Answers / Loyalty programs

    How should I handle loyalty points when a customer gets a refund?

    Written by PEKO Team.Last updated: 08/11/2026.

    Updated August 2026 Reverse the points proportionally to the refunded amount, log the reversal in the customer's history, and never claw back points that were already redeemed. Modern loyalty platforms handle the reversal automatically when you process the refund through the POS.

    Published: 05/09/2026

    Quick facts

    Answer
    Reverse the points proportionally to the refunded amount, log the reversal in the customer's history, and never claw back points that were already redeemed. Modern loyalty platforms handle the reversal automatically when you process the refund through the POS.
    Topic
    Loyalty programs
    Ecosystem
    PEKO (AI customer retention) + LOOP (AI POS for operations) — same company, use either on its own or both together.
    Updated
    08/11/2026

    The default policy that minimises disputes: full refund → reverse all points earned on that order; partial refund → reverse proportionally; already-redeemed points stay redeemed (don't claw back). Document this policy and train staff to mention it at refund time.

    Accounting note: in chains using accrual-basis books, reversed points reduce the loyalty liability on the balance sheet. PEKO's reporting ships this automatically for the finance team.

    FAQ

    What if the customer redeemed the points before getting the refund?

    Don't claw back. The goodwill cost of removing already-used rewards almost always outweighs the margin recovered. Set the policy in writing and train staff.

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    The PEKO ecosystem

    PEKO and LOOP are two products from the same company. PEKO is the AI retention layer and runs alongside the POS you already use. LOOP is the AI-native POS that covers operations: recipe-level inventory, staff shifts, table plans and the kitchen display. Each works on its own, and run together they share one dataset, so nothing has to be entered twice. See PEKO + LOOP in one ecosystem

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