> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.dollarlabs.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.dollarlabs.io/dollarback-store-credit/notifications/monthly-store-credit-balance-reminders.md).

# Monthly store credit balance reminders

Credit that never expires has no deadline to bring customers back, so it's easy for them to forget it's there. A monthly email reminding every customer with a balance how much they have, and that it's waiting at checkout, solves that. This page sets one up entirely in Shopify, using a customer segment and Shopify Messaging, with each customer's own balance in the email.

DollarBack issues credit as native Shopify store credit, so Shopify already knows every customer's balance. There's nothing to sync or export.

{% hint style="info" %}
DollarBack's own **Store Credit Expiry Reminder** email only fires for credit that expires. If your cashback programs use an expires-after value of `0` (never expires), that email never sends, and this setup is the way to remind customers instead. See [Credit expiry & reminders](/dollarback-store-credit/spending-store-credit-and-rewards/credit-expiry-and-reminders.md).
{% endhint %}

## Prerequisites

* Shopify Messaging (formerly Shopify Email) on your store.
* A desktop browser: Shopify only lets you add custom Liquid to an email from a desktop device.

## Step 1: Build the segment

1. In Shopify admin, go to **Customers → Segments → Create segment**.
2. Enter this query:

   ```
   store_credit_accounts MATCHES (balance >= 1)
   ```

   This matches every customer with at least 1 unit of store credit in any currency. You can also start from Shopify's built-in template, **Customers with store credit available to spend**.
3. Name it, for example `Has store credit`, and save.

The segment keeps itself up to date: customers drop out when they spend their balance and join when they earn credit. To ignore tiny leftover balances, raise the threshold, e.g. `balance >= 5`.

| You want                                      | Query                                                                   |
| --------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Anyone with a balance                         | `store_credit_accounts MATCHES (balance >= 1)`                          |
| Balances of $10 or more                       | `store_credit_accounts MATCHES (balance >= 10, currency: 'USD')`        |
| Customers who earned credit in the last month | `store_credit_accounts MATCHES (balance >= 1, last_credit_date >= -1m)` |

## Step 2: Create the email

1. In Shopify admin, go to **Marketing → Campaigns**, create a new Shopify Messaging email, and choose a template.
2. Set the recipients to the segment from step 1.
3. Write a subject line, for example *You have store credit waiting at {your store}*.

## Step 3: Show each customer's balance

Shopify Messaging supports a Liquid variable that prints the customer's store credit balance:

```liquid
{{ customer.store_credit_account.balance | money_with_currency }}
```

To use it:

1. In the email editor, click **Add section** and choose **Custom Liquid**.
2. Paste a block like this, and adjust the wording to your brand:

   ```liquid
   <p>Hi {{ customer.first_name | default: 'there' }},</p>
   <p>You have <strong>{{ customer.store_credit_account.balance | money_with_currency }}</strong>
      in store credit at {{ shop.name }}.</p>
   <p>It never expires, and it's applied at checkout when you're logged in to your account.</p>
   ```
3. Add the rest of your email with the normal editor sections: a **Shop now** button, product images, and so on.

`money_with_currency` shows the amount with its currency code, like `$24.50 USD`. Use `money` instead to show `$24.50`.

{% hint style="info" %}
A custom Liquid section can be up to 50 KB, far more than a reminder needs. Keep the button and images in regular editor sections so they stay easy to change.
{% endhint %}

## Step 4: Test with a real customer

A test email isn't tied to a customer, so the balance may come out blank in a test send. To see it rendered properly before your real send:

1. Give a staff customer account a small balance, through a manual credit in DollarBack or from the customer's page in Shopify admin.
2. Create a one-person segment: `customer_email = 'you@yourstore.com'`.
3. Send the campaign to that segment and check the amount in the email matches the customer's balance.
4. Switch the recipients back to your `Has store credit` segment.

## Step 5: Send it every month

Shopify Messaging campaigns send once. To make the reminder monthly:

* Each month, open last month's campaign, **Duplicate** it, and schedule the copy. The segment stays the same, so it reaches whoever has a balance at that point.
* Or schedule a few months of copies at once, for example on the first of each month.

Refreshing the subject line or the featured products each month keeps the email from feeling repetitive.

## Things to know

* **Only marketing subscribers receive it.** Campaigns are marketing email, so customers who haven't subscribed to email marketing are skipped, even if they have a balance.
* **Multiple currencies.** A customer can hold store credit in more than one currency. If you sell in several, make one segment and campaign per currency (`currency: 'EUR'`, `currency: 'GBP'`, and so on) and use the test in step 4 to check which amount each email shows.
* **Pending credit isn't included.** If you use a [holding period](/dollarback-store-credit/earning-cashback-programs/when-credit-is-issued.md), credit that is still pending isn't part of the Shopify balance yet, so the email shows only what the customer can spend today.

## Related articles

* [Credit expiry & reminders](/dollarback-store-credit/spending-store-credit-and-rewards/credit-expiry-and-reminders.md)
* [Email notifications overview](/dollarback-store-credit/notifications/email-notifications-overview.md)
* [When credit is issued](/dollarback-store-credit/earning-cashback-programs/when-credit-is-issued.md)
* [Shopify Flow: triggers & actions](/dollarback-store-credit/integrations/shopify-flow-triggers-and-actions.md)