> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.roadmap.so/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.roadmap.so/loyalty-and-rewards/getting-started/loyalty-membership-eligibility-settings.md).
# Loyalty membership eligibility settings
Control who participates in your loyalty program and how long membership tiers last — all customers versus store accounts only, and lifetime versus fixed-duration membership.
In Roadmap Loyalty, **membership eligibility** controls which customers are considered “participants” in your loyalty program—meaning who can **earn points**, **progress through tiers**, and **redeem rewards**.
You configure this in **Membership Settings** under **Member Participant Criteria**. There are two options:
* **All customers**
* **Only customers who have a store account**
Membership Settings — here set to All customers with Lifetime Membership.
{% hint style="info" %}
Both options work on both of Shopify's account systems, new customer accounts and legacy accounts. If you switch account systems, your loyalty settings are unaffected.
{% endhint %}
### Where to change this setting
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
#### Open Membership Settings
In the Roadmap admin, go to **Membership Settings**.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
#### Choose Member Participant Criteria
Under **Member Participant Criteria**, select **All customers** or **Only customers who have a store account**.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
#### Save
Click **Save** (or **Cancel** to discard changes).
Once your Loyalty program is set to **Active**, this setting can’t be changed unless you deactivate your program first.
Changing eligibility affects who can earn and redeem **moving forward**. For example, if you switch to **Only customers who have a store account**, guest customers (and any customer without a store account) will stop earning points and won’t be able to redeem until they have a store account.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
***
### Joining the programme and earning the sign-up bonus are two moments
This catches people out, so it is worth separating before the options below.
* **Joining** is what the eligibility setting controls. A member starts earning points on orders.
* **The sign-up bonus** is awarded when the customer has a store account, on either setting.
On **All customers** those can be months apart. On **store account only** they are the same moment. See [Award points for account sign-up](/loyalty-and-rewards/points-and-ways-to-earn/award-points-for-account-sign-up.md).
{% hint style="info" %}
Nobody becomes eligible while your programme is **inactive**. While it is **scheduled**, only accounts on your **tester email domains** behave like live customers. See [Program status, start date, and tester domains](/loyalty-and-rewards/getting-started/program-status-start-date-and-tester-domains.md).
{% endhint %}
***
### Option 1: All customers
When **All customers** is selected:
* Any customer becomes a loyalty member once their **email is captured** (online or in POS).
* They can **earn points** and be awarded **tiers** and **incentives**.
* They can redeem rewards in POS with a store account. However, to redeem online, they will need to **log in to a store account** to access their rewards attributed to the email address.
### Who may be limited?
* **Customers without a store account** can still earn, but cannot redeem online until they create an account and log in, and do not receive the sign-up bonus until then.
* **Customers without an email address** (for example, created in POS without one) are still enrolled and still earn points on their orders, and can redeem in POS. They cannot receive the sign-up bonus or redeem online until an email is added to their profile.
{% hint style="info" %}
That last point is the difference between the two settings in a nutshell. On **All customers** a no-email POS shopper is a limited member. On **store account only** they are not a member at all.
{% endhint %}
### Customer journey (All customers)
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Email captured (online or in POS) → customer is enrolled as a loyalty member.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Customer begins to **earn loyalty points**.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Roadmap records membership details (for example, **member since**, **start date**, and **tier status**).
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Customer can **redeem** in POS; for online redemption they may need to **log in**.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
***
### Option 2: Only customers who have a store account
When **Only customers who have a store account** is selected:
* Only customers who meet Roadmap’s definition of **“has a store account”** can participate.
* Customers who do **not** have a store account won’t earn points, tiers, or incentives until they do.
This setting is best if you want loyalty to be tied to logged-in customer accounts (for example, to support a consistent online redemption experience).
{% hint style="warning" %}
Guests and customers without accounts do not earn points, tiers, or incentives. Creating an account later does not award points for earlier orders.
