewals—is available on Shopify Basic ($39/month) and higher plans. Shopify Starter ($5/month) does not include Flow, meaning points would require manual awards without the upgrade.