This article is relevant only to stores running on legacy Shopify customer accounts. Legacy accounts have been deprecated, and new stores can no longer switch to legacy customer accounts.
With legacy accounts, creating an account is a separate step, which means a customer can:
Register an account before making any purchases, or
Make a purchase as a guest, without registering.
In the second scenario, guests can earn points but cannot redeem them until they create an account.
By default, Alpha Loyalty blocks unregistered customers from earning points to ensure rewards are always connected to active accounts. However, you can change this behavior if it fits your strategy.
In your program setup, use the "Reward only registered customers" checkbox in the “Place an Order” earning rule:
When checked: Only registered customers earn points.
When unchecked: Guest customers earn points but can't redeem them before registering.
Whether or not you allow guests to earn points, you’ll still see them in your Customer board in Alpha Loyalty. They’ll be marked with a special “Guest” label in your customer dashboard.
This allows you to track their activity and earned points (if any).
If guest earning is enabled, you can later use those unredeemed points as a great incentive for customers to register — for example, by reminding them that their points are waiting once they create an account.