7 Best Shopify Loyalty Apps with VIP Tiers, Points Expiry and Referrals (2026)

You want three things from a loyalty program. You want referrals to bring in new customers, VIP tiers to reward the ones who spend the most, and points that expire so balances don’t sit untouched for years. Most Shopify loyalty apps with VIP tiers have all three. Few put them on the same plan.

Points expiry is the gate that moves around. Love Loyalty, BON and Joy include it on their first paid plan. Smile and Appstle hold it back until the plan that adds VIP tiers. If you want all three native to Shopify, start with Love Loyalty. If your order volume is climbing, BON’s Growth plan has no order cap. If you’re on a tight budget, Appstle includes all three for $30 a month up to 2,000 orders.

We ranked the 7 best Shopify loyalty apps with VIP tiers by the plan that includes all three features and what that plan costs at your monthly orders.

Top picks

• Love Loyalty: stores that want all three features native to Shopify
• BON Loyalty: stores that expect order volume to grow
• Appstle Loyalty: stores on a tight budget
• Smile: brands that want a widely used program
• Gameball: stores that want games alongside tiers
• LoyaltyLion: mid-market brands that want custom pricing
• Joy: stores that want expiry now and VIP tiers later

Here’s how the seven compare on ratings, price and the plan that includes all three features.

App	Rating	Price	All three from	Best for
Love Loyalty Rewards Program	5.0 (394 reviews)	$12–$399/mo	Growth, $79/mo	Stores that want all three features native to Shopify
BON Loyalty Program & Rewards	5.0 (1,965 reviews)	$15–$129/mo, Plus custom	Growth, $129/mo	Stores that expect order volume to grow
Appstle Loyalty Program Reward	5.0 (1,437 reviews)	$10–$300/mo	Business, $30/mo	Stores on a tight budget
Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards	4.9 (4,640 reviews)	$15–$999/mo	Growth, $199/mo	Brands that want a widely used program
Gameball: AI Loyalty & Games	4.7 (150 reviews)	$34–$999/mo	Pro, $159/mo	Stores that want games alongside tiers
LoyaltyLion Loyalty Program	4.6 (541 reviews)	From $199/mo, custom	Classic, from $199/mo	Mid-market brands that want custom pricing
Joy Loyalty Program Rewards	4.9 (1,791 reviews)	$29–$499/mo	Advanced, $129/mo	Stores that want expiry now and VIP tiers later

Ratings and review counts are from each Shopify App Store listing, checked 21 October 2026.

How we ranked these

A program with VIP tiers but no expiry leaves points sitting on the books. A program with expiry but no tiers gives top spenders nothing extra. So we judged each app on the plan where all three features come together, and on what that plan costs as orders grow. This is a narrower test than our best Shopify loyalty apps list uses.

• Plan gate: the first plan that includes referrals, points expiration and VIP tiers.
• Cost at volume: the monthly price at 2,000 and 5,000 orders, including overage.
• Expiry controls: reminder emails and how the expiry date is set.
• Tier setup: how many tiers you get and what qualifies a customer.

The 7 best Shopify loyalty apps with VIP tiers in 2026

1. Love Loyalty

Best for: stores that want all three features native to Shopify

Rating: 5.0 (394 reviews) | Price: $12–$399/mo | Free plan: up to 150 orders/mo

Love Loyalty is an all-in-one loyalty app with the Built for Shopify badge, built for growing stores and Shopify Plus brands.

• Feature Check: Referrals run on every plan. Points expiration with reminders starts on Professional ($12/mo). VIP tiers arrive on Growth ($79/mo), the first plan with all three.
• Standout Perk: Program data lives in Shopify metafields, and the same app covers POS, paid memberships, B2B programs and wallet passes.
• Ease of Use: Rewards features came up in 52.2% of its 186 written reviews in Magicbean’s results-by-app study, almost twice the 27.2% average.
• Pricing Constraints: Growth includes 2,000 orders, then $15 per extra 100. Past about 4,200 orders, Plus at $399 (unlimited orders) costs less.
• Our take: Growth at $79 pairs all three features with native Shopify storage. Compare it with other Plus-ready options in our best loyalty apps for Shopify Plus list.

2. BON Loyalty

Best for: stores that expect order volume to grow

Rating: 5.0 (1,965 reviews) | Price: $15–$129/mo, Plus custom | Free plan: up to 150 orders/mo

• Feature Check: Points expiration starts on Starter ($15/mo) with 7-day and 1-day reminders. VIP tiers and B2B tiers arrive on Growth ($129/mo).
• Standout Perk: Growth has unlimited orders, so the bill stays at $129 as volume rises.
• Ease of Use: Support came up in 76.3% of BON‘s 186 written reviews in Magicbean’s study, with no complaints among 142 support mentions.
• Pricing Constraints: Starter caps at 300 orders and Basic at 500, and overage isn’t published. Redeeming at checkout needs Shopify Plus.
• Our take: BON costs more than Love Loyalty at 2,000 orders and less at 5,000.

