Rewards Terminology—Content Design

This started as a shared doc to stop the same arguments from happening in every design review. We had five people making different calls on whether to say "points" or "rewards," whether "cash back" was acceptable shorthand, whether "Congratulations" was the right energy for a tier unlock. It wasn't.

The rules below are decisions, not preferences. This doc also serves as the source of truth for a Claude skill used to enforce terminology at scale—so agents and LLMs reviewing copy, generating variants, or flagging inconsistencies are working from the same decisions as the humans on the team.

Program Naming

Term	Status	Notes
Full program name	✓ Use	Always on first mention. Any surface where the user might not know what they're looking at.
Short form	◐ Context only	Fine once the program is established—enrolled user, inside the hub, activity feed. Not on third-party surfaces or any standalone entry point.
loyalty program	✗ Never	Wrong category. This isn't a loyalty program.

Checkout exception: when the program appears as a line item in a pay sheet next to other payment methods, use the full name even if the user is enrolled. They need to distinguish between instruments, not just recognize the brand.

Points & Currency

Term	Status	Notes
points	✓ Default	Inside the app, enrolled context, no other rewards currency in view. Adding the program name in front is just noise here.
[Program] points	◐ When it matters	Use the modifier when there's a real risk of confusion—stacking contexts, third-party sites, anywhere another rewards currency is visible alongside ours.
Available to use	✓ Locked label	Balance subtext in the header. Replaced "Available to spend"—"spend" implies a dollar value we can't legally assert for unspent points.
Points earned	✓ Always	Post-purchase and activity feed. Don't get creative here—consistency is the point.
1 point	✓ Always	Singular. "1 points" is never correct.
rewards (as currency)	✗ Never	Don't use "rewards" to mean the points balance. They're points.
cash back / cashback	✗ Never	This is a points program. "Cash back" is a different product category and sets the wrong expectation.
$X value for earned points	✗ Never	Escheatment risk. Don't show a dollar equivalent for a balance that hasn't been redeemed.
Available to spend	Retired	See "Available to use" above.

Earn Language

Term	Status	Notes
Earn X points per $1	✓ Standard	Default earn rate format everywhere.
Earn	✓ Ongoing behavior	"Earn" is for recurring actions—things the user keeps doing. "Earn points at checkout."
Get	✓ One-time	"Get" is for bonuses, incentives, milestones. "Get 500 bonus points." These aren't interchangeable—it shows in testing.
bonus points	✓ Always	Points earned on top of the base rate—challenges, milestones, sign-up offers.
earn on top of	✓ Preferred	For additive benefit copy ("earn on top of your card rewards"). Not "stack"—see below.
5X points / 10X rewards	✗ Never	Multiplier format isn't approved.
% back	✗ Avoid	Percentage format isn't permitted for earn rates. Points-per-dollar only.
stack / stacking	✗ Never	Use "earn on top of" or "keep your card rewards and add ours." "Stack" is jargon that doesn't pass plain-language review.

Achievement & Celebration

Term	Status	Notes
You earned / You reached / You unlocked / Welcome to	✓ Use	Default for achievement moments and tier unlocks. Start with what the user did, not what we're telling them.
You're in.	✓ Locked	Enrollment confirmation headline. That's the only place it goes.
Congratulations / Congrats	✗ Never	Tested badly. Feels like a bank form letter. The brand voice is warmer and more direct than this.

Progress & Framing

Term	Status	Notes
Close to / Almost at / Within reach	✓ Use	Progress toward milestones. Forward-looking.
Earn X more points to reach [milestone]	✓ Use	Motivational progress copy. Tells them what to do, not what they lack.
Away from / Just X away / Only X left	✗ Never	Loss framing. Even when technically accurate, these make the user feel behind instead of close. Not the energy we want.
Don't lose your status / Expires	✗ Never	Same issue—fear-based framing for tier renewal. Find a motivational angle instead.