Note: This article covers rewards billing. This is separate from your subscription plan (Free, Team, or Organization). For subscription plan information, see Paying for Bonusly: Subscriptions.
Do I need rewards billing?
Rewards billing is required to redeem paid rewards like gift cards, merchandise,
and cash-out options. If your company has rewards billing disabled, users can still
redeem no-cost rewards like:
- Custom Rewards (custom rewards your company creates)
- Points Boost (pay-it-forward reward for giving more recognition to teammates)
You can leave rewards disabled if you want to use Bonusly to supercharge 1:1s, feedback, reviews, and recognition for your team, but not pay for rewards.
How to check your rewards billing status
Go to Admin → Plans & Billing. In the Rewards section, you'll see either:
- Your current rewards billing option (Pay-as-you-go, or Prepay by credit card or bank ACH transfer)
- "Rewards Billing Disabled" if rewards billing is not enabled
Enabling rewards billing
If rewards billing is disabled and you want to enable it:
1. Go to Admin → Plans & Billing
2. Add a credit card if you haven't already
3. Click Enable Rewards Billing
4. You'll be enrolled in the Pay-as-you-go plan by default
Note: For new customers, Bonusly may run a quick verification review (KYC/KYB) after your first successful payment activity. This can be triggered by starting a paid subscription or by enabling rewards billing (when the first invoice/payment is created). During this review, reward redemptions may show as Pending until the review is complete. If we need anything from you, our team will reach out.
If someone is deactivated while a reward is pending during the verification review, that redemption may not auto-fulfill until the account is reactivated.
Rewards billing overview
Bonusly tracks a balance of funds in your account that is used for employee rewards (this is called your "reward balance"). Depending on the billing option you choose, you can pay that balance after rewards are redeemed (Pay-as-you-go) or fund it in advance (Prepay).
When an employee redeems for a reward in Bonusly, it is Bonusly that purchases and delivers the reward to your employee. Bonusly then deducts the cost of the reward from your reward balance. When your reward balance falls below a certain threshold, then you pay an amount specified by your reward billing plan to restore the balance.
Use our Rewards Budgeting Calculator to configure Bonusly to fit your budget.
Bonusly offers three different reward billing plans:
Bonusly offers two ways to pay for rewards
Pay-as-you-go: Your reward balance is paid by credit card after rewards are redeemed, when it passes -$100 or at the end of the month. 8% convenience fee.
Prepay: You fund your reward balance in advance, and choose how to pay:
Credit card: Fund a balance of your choosing, up to $20,000. 5% convenience fee.
Bank ACH transfer: Fund a balance of your choosing, starting at $2,500. No fee.
Pay-as-you-go Plan
When employees claim $100 or more in rewards, customers' credit cards are charged for the total value of reward redemptions plus an 8% convenience fee. In other words, customers' credit cards are charged for all redeemed rewards when their reward balance is -$100. Alternatively, you will receive an invoice at the end of the month the value of redemptions made.
Payments will be auto-collected—meaning that if a valid credit card is on file, that card will be automatically charged when the customer is invoiced.
Prepay by credit card.
You choose a prepay amount, up to $20,000. We recommend that your preset amount be approximately a three-month budget for rewards. This helps prevent service interruptions for your employees if any updates or changes are needed.
When employees have redeemed 50% of the selected bill amount or more in rewards, customers' credit cards are charged the established total bill amount plus a 5% convenience fee. In other words, customers' credit cards are charged when their current rewards balance is half (or less) of their total bill amount.
Payments will be auto-collected—meaning that if a valid credit card is on file, that card will be automatically charged when the customer is invoiced.
Prepay by bank ACH transfer
With bank ACH transfer, you set a prepay amount of $2,500 or more. We recommend about three months' budget for expected reward redemptions.
When employees have redeemed 50% of the selected bill amount or more in rewards, an invoice will be triggered for the established total bill amount. Said another way, invoices are sent when your rewards balance is half (or less) of your total bill amount. There's no fee for paying by bank ACH transfer.
Rewards billing invoices are sent to the email listed in “Account details.” Invoices must be paid via ACH or wire transfer from the customer’s banking service. Invoices should be paid promptly to avoid employee interruptions to the rewards catalog. If a customer has an outstanding invoice (whether it’s a rewards invoice or subscription invoice), payment will be applied to the outstanding bill.
From Plans & billing, you can change how you pay for rewards:
Bank ACH transfer to Pay-as-you-go: takes effect immediately.
Bank ACH transfer to credit card: immediate if your current balance already covers the new prepay amount. Otherwise, you'll pay by card first, and the switch completes once that payment goes through.
Note! Bonusly cannot guarantee a rewards billing payment will be applied to the rewards invoice if the customer has an outstanding subscription invoice. In this case, customers may experience rewards catalog interruptions until all outstanding invoices are paid.
Reward billing FAQs
Pay-as-you-go Plan
Why am I being charged a convenience fee?
Bonusly incurs costs & risks in order to provide rewards to your employees when a small (as low as $200) or even negative (in the case of pay-as-you-go) reward balance is maintained. For the convenience of being able to maintain such a low, or even no positive reward balance, there is a convenience fee associated to make up for the costs and risks incurred by Bonusly.
Why does my bill amount vary?
When your users redeem $100 or more in rewards, your credit card is charged. We don’t limit users' redemptions as your company approaches a -$100 rewards balance.
For example, let's say your balance is -$75. Then, a user redeems a gift card reward valued at $50. Now, your balance is -$125.