3. Appstle Loyalty

Best for: stores on a tight budget

Rating: 5.0 (1,437 reviews) | Price: $10–$300/mo | Free plan: up to 250 orders/mo

• Feature Check: VIP tiers and points expiration both start on Business ($30/mo). Referrals run on every plan.
• Standout Perk: All three features cost $30 a month up to 2,000 orders. Business Premium raises the cap to 5,000 orders at $100.
• Ease of Use: Support came up in 83.2% of Appstle‘s 179 written reviews in Magicbean’s study, which found no one- or two-star reviews for it in the study period.
• Pricing Constraints: Starter ($10/mo) has no expiry or tiers. Enterprise ($300/mo, 20,000 orders) adds $0.015 per extra order.
• Our take: Business covers all three features for stores under 2,000 orders.

4. Smile

Best for: brands that want a widely used program

Rating: 4.9 (4,640 reviews) | Price: $15–$999/mo | Free plan: up to 200 orders/mo

• Feature Check: VIP tiers and points expiration both arrive on Growth ($199/mo). Referrals run on every plan.
• Standout Perk: Growth syncs VIP tiers to Shopify metafields and adds VIP segment insights.
• Ease of Use: Support came up in 66.7% of Smile‘s 159 written reviews in Magicbean’s study. It had 24 one- and two-star reviews, mostly about support and pricing.
• Pricing Constraints: Growth caps at 2,500 orders. Plus is $999 a month, billed annually, for 7,500 orders.
• Our take: Smile fits brands ready for Growth. Stores leaving it can see our Smile.io alternatives.

5. Gameball

Best for: stores that want games alongside tiers

Rating: 4.7 (150 reviews) | Price: $34–$999/mo | Free plan: up to 100 rewarded customers/mo

• Feature Check: Starter ($34/mo) allows 5 VIP tiers. Pro ($159/mo) adds unlimited tiers and reward expiry.
• Standout Perk: From Starter, Gameball can give a bonus for every set number of friends a customer refers.
• Ease of Use: 10 of its 14 written reviews in Magicbean’s study mention support.
• Pricing Constraints: Billing counts monthly rewarded customers, and overage isn’t published. Its plan cards and comparison table disagree on whether expiry starts on Starter or Pro. This list uses the table.
• Our take: Gameball fits game mechanics, with Pro in the budget if expiry is a must.

6. LoyaltyLion

Best for: mid-market brands that want custom pricing

Rating: 4.6 (541 reviews) | Price: from $199/mo, custom | Free plan: up to 400 orders from new customers/mo

• Feature Check: VIP and conditional tiers are included from Classic. LoyaltyLion’s help article says points expiry is included from Classic.
• Standout Perk: LoyaltyLion lets points expire by last purchase, last balance change, date earned or calendar date.
• Ease of Use: Rewards features came up in 59.9% of its 142 written reviews in Magicbean’s study, 2.2 times the average.
• Pricing Constraints: Classic starts at $199 and higher plans are quoted. Billing counts only orders from new customers.
• Our take: LoyaltyLion suits brands that want fine control over expiry and are ready for a sales conversation.

7. Joy

Best for: stores that want expiry now and VIP tiers later

Rating: 4.9 (1,791 reviews) | Price: $29–$499/mo | Free trial: 14 days on paid plans

• Feature Check: Points expiration starts on Essential ($29/mo). VIP tiers and B2B tiers arrive on Advanced ($129/mo).
• Standout Perk: Ultimate ($499/mo) adds dynamic point expiration.
• Ease of Use: Support came up in 79.9% of Joy‘s 184 written reviews in Magicbean’s study.
• Pricing Constraints: Free caps referrals at 30 and Essential at 100. Advanced includes 2,000 orders, then $10 per extra 100.
• Our take: Joy suits stores that want expiry running before they design tiers.

Also considered

Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist and Stamped Reviews & Loyalty both have VIP tiers, but the plans start higher. VIP tiers begin on Growave’s Growth plan at $199 a month. Stamped’s standalone loyalty plan is $299 a month for 5,000 orders.

Okendo: Reviews & Loyalty fits stores that want reviews and loyalty from one vendor. VIP tiers start on Essentials at $99 a month, and loyalty is one module within a reviews platform.

Which Shopify loyalty apps with VIP tiers include expiry and referrals on the same plan?

Every app here includes referrals on its free plan. The gap is in where expiry and tiers land.

