Cashback is one of the easiest membership perks to sell: members get a share of what they spend back in their wallet. It also has an obvious hole. If a member buys something, collects the cashback and then gets a refund, they keep money for a purchase they didn't make. This guide covers how the Membership add-on for PrizeX, BidKing and RaffKing handles cashback on refunds, what happens when the wallet is already spent, how members see it, and the related lock on dates of birth that stops birthday-bonus games.
Who has it
- Membership is an add-on for every edition. It isn't included in any of them.
- Cashback is one of its perks: a percentage of what a member spends on gateway purchases and wallet top-ups goes back to their wallet. Lottery tickets and auction bids don't earn it. See our membership guide for the other perks.
Refunds take the cashback back
- When an order is refunded, the cashback earned on that payment is taken back from the member's wallet.
- Partial refunds take back a matching share. Refund half the order and half the cashback is taken back.
- Each refund counts once. If the same refund is processed twice, the cashback is only taken back once.
- A refund marked as "no money returned" takes nothing back.
- It's on by default. The switch is "Take back cashback when an order is refunded", on the Refunds card under Membership > Tiers. Turning it off asks you to confirm, because you'd keep paying cashback on refunded money, and each change is logged.
If the wallet is already spent
- The store takes what's there, and never puts the wallet below zero.
- The rest is recorded as owed and paid off from the member's next cashback first.
- Nothing else charges them for it. If the membership ends with something still owed, it simply stays owed; the member isn't billed.
That last point is a deliberate choice: it keeps refunds fair without ever taking money a member didn't receive as cashback.
What members and admins see
- Members see it in their wallet history, with lines such as "Cashback reversed (refund of …)", "Owed: …, recovered from future cashback" and "Cashback kept to repay what was owed: …".
- No email or notification is sent. If you want members to know, say it in your membership terms.
- Admins see what's owed on the member's Membership tab, and an "Owes … cashback" badge in the members list.
Referral commission works the same way
Referrals, included in every edition, takes commission back on refunds too.
- A refund takes back a matching share of the commission that payment paid the referrer, once per refund.
- Withdrawable coins go first, then spend-only ones, and no balance goes below zero.
- Anything left is owed and paid off from the referrer's next referral commissions, never from their other money.
- The referrer is told when a refund takes commission back.
- It's on by default, under Engagement & Rewards > Commission take-backs, and in the Referrals plugin's settings. Turning it off asks you to confirm, and is logged.
- Only commissions paid after this update can be taken back. Older commissions don't record the payment they came from.
Dates of birth are now set once
Membership's birthday bonus, and the age checks on raffle and game sites, depend on a customer's date of birth. A date that could be changed at will invites a birthday bonus every week.
- Customers set their date of birth once. After that, only support can change it, and each change is logged.
- A completed identity check replaces it with the verified date, if you use one.
Writing it into your terms
- Say that cashback is reversed on refunds, in proportion to the amount refunded.
- Say how shortfalls are handled: taken from future cashback, never charged otherwise.
- Say the same for referral commission in your referral terms.
- Say who can change a date of birth once it's set.
- Check consumer rules in the places you sell. Rules on loyalty schemes and refunds differ, so check with a local lawyer if you're unsure.
Common questions
What happens to cashback when an order is refunded?
The cashback earned on that payment is taken back from the member's wallet, in proportion to the amount refunded. Each refund is only counted once.
What if the member has already spent the cashback?
The store takes what's in the wallet, never below zero, and records the rest as owed. It's paid off from the member's next cashback first, and nothing else charges them for it.
Are members told when cashback is reversed?
It shows in their wallet history. No email or notification is sent, so mention it in your membership terms.
Is referral commission taken back on refunds too?
Yes, by default. A refund takes back a matching share of the commission it paid, and anything the referrer's wallet can't cover is paid off from their next referral commissions.
Can a member change their date of birth to get another birthday bonus?
No. Customers set their date of birth once, and after that only support can change it.