{% endhint %}
### What “has a store account” means (membership triggers)
Roadmap uses specific customer actions as “triggers” that qualify a customer as having an account. What counts differs between Shopify's two account systems, because they create accounts in different ways.
| Customer action | New customer accounts | Legacy customer accounts |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| Logs in with a one-time code, Sign in with Shop, Google, Facebook, or Multipass SSO | **Yes**, on first successful login | Not available |
| Registers with an email and password | Not available | **Yes**, once the account is enabled |
| **POS order with an email on the profile** | **Yes** | **Yes** |
| Admin creates the customer and sends an account invite | **No**, until they log in | **No**, until they accept and set a password |
| Admin creates the customer, no invite | **No** | **No** |
| Admin API creates the customer | **No**, until they log in | **Yes**, if a password is set |
| POS profile created with an email, no order | **No** | **No** |
| POS customer with no email | **No** | **No** |
| Guest checkout online | **No** | **No** |
| Shop Pay checkout | **No** | **No** |
| Newsletter or email capture form | **No** | **No** |
| Third-party app creates the customer | **No** | **No** |
{% hint style="info" %}
**POS is the exception worth remembering**, and the bar is lower on the other setting. Here, a POS **order** against a profile with an email brings the customer in and awards the sign-up bonus. On **All customers**, simply having an email on a POS profile is enough, with no order needed. Not every loyalty app behaves this way, so check it if you are migrating.
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="warning" %}
On new customer accounts the Admin API cannot set a password, so an API-created customer is not a member until they log in themselves. On legacy accounts the API can set one, which makes the account live immediately. Worth knowing if you run automated integrations that create customers.
{% endhint %}
When “Only customers who have a store account” is enabled, customers must also have an **email address** on their customer profile to participate. If a POS customer has no email, they won’t be eligible until an email is added.
### Customer journey (Only customers who have a store account)
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Customer creates an account and/or logs in online → customer becomes eligible.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Roadmap starts tracking them as a loyalty member (member since/start date/tier status).
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
From this date, customer earns points on eligible purchases and can redeem based on your rewards setup.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
***
Customers will not earn points prior to entering the loyalty program and will not be rewarded for past action that would result in earning points. To reward past actions, you will need to manually add these point into the customers loyalty account.
### Membership Tier Duration
**Membership Tier Duration** controls how long an earned tier lasts.
{% hint style="info" %}
These duration settings apply to **Points earned, Amount spent and Specific item purchased** tier types only. **Secondary loyalty program** (tag-based) tiers have no expiry date: see [Tag-based membership tiers](/loyalty-and-rewards/membership-tiers-and-referrals/tag-based-membership-tiers.md).
{% endhint %}
* **Lifetime Membership** means a tier never expires.
* **Fixed duration** expires after the period you set. Roadmap then recalculates tiers from points earned or amount spent during that period.
* **Reset expiry date on upgrade** restarts the membership period when the customer moves up a tier.
When a fixed-duration membership expires, Roadmap recalculates the customer's tier from that period's points or spend, resets their membership start date to the recalculation date, and logs the change on their timeline and Membership History. Klaviyo profile properties update at the same time.
Fixed duration also unlocks a rewarding pattern: customers who hold their tier through a recalculation can receive a tier-maintaining Customer Reward.
Store-account-only participation with a 12-month fixed membership duration.
### The Loyalty Pixel banner
Stores using Shopify's new customer accounts may see a banner. Click **Open customer accounts editor**, then add the **Loyalty Pixel** block.
The pixel lets Roadmap track customer logins. The banner disappears after Roadmap receives its first signal.
### Quick decision guide
* **Choose “All customers”** if you want loyalty to start as soon as you capture an email (including guest checkouts and POS emails).
* **Choose “Only customers who have a store account”** if you want loyalty participation limited to customers who have a verified store account/login experience.
If you sell both online and in-store and want POS shoppers to fully participate, make sure staff capture the customer’s **email** at checkout—especially when “Only customers who have a store account” is enabled.
### Related guides
* [Award points for account sign-up](/loyalty-and-rewards/points-and-ways-to-earn/award-points-for-account-sign-up.md)
* [Program status, start date, and tester domains](/loyalty-and-rewards/getting-started/program-status-start-date-and-tester-domains.md)
* [Loyalty Tiers](/loyalty-and-rewards/membership-tiers-and-referrals/loyalty-tiers.md)
* [Tier progression rules](/loyalty-and-rewards/membership-tiers-and-referrals/tier-progression-rules.md)
* [Tag-based membership tiers](/loyalty-and-rewards/membership-tiers-and-referrals/tag-based-membership-tiers.md)
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