App	Points expiration from	VIP tiers from	All three at 2,000 orders	All three at 5,000 orders
Love Loyalty	Professional, $12	Growth, $79	$79 (Growth)	$399 (Plus, unlimited orders)
BON	Starter, $15	Growth, $129	$129 (Growth)	$129 (Growth, unlimited orders)
Appstle	Business, $30	Business, $30	$30 (Business)	$100 (Business Premium)
Smile	Growth, $199	Growth, $199	$199 (Growth)	$999 (Plus, billed annually)
Gameball	Pro, $159	Starter, $34	Billed per rewarded customer	Billed per rewarded customer
LoyaltyLion	Classic, from $199	Classic, from $199	Custom quote	Custom quote
Joy	Essential, $29	Advanced, $129	$129 (Advanced)	$429 (Advanced plus overage)

Love Loyalty, BON and Joy let you start expiry early and add tiers when the program is ready for them. Smile and Appstle switch on both features at once, so you pay the VIP plan price before you can expire a single point.

Two apps don’t fit an order-based column. Gameball bills on monthly rewarded customers. LoyaltyLion quotes Classic and above individually and counts only orders from new customers. Our Shopify loyalty app pricing comparison covers more apps and more volumes.

Which Shopify loyalty app with VIP tiers fits your store?

• If you run Shopify Plus or plan to move there, choose Love Loyalty Rewards Program on Plus at $399/month with unlimited orders.
• If you expect to pass 2,000 orders a month, choose BON Loyalty Program & Rewards on Growth at $129/month with no order cap.
• If you need all three features under 2,000 orders and want to keep spend low, choose Appstle Loyalty Program Reward on Business at $30/month.
• If you want game mechanics running next to your tiers, choose Gameball: AI Loyalty & Games on Pro at $159/month.
• If you want points expiration now and VIP tiers once the program grows, choose Joy Loyalty Program Rewards on Essential at $29/month, then Advanced at $129/month.

Why Points Expiry, VIP Tiers, and Referrals Are the “Holy Trinity” of Customer Retention

Each feature works on a different moment in a customer’s life with your store. Referrals reach people who haven’t bought yet, through someone who has. That’s why most loyalty apps include them free, and why dedicated tools exist too (see our Shopify referral apps roundup). VIP tiers give a reason to keep spending once a customer is already buying. Points expiry puts a date on a balance that would otherwise sit idle.

Take one away and a gap opens. Without expiry, a lapsed member has no deadline to come back. Without tiers, your best customer earns at the same rate as a one-time buyer.

Merchants rarely review apps on these mechanics, though. In Magicbean’s study of 3,410 Shopify loyalty app reviews, rewards features such as points, VIP tiers and referrals came up in 27.2% of written reviews, against 70.6% for support. When merchants did praise rewards, 30% of that praise named flexible options such as tiers and referrals. In practice, the plan that includes all three shapes your choice more than the feature list does.

Bottom line

Love Loyalty is the strongest fit for most stores here, with all three features native to Shopify on Growth at $79 a month. Price each plan at next year’s order count, since overage and caps change the ranking. Before going live, switch on expiry on a development store and send yourself the reminder email.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Shopify loyalty app with VIP tiers?

Love Loyalty is the best fit for most stores, with VIP tiers, referrals and points expiration on Growth at $79 a month. BON suits stores past 2,000 orders, because its Growth plan has no order cap. Appstle includes VIP tiers and points expiration on Business at $30 a month.

Should loyalty points expire?

Points expiry suits stores where customers reorder within a year. A deadline gives lapsed members a reason to return, and it limits how much unredeemed value stays on your books. Pair any expiry rule with a reminder email, which Love Loyalty, BON and Joy include on their first paid plans.

How much notice should customers get before points expire?

One reminder a week before expiry and another the day before covers most programs. BON sends a notice 7 days before and a reminder 1 day before from its Starter plan. LoyaltyLion lets you set the notice period in days yourself.

What is the difference between points expiry and reward expiry?

Points expiry removes unspent points from a balance, while reward expiry cancels a discount a customer redeemed but hasn’t used. BON includes both settings from its Starter plan. Gameball lists reward expiry on its Pro plan at $159 a month.

Do VIP tiers and referrals cost extra on Shopify loyalty apps?

VIP tiers need a paid plan on every app in this list, though referrals start free. Joy caps free referrals at 30 a month, and Gameball’s free plan rewards first orders only. Smile puts VIP tiers on Growth at $199 a month.

What happens to point balances and VIP tiers when you switch loyalty apps?

Point balances and customer records can usually be imported into a new loyalty app, but you should check each one before going live. In Magicbean’s study, 86% of reviews describing a switch praised the support or migration help. Our guide to migrating from Smile.io without losing points walks through the checks.