Merchant Referral Program Terms & Conditions

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern participation in the Joy Loyalty Merchant Referral Program ("Program") operated by Joy Loyalty ("Joy," "we," "our"). By generating a referral link or otherwise participating in the Program, you ("Participant," "you," "your") acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms.

These Terms supplement and are in addition to the Joy Loyalty Terms of Service, Shopify's Terms of Service, and the Shopify Partner Program Agreement. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and any other agreement, these Terms shall prevail with respect to the Program.

1. DEFINITIONS

"Referrer" means an eligible Joy Loyalty merchant who generates and shares a unique referral link to invite new merchants to install Joy.

"Referee" means a new merchant who installs Joy Loyalty through a Referrer's unique referral link and has not previously installed Joy on their Shopify store.

"Referral" means a successful sequence in which a Referee clicks a Referrer's referral link, installs Joy, selects a paid subscription plan, and completes two (2) consecutive monthly payments.

"Joy Credit" or "Credit" means a monetary credit issued by Joy through the Shopify Partner API that is applied to a Participant's Shopify invoice and may be used toward any charges on their Shopify billing account.

"Qualifying Referral" means a Referral in which the Referee subscribes to the Joy Advanced or Joy Ultimate plan. Qualifying Referrals count toward Milestone Bonuses.

"Milestone Bonus" means a one-time bonus Joy Credit awarded to a Referrer upon reaching specified cumulative Qualifying Referral thresholds.

"Composite Fraud Score" means Joy's proprietary automated scoring system that evaluates referral legitimacy based on multiple signals including, but not limited to, identity overlap, store quality, traffic patterns, and referral network analysis.

2. ELIGIBILITY

2.1 Referrer Eligibility

To participate in the Program as a Referrer, you must satisfy all of the following conditions at the time of generating your referral link and at the time each Referral Credit is issued:

You are an active Joy Loyalty subscriber with a paid subscription plan (Essentials, Advanced, or Ultimate) for a continuous period of at least two (2) calendar months.
Your Joy Loyalty account is in good standing, with no pending, failed, or disputed payments at the time of credit issuance.
You are not a Shopify Partner, agency, development firm, freelance consultant, or any entity that provides e-commerce services to multiple Shopify stores in a professional capacity.
You have not been previously suspended, terminated, or removed from the Program for any reason.
You have acknowledged and accepted these Terms.

2.2 Referee Eligibility

A Referee must meet all of the following conditions for a Referral to be valid:

The Referee must be a new Joy Loyalty user who has never previously installed Joy on their Shopify store.
The Referee must operate a genuine Shopify store on a paid Shopify plan (Basic, Shopify, Advanced, or Shopify Plus). Development stores, free trial stores, and affiliate/staff stores are not eligible.
The Referee must click the Referrer's unique referral link before installing Joy. Installations that occur prior to a referral link click cannot be retroactively attributed.
The Referee must not be the Referrer, a family member, employee, or any person or entity with a direct or indirect financial, operational, or administrative relationship to the Referrer or the Referrer's store.

2.3 Agency & Partner Exclusion

Shopify Partners, agencies, development firms, and similar entities are not eligible for this Program. These entities are encouraged to apply for the Joy Loyalty Partner Program, which is governed by separate terms and economics. Joy reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, whether a Participant qualifies as an agency or partner.

3. PROGRAM MECHANICS

3.1 Referral Process

Eligible Referrers may generate a unique referral link through the Joy Loyalty Referral Dashboard. When a Referee clicks the referral link, Joy captures the referral attribution. The Referee is then directed to the Shopify App Store to install Joy. Upon installation and selection of a paid subscription plan, Joy applies a time-limited discount to the Referee's subscription.

3.2 Referral Attribution

Referral attribution is recorded at the time the Referee clicks the referral link. The following attribution rules apply:

Attribution expires thirty (30) calendar days after the Referee's initial click. If the Referee does not install Joy within this window, the referral is void.
Only the first valid referral link click is attributed. If a Referee clicks multiple referral links from different Referrers, only the first click is honored.
Joy reserves the right to deny attribution if the referral link was not the proximate cause of the installation, including but not limited to cases where the Referee would have installed Joy regardless of the referral.

