> 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/membership-tiers-and-referrals/tag-based-membership-tiers.md).

# Tag-based membership tiers

Run a secondary loyalty program granted by a Shopify customer tag: an invite-style tier alongside your milestone tiers for paid memberships, VIPs, staff, or app-driven cohorts.

Milestone tiers reward what customers **do**: points earned, amount spent, or an item purchased. A **tag-based tier** works differently: membership is granted by a **Shopify customer tag**. Whoever carries the tag is in the tier; remove the tag and they return to your regular tier ladder.

That makes it the tool for tiers that aren't earned through activity:

* **Paid memberships**: a membership product purchase applies the tag (via Shopify Flow or subscription auto-tagging).
* **VIPs, ambassadors, and staff**: hand-picked members, tagged manually or in bulk.
* **Cohorts**: a specific groups of customers you are looking to run specific offers and marketing to.

You can have **one tag-based tier** per program, running alongside your milestone tiers as a secondary track.

### Set it up

Go to **Loyalty Program → Membership Tiers** and add or edit a tier. Under **Milestone to achieve tier**, choose **Secondary loyalty program**: membership is granted by a Shopify customer tag instead of points or spend.

<figure><img src="https://393112916-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FJ8asLD4FVCFagK40xEr4%2Fuploads%2F7Y3tImhSF3jEtWPP1Zij%2FScreenshot%202026-09-03%20at%202.37.12%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&#x26;token=1e56e44b-23be-409c-ae5c-8a00775138d9" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* **Trigger tag**: customers carrying this Shopify tag are granted this tier.
* **Lifetime membership (membership and points never expire)**: when enabled, this tier and the points earned in it are excluded from expiry. Ideal for paid memberships where points should never lapse mid-membership.

Set the **Tier name** and **Tier level** as usual. This tier cannot be promoted or demoted: customers keep it for as long as the trigger tag is assigned.

### How customers enter

<figure><img src="https://393112916-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FJ8asLD4FVCFagK40xEr4%2Fuploads%2FcUB2iqWBPt5xLhXOLBDX%2FScreenshot%202026-09-03%20at%202.40.32%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&#x26;token=6e91d61d-cfd5-4f0f-8e81-490d084c5698" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Apply the trigger tag to the customer in Shopify (manually, via Flow, or from another app). Roadmap then:

* assigns the customer to the tag-based tier immediately
* removes their previous tier's program tag automatically, so tags never conflict
* sets their new membership start date (using your store's timezone) and removes any expiry date (tag-based tiers do not expire).
* Any loyalty points that customer already had before entering this tier remain. However, they will still expire per the terms applied when the points were earned.
* logs the promotion on their timeline

<figure><img src="https://393112916-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FJ8asLD4FVCFagK40xEr4%2Fuploads%2FueOq5iqSuoDvIZukTc4J%2FScreenshot%202026-09-03%20at%202.45.17%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&#x26;token=09702407-0fe7-4383-be2b-69ccccc0c1de" alt="" width="302"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### What tag-based members see

* **Ways to earn and ways to redeem scoped to their tier.** Use the **Membership tier eligibility** setting on earners and rewards to build the tier's own earning rates and redemption options. Members only see what their tier is eligible for.
* **No progress bar.** The Loyalty Progress Bar app block hides itself for tag-based members, since milestone progression doesn't apply to them.
* **Klaviyo properties adjust.** Progression and expiry properties are cleared, everything else keeps syncing. See the breakdown below.

