---
title: "Reward the SMS Opt-In — and the Phone Number That Makes It Possible"
slug: "sms-marketing-opt-in-rewards"
url: "https://joy.so/updates/sms-marketing-opt-in-rewards/"
kind: "update"
author: "Thomas Nguyen"
author_url: "https://joy.so/author/thomas/"
published_at: "2026-09-10T11:36:13.000+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-08T08:57:57.000+00:00"
description: "A customer can't subscribe to SMS without a number on file. Joy now rewards both steps — the phone number and the opt-in — each once, and only when Shopify confirms the subscription took effect."
category: "Product Updates"
tags: ["Product Updates"]
reading_time: 2
feature_image: "https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/09/Reward-the-SMS-Opt-In---and-the-Phone-Number-That-Makes-It-Possible-65f77a.png"
---

# Reward the SMS Opt-In — and the Phone Number That Makes It Possible

## Why this matters

Subscribe to SMS marketing is a new earning program in Joy. You reward customers with points the first time they opt in, and you can also reward the phone number the opt-in requires.

### Let customers subscribe from the earn card

The earn card has a Subscribe action, so customers opt in without searching through Profile settings. Each customer earns the opt-in points once.

### Reward the phone number separately

SMS consent needs a mobile number, so customers without one on file cannot subscribe. Add phone number reward pays its own points the first time a customer saves a number in the widget Profile.

### Award points on confirmed consent

Joy issues the points when Shopify confirms the subscription took effect. The consent sits on the customer's Shopify record, so your SMS provider reads the same state you rewarded.

> **Try this**
> Open your Shopify customer list and filter by SMS subscribers. Note the count before you turn the program on, since it is the number this program exists to move.

---

## How to access and use

### Step 1: Add the program

Go to **Reward programs → Earning programs**, click **Add rule**, and choose **Subscribe to SMS marketing**. Name the rule, then set the run dates and the opt-in points.

### Step 2: Turn on the phone reward

On the same screen, switch on **Add phone number reward** and give it its own points value.

### Step 3: Check the widget Profile

In the Unified Widget, open **Sections → Profile → Settings** and confirm the SMS consent option is on.

### Step 4: Save and turn on

Click **Save**, then **Turn on**.

## Setup guides

[Subscribe to SMS marketing](https://help.joy.so/reward-programs/earning-programs/subscribe-to-sms-marketing)

## Good to know

Subscribe to SMS marketing is available on all Joy plans. The phone number reward pays only for numbers newly saved through the widget, so numbers already on file or added elsewhere earn nothing.

## Frequently asked questions

### Are customers who already subscribed rewarded?

No. Customers who already had SMS consent or a phone number before you turned the program on are not rewarded retroactively.

### Do customers lose points if they unsubscribe later?

No. Unsubscribing later, or removing the phone number, never takes back points already awarded.

### Do customers need to subscribe to earn the phone reward?

No. The two rewards are independent and paid once each, so a customer who only adds a number still earns that reward, and one who does both earns both.