3.3 Referrer Rewards

Upon a successful Referral (as defined in Section 1), Joy shall issue a Joy Credit to the Referrer in the following amounts based on the Referee's selected plan:

Referee's Plan	Plan Price	Referrer Credit	Referee Discount
Essentials ($29/mo)	$29/mo	$29.00	30% off × 3 months
Advanced ($129/mo)	$129/mo	$90.00	20% off × 3 months
Ultimate ($499/mo)	$499/mo	$250.00	15% off × 3 months

3.4 Milestone Bonuses

In addition to per-referral Credits, Referrers may earn one-time Milestone Bonuses upon reaching specified cumulative Qualifying Referral thresholds. Only Referrals resulting in Advanced or Ultimate plan subscriptions count as Qualifying Referrals.

Milestone	Requirement	One-Time Bonus
Milestone 1	2 Qualifying Referrals	$30.00
Milestone 2	5 Qualifying Referrals	$100.00
Milestone 3	10 Qualifying Referrals	$300.00

If a previously Qualifying Referral's Referee cancels their Joy subscription within ninety (90) days of installation, that Referral shall be deducted from the Qualifying Referral count. If such deduction causes the Referrer's count to fall below a previously achieved Milestone threshold, the Milestone Bonus already issued shall not be clawed back.

3.5 Credit Issuance & Timing

Payment Gate. Referrer Credits are issued only after the Referee has successfully paid two (2) consecutive monthly invoices for their Joy subscription. Joy monitors payment status automatically. Credits are typically issued within twenty-four (24) hours of the second payment confirmation.

Automated Verification. All Referrals are subject to automated fraud detection and verification through Joy's Composite Fraud Score system. Joy may place a temporary hold of up to seven (7) calendar days on any Referral that triggers verification signals. During the hold period, the system re-evaluates the Referral daily. Referrals that pass verification are automatically approved; those that do not are automatically rejected.

Joy Credit Pool Limitation. Credits are subject to Shopify's platform limitation that total credits issued to a merchant cannot exceed the total charges to that merchant in the preceding thirty (30) days. If a Credit exceeds this limit, Joy shall queue the Credit and issue it as soon as the Referrer's charge history permits.

4. NATURE OF CREDITS

Joy Credits issued under this Program are subject to the following conditions:

Credits are non-transferable and may not be assigned to another Shopify store or merchant.
Credits have no cash value and cannot be redeemed for cash, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or any monetary equivalent.
Credits are applied automatically to the Participant's next Shopify billing cycle and may offset charges for Joy, other Shopify apps, or the Shopify subscription itself.
Credits are subject to Shopify's Terms of Service and billing policies. Joy is not responsible for how Shopify processes or applies credits.
Credits are denominated in United States Dollars (USD).
Credits do not constitute income, compensation, or an employment relationship between Joy and the Participant. Participants are solely responsible for any tax obligations arising from Credits received.

5. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

The following activities are strictly prohibited. Violation of any prohibition may result in immediate and permanent removal from the Program, forfeiture of all pending and future Credits, and any other remedies available to Joy under applicable law:

5.1 Self-Referral

Referring any Shopify store that you own, operate, manage, or have a financial or administrative interest in, including but not limited to stores owned by family members, business partners, employees, or co-founders. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the stores operate under different names, domains, or legal entities.

5.2 Paid Advertising & Spam

Distributing or promoting your referral link through any paid advertising channel, including but not limited to Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, TikTok Ads, display advertising networks, sponsored content, paid influencer campaigns, or any other form of paid media. Distribution of referral links through unsolicited bulk email, SMS, forum posts, social media comments, or any communication that could reasonably be characterized as spam is also prohibited.

5.3 Fake or Fraudulent Stores

Referring, creating, or causing the creation of Shopify stores for the primary purpose of generating referral Credits. This includes stores without genuine products, stores with no real customer orders, stores on development or trial plans, and any store that does not represent a bona fide commercial enterprise.

5.4 Collusion & Referral Rings

Organizing, participating in, or facilitating any arrangement where two or more merchants agree to refer each other or a third party for the purpose of generating reciprocal Credits. This includes circular referral schemes (e.g., Merchant A refers Merchant B, who refers Merchant C, who refers Merchant A).

