Payout guides / glossary
Use the same terms from purchase to payout
These definitions distinguish the promotional benefit from the Shopify purchase and the card's own conditions. Use the program's actual terms when interpreting a particular customer's case.
The purchase and offer
- Promotional payout
- A customer benefit earned under a promotion, rather than merchant sales proceeds.
- Payout card
- A card-based method of delivering that promotional benefit.
- Eligible order
- A purchase that meets the conditions relevant to the promotion.
- Offer terms
- The conditions explaining who may qualify, what is required, and how material changes are handled.
- Refund
- A return of payment related to the original purchase.
- Store credit
- Value associated with a customer for eligible purchases at the issuing store.
Decision and delivery
- Pending decision
- A qualification review that has not reached an outcome.
- Approved payout
- A favorable promotional decision, distinct from completed card delivery or use.
- Recipient
- The customer designated to receive the promotional benefit.
- Notification
- A message explaining a stage or action, not proof that a card was accessed.
- Access
- The recipient's ability to reach the card information through the supplied process.
- Virtual card
- A card whose information is provided digitally rather than as a physical card.
Responsibilities and records
- Issuer
- The institution responsible for the card and its cardholder terms.
- Payment network
- The network associated with a card, such as Visa or Mastercard; its name alone does not establish all use conditions.
- Handoff
- Transfer of an unresolved action to the responsible service with appropriate context.
- Reconciliation
- Comparing related records to explain agreement or differences between stages.
- Completion measure
- A defined indicator showing whether a specified program stage has occurred.
- Commercial outcome
- The merchant result the campaign is intended to inform, distinct from the act of delivering a benefit.
Plan for clear delivery
Plan a clear path from purchase to promotional payout.
Discuss the offer, customer expectations and the next program decision.