### Klaviyo properties for tag-based members

A tag-based tier has no "next tier" and no membership expiry, so those Klaviyo profile properties are **cleared** while the customer holds the tier:

| Cleared                    | Klaviyo property                          |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| Next tier name             | `person.roadmap_loyalty_next_tier_name`   |
| Points away from next tier | `person.roadmap_loyalty_next_tier_points` |
| Membership expiry date     | `person.roadmap_loyalty_expiry_date`      |

Everything else **remains and keeps syncing** as normal:

| Remains                               | Klaviyo property                                      |
| ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| Total points earned                   | `person.roadmap_loyalty_total_points`                 |
| Total points earned in period         | `person.roadmap_loyalty_total_points_earnt_in_period` |
| Total points expiring in next 30 days | `person.roadmap_loyalty_expiring_points`              |
| Current tier name                     | `person.roadmap_loyalty_current_tier_name`            |
| Has Membership account                | `person.roadmap_has_account`                          |
| Total spent in period                 | `person.roadmap_total_spent_in_period`                |
| Birthday                              | `person.roadmap_loyalty_birthday`                     |
| Member since                          | `person.roadmap_loyalty_member_since`                 |
| Membership start date                 | `person.roadmap_loyalty_start_date`                   |
| Next point expiry date                | `person.roadmap_loyalty_point_expiry_date`            |
| Points expiring on next expiry date   | `person.roadmap_loyalty_next_expiring_points`         |
| Latest order points earnt             | `person.roadmap_loyalty_latest_order_points_earnt`    |

Worth knowing when building flows and segments:

* `roadmap_loyalty_current_tier_name` holds the tag-based tier's name, so Klaviyo splits and segments on tier name keep working for these members.
* The period counters (points earned in period, total spent in period) restart from the customer's new membership start date.
* With **Lifetime membership** enabled, points earned inside the tier never expire, so the point-expiry properties only reflect points the customer earned **before** joining the tier.

Full property reference: [Loyalty profile properties and email snippets](/loyalty-and-rewards/loyalty-klaviyo-integration/loyalty-profile-properties-and-email-snippets.md).

### Tier-specific cart messages

The **Edit Membership Tier** form includes a **Cart announcement bar** card. Give the tier its own **Message** and members of this tier see it in the cart bar instead of the bar's default message. Click the snippet chips to personalise it: `{amount}`, `{total_points}`, `{cart_points}`, `{current_tier_name}`, `{next_tier_name}`, `{points_required}`, `{amount_required}`. Snippets with no value behind them are removed from the message, so keep next-tier wording out of your top tier's message.

Leave the field blank to use the default bar, configured in [Cart Announcement Bar settings](https://docs.roadmap.so/cart-and-checkout/cart-announcement-bar).

### How customers exit

Remove the tag, and Roadmap recalculates the customer into your milestone ladder:

* Their start date refreshes to todays date and their current period's points or spend decide which milestone tier they land in. If nothing qualifies, they hold no tier.
* Their tier tags update to match, and the change is logged on their timeline.

<figure><img src="https://393112916-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FJ8asLD4FVCFagK40xEr4%2Fuploads%2F1emPaT0Qdiq9Za8RDdJl%2FScreenshot%202026-09-03%20at%202.49.34%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&#x26;token=d875e9ef-a225-4fcd-848a-cd998685f14d" alt="" width="288"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

So a lapsed paid member, for example, drops back to exactly the tier their organic activity has earned. Nothing needs manual cleanup.

{% hint style="info" %}
The tag is the single source of truth: apply it to enrol, remove it to exit. Whatever system controls the tag (Flow, a membership app, your team) controls the tier.
{% endhint %}

### Related guides

* [Loyalty Tiers](/loyalty-and-rewards/membership-tiers-and-referrals/loyalty-tiers.md)
* [Award points with customer tags](/loyalty-and-rewards/points-and-ways-to-earn/award-points-with-customer-tags.md): tags that award points rather than tiers
* [Loyalty membership eligibility settings](/loyalty-and-rewards/getting-started/loyalty-membership-eligibility-settings.md)
* [Reward subscribers with loyalty points](/loyalty-and-rewards/points-and-ways-to-earn/reward-subscribers-with-loyalty-points.md): auto-tagging as the entry mechanism
* [Loyalty profile properties and email snippets](/loyalty-and-rewards/loyalty-klaviyo-integration/loyalty-profile-properties-and-email-snippets.md)


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