5.5 Churn Manipulation

Encouraging, instructing, or incentivizing a Referee to install Joy and maintain a subscription solely for the minimum period required to trigger Credit issuance, with the intent or expectation that the Referee will cancel shortly thereafter.

5.6 Link Manipulation

Altering, obfuscating, cloaking, or misrepresenting referral links. Embedding referral links in misleading content that misrepresents the nature of the Joy product, the referral reward, or the terms of participation. Using automated bots, scripts, or any non-human means to generate clicks on referral links.

5.7 Misrepresentation

Making false, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims about Joy Loyalty, its products, pricing, features, or the Program in connection with promoting a referral link. Impersonating Joy, its employees, or representatives.

6. FRAUD DETECTION & ENFORCEMENT

6.1 Automated Monitoring

Joy employs automated fraud detection systems that continuously monitor all referral activity. These systems evaluate multiple signals including, without limitation, IP addresses, device fingerprints, store metadata, referral patterns, click velocity, traffic sources, store quality indicators, and referral network topology. Joy's Composite Fraud Score system makes determinations automatically and without human review.

6.2 Automated Decisions

Based on the Composite Fraud Score, Joy's system will automatically take one of the following actions for each Referral:

Approve: The Referral passes all verification checks and the Credit is issued.
Hold: The Referral triggers borderline signals and is placed in a temporary hold for up to seven (7) calendar days while the system re-evaluates daily.
Reject: The Referral fails verification. No Credit is issued. The Referrer is notified that the Referral did not meet program criteria. Joy is not obligated to disclose the specific reasons for rejection.

6.3 Account Suspension

If Joy's automated systems detect a pattern of fraudulent or prohibited activity associated with a Referrer's account, including but not limited to a referral churn rate exceeding thirty percent (30%), abnormal click volumes, or referral network anomalies, Joy may automatically suspend the Referrer's participation in the Program. Suspension results in the immediate withholding of all pending Credits and the deactivation of the Referrer's referral link.

6.4 No Obligation to Disclose

Joy is under no obligation to disclose the methodology, algorithms, thresholds, or specific signals used in its fraud detection systems. Disclosure of such information could compromise the integrity of the Program and enable circumvention of fraud prevention measures.

7. PROGRAM MODIFICATION & TERMINATION

7.1 Right to Modify

Joy reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Program, in whole or in part, at any time and for any reason, with or without notice. Modifications may include changes to eligibility criteria, reward amounts, Milestone thresholds, fraud detection parameters, and any other aspect of the Program.

7.2 Notice of Material Changes

Joy shall endeavor to provide thirty (30) calendar days' advance notice before implementing material changes that reduce reward amounts or tighten eligibility criteria. Such notice may be provided via email, in-app notification, or publication on the Joy website. Continued participation in the Program after the effective date of any modification constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

7.3 Grandfathering

In the event of Program suspension or termination, all Credits for Referrals that have already passed the two-payment gate (Section 3.5) at the time of suspension or termination shall be honored and issued. Referrals that have not yet passed the payment gate at the time of suspension shall not be eligible for Credits.

8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, JOY'S TOTAL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE PROGRAM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL CREDITS ACTUALLY ISSUED TO THE PARTICIPANT DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO LIABILITY.

JOY SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE PROGRAM, EVEN IF JOY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Joy is not responsible for any technical failures, delays, or errors in Shopify's billing system, the Shopify Partner API, or any third-party service that may affect the issuance, timing, or application of Credits.

9. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Any dispute arising out of or related to the Program shall be resolved as follows:

The Participant must first submit a written dispute to Joy's support team, including the specific Referral in question and any supporting evidence.
Joy shall review the dispute and respond within ten (10) business days.
Joy's determination regarding any dispute under the Program shall be final and binding. This does not limit the Participant's rights under applicable consumer protection laws.

10. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with the Joy Loyalty Terms of Service and Shopify's Terms of Service, constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the Program.

Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Waiver. Joy's failure to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of its right to enforce that provision in the future.

Assignment. You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without Joy's prior written consent. Joy may assign these Terms without restriction.

Governing Law. These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which Joy Loyalty is incorporated, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Contact. Questions regarding the Program or these Terms may be directed to Joy Loyalty support at [email protected].

ACCEPTANCE

By clicking "I Agree" or generating a referral link, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms and Conditions.

Merchant Referral Program — Terms and Conditions