Because your balance is below -$100, your credit card is charged for the total value of reward redemptions ($125) plus an 8% convenience fee, totaling $135.
Your rewards bill can vary greatly depending on the values of the gift card rewards you offer and how quickly users redeem rewards on the Pay-as-you-go Plan.
Why is my billing threshold and current rewards balance negative?
Your reward balance starts at $0, and Bonusly allows users to redeem up to $100 in rewards total. Essentially, we're fronting you the funds for rewards.
As users redeem rewards, the company's current rewards balance becomes more negative. Once it reaches -$100 or more, your credit card will be charged.
Prepay by credit card
What is the Prepay by credit card?
With the Prepay by credit card, you can pre-fund your account by choosing a bill amount option from $200 and up.
The Prepay by credit card plan includes a 5% convenience fee and requires payment by credit card.
Can I customize my bill amount?
You can select among many options: $200 / $500 / $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 / $4,000 / $5,000 / $10,000 / $15,000 / $20,000. If you want or need a higher bill amount for your rewards billing plan, you should explore Prepay by bank ACH transfer.
How do I know what bill amount option to select?
Select the bill amount closest to the budget for three months of employee rewards. In other words, choose the bill amount that matches the amount you want to spend on reward redemptions for a quarter.
What if I’m already on Prepay by credit card but need to change my bill amount?
That’s not a problem. Go to ‘Plans & Billing’ and click “Modify plan settings” in the “Rewards settings” card. From here, you can choose a different bill amount from the available options. Depending on your new billing threshold, your credit card may be charged to fund your account. For more details, see 5.
No problem! Here's what you need to do:
Go to your Plans & Billing page.
Click “Modify plan settings” in the “Rewards settings” card.
From here, you can choose a different bill amount from the available options.
Depending on your new billing threshold, your credit card may be charged to fund your account. For more details on the billing threshold, see point 5.
Can I change my billing threshold?
No, the billing threshold of 50% of the bill amount is standardized across all plans and bill amount options. This billing threshold is designed to protect your users from rewards catalog interruptions and ensure more consistent customer service and support.
Why am I being charged when I tried to change my plan?
On the Prepay by credit card plan, your credit card is charged when your current rewards balance is 50% or less than your bill amount. When you choose a new bill amount, it also comes with a new billing threshold. Here's what to expect:
Choosing a Higher Bill Amount:
If you choose a higher bill amount, your current rewards balance may be below your new billing threshold. You'll be notified that payment is necessary. If you proceed with the bill amount change, your credit card will be charged to fund your account.
Choosing a Lower Bill Amount:
If you choose a lower bill amount than before, your current rewards balance is likely higher than your new billing threshold. In this case, no payment is necessary.
Why am I being charged a convenience fee?
There are costs and risks incurred by Bonusly in providing you with the flexibility to set the reward funding amount as low as $200 and to change it at any time. The 5% fee is charged to compensate Bonusly for those costs and risks.
Prepay by bank ACH transfer
Can I customize my bill amount?
Yes! On the Prepay ACH, your bill amount must be at least $2,500, but you can enter any amount greater than this. We suggest setting a bill amount that's divisible by 5 since most reward amounts are in $5 increments. When you set up the Prepay ACH initially, and whenever your current rewards balance is below 50% of the bill amount, you'll be responsible for paying the full bill amount.
How do I know what my bill amount should be?
Set a bill amount that's closest to how much you want to budget for 3 months of employee rewards. In other words, enter a bill amount that matches how much you want to spend on reward redemptions for a quarter.
What if I want to set a bill amount based on a different time period—not a quarter’s worth, but longer or shorter than that?
As long as your bill amount is at least $2,500, you can set it based on a different time period. However, we recommend basing your bill amount on 3 months or a quarter. This helps protect your account from catalog shutdowns or interruptions in reward redemptions for your employees.
Can I customize my billing threshold?
No, the billing threshold of 50% of the bill amount is standardized across all plans and bill amount options. This billing threshold is designed to protect your users from rewards catalog interruptions and ensure more consistent customer service and support.
How will I pay my rewards billing invoice?
When your current rewards balance is half or less than your bill amount, you'll receive a payable invoice at the email address listed in the “Account details” card on your Plans & Billing page. From the invoice email, you can pay the rewards bill via ACH or wire transfer in our secure payment portal.
How long will I have to pay my rewards billing invoice?
Once you receive your payable rewards billing invoice, you have 30 days to pay the total amount via ACH or wire transfer from your banking service.
We recommend paying rewards billing invoices promptly to avoid rewards catalog interruptions for your employees.
Please Note: If you have an outstanding invoice (whether it’s a rewards invoice or subscription invoice), payment will be applied to the outstanding bill. Bonusly cannot guarantee a rewards billing payment will be applied to the rewards invoice if you have an outstanding subscription invoice. In this case, customers may experience rewards catalog interruptions until all outstanding invoices are paid.
How can I modify my rewards billing plan settings?
Switching to Pay-as-you-go: Go to your Plans & Billing page and select Pay-as-you-go. The switch is immediate no invoice or waiting period.
Switching to Prepay by credit card: Select Prepay, choose Credit card, and then choose your prepay amount. If your current rewards balance already meets that amount, the switch is immediate. Otherwise, you'll be charged before the switch completes.
Changing your Prepay ACH amount (while staying on Prepay ACH): Use the edit icon next to **Rewards balance compared to prepay amount** on the Rewards card, enter the new amount, and confirm.