> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bellabooking.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Birthday Reward

> Treat clients on their birthday with a discount that's recognised automatically once a year, plus a greeting on the day and a reminder before it expires

## Overview

The **Birthday reward** turns a client's birthday into a genuine treat. Set it up once and Bella Booking recognises a client around their birthday and applies the discount automatically — online or at the till — once a year. A friendly **greeting** goes out on the day, and a **reminder** nudges the client before the reward expires.

Capturing a client's date of birth is **free**. The **reward** and its two messages are part of **Messages Plus**. See [Settings — Messaging](/settings/messaging) to subscribe.

<Note>
  Find it under **Programmes → Birthday** in the sidebar, or go to **Settings → Birthday**. A dedicated phone number is **not** required to set up the reward — it's only needed if you want the messages to go out by SMS.
</Note>

***

## How it works

1. A client has a **date of birth** on file (see [Capturing a birthday](#capturing-a-birthday)).
2. On their birthday, a **birthday greeting** goes out (if you've turned the message on).
3. The client's reward is live for a **validity window** — 30 days by default.
4. When the client books or is checked out during that window, the discount is applied automatically to their bill.
5. If they haven't used it, a **reminder** nudges them before it expires — and stops the moment they redeem it.
6. The reward applies **once a year**.

***

## Setting up the reward

Go to **Settings → Birthday** (or **Programmes → Birthday**).

**Access:** requires the **Manage campaigns** permission and an active Messages Plus subscription.

### Turn the reward on

The **Reward** row switches the reward between **Paused** and **Active**. You can't activate a reward until you've set a value above zero.

### Choose the discount

* **Type** — a **percentage** off, or a **fixed amount** off.
* **Reward value** — the percentage (up to 100%) or the amount.

### Validity

Set how long the reward lasts, counted from the client's birthday. The default is **30 days** — roughly their birthday month. Quick-pick options cover 14, 30, 60, and 90 days, or enter your own (up to a year).

### Minimum spend (optional)

Set the least a client must spend before the reward applies, or leave it as **No minimum**.

### How it's applied

* **Auto-apply** (default) — nothing is required from the client; the discount is applied automatically when an eligible client books or checks out during their window.
* **Code** — the client enters a code at online booking, or gives it to you at the till. Choose your own code (letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores). The code only works for clients whose birthday reward is live.

### Who gets the reward

By default, **every** client with a birthday on file is eligible. Set an **audience** to narrow it down using the same client filters as campaigns — Last appointment, total spent, no-shows, and more.

You can also **exclude an individual client** from their profile. An excluded client still receives the birthday **greeting** — they just don't get the discount.

***

## The birthday messages

Two automated messages support the reward. Both need Messages Plus to send, and you turn each channel (email and SMS) on yourself once you've added your own wording.

* **Birthday greeting** — goes out on the day, at around 9 am in your business's timezone. It's treated as an announcement, so it reaches every client who hasn't opted out of announcements — no separate marketing opt-in needed. Each client gets it at most once a year.
* **Birthday reward reminder** — sent once, a few days before the reward expires, and only if the client hasn't used it yet. It stops automatically the moment the reward is redeemed, and only goes to clients who are eligible for the reward.

Edit the wording — and show the reward inside it with the `{{RewardAmount}}`, `{{RewardExpiry}}`, and (in Code mode) `{{OfferCode}}` variables — in [Automated messages](/settings/automated-messages#13-birthday-greeting).

<Note>
  Within Messages Plus, the birthday **email** is included and uses no message credits, while **SMS** is metered and needs an active [dedicated number](/settings/messaging) — the same rule as campaigns. Without a number, the SMS is skipped and the email still goes out.
</Note>

***

## Capturing a birthday

A client's date of birth (the year is optional) can be recorded in several ways — and capturing it is **free**, on every plan:

* **Client profile** — open a client and edit their details.
* **Client import** — map a *Date of birth* column when importing clients; ambiguous numeric dates are read using your business's country format.
* **Online booking profile** — a signed-in client can add or update their own birthday from their account on your booking page.
* **Family members** — a birthday can be recorded for each family member a client adds.
* **After booking** — the confirmation screen invites the client to add their birthday (they can skip it). This invitation only appears when you're actually using birthdays — your Messages Plus subscription is active, and either the reward is **active** or the [birthday greeting](/settings/automated-messages#13-birthday-greeting) is switched on — so clients are never asked for a date of birth that would go unused.

Birthdays added by clients online appear on their profile in your dashboard automatically.

Wherever a client enters their own birthday, they see day and month only — the year stays behind **+ Add your birth year**, so someone happy to be celebrated doesn't have to share their age to do it. Every birthday feature works from the day and month alone, so a birthday with no year is complete as far as the reward, the greeting and the filters are concerned.

***

## At online booking and the till

* **Online booking** — when an eligible client books during their window, the discount appears in their cart before they confirm.
* **At the till** — when you check out an eligible client, the discount is applied to the sale.

The reward applies **once a year** and **stacks** with your other discounts (loyalty, referral, new-client offer, and manual discounts) — each is applied in turn and capped so the bill never goes below zero.

***

## Tracking redemptions

The **Birthday rewards** report shows, day by day, the birthday rewards redeemed and the discount value given. A snapshot at the top shows how many clients have a birthday this month and the percentage of your active clients with a date of birth on file. Open it from **Programmes** or **Insights → Reports** (needs a plan that includes messaging). See [Reports](/insights/reports).

***

## FAQs

**Q: Is capturing birthdays free?**
A: Yes. Recording a client's date of birth is free on every plan. The **reward** and the two birthday **messages** are part of Messages Plus.

**Q: How often does a client get the reward?**
A: Once a year, during the validity window that runs from their birthday.

**Q: I don't do anything with birthdays — how do I stop online booking asking my clients for a date of birth?**
A: It already doesn't. The post-booking invitation only appears on Messages Plus, and only when the reward is active or the birthday greeting is switched on — so without Messages Plus, or with both of those off, your clients are never prompted. Nothing in the booking steps themselves ever asks for a date of birth. It remains available as an **optional** field in two places a client goes to manage their own details — **My profile**, and when they add or edit a **family member** — because that's their own record to fill in if they want to. It's never required, and it isn't part of booking.

**Q: Do clients need a code?**
A: Not by default — the reward is **auto-apply**. Switch to **Code** mode if you'd rather the client entered a code; it only works for clients whose birthday reward is currently live.

**Q: Can I stop one client getting the discount but still wish them happy birthday?**
A: Yes. Exclude them from their profile — they keep the **greeting** but not the reward.

**Q: Do I need a dedicated phone number?**
A: Not to set up the reward, and not for the birthday **email**. A dedicated number is only needed to send the birthday messages by **SMS**. See [Settings — Messaging](/settings/messaging).

**Q: What happens to clients born on 29 February?**
A: In non-leap years they receive their greeting on 28 February.

**Q: Does the reward stack with my other discounts?**
A: Yes. It stacks with loyalty, referral, the new-client offer, and manual discounts. Each is applied in turn and capped so the total never drops below zero.

***

## Related

* [Programmes](/programmes) — all your marketing programmes in one place
* [New-client offer](/programmes/new-client-offer) — the first-visit welcome discount
* [Automated messages](/settings/automated-messages#13-birthday-greeting) — wording for the greeting and reminder
* [Settings — Messaging](/settings/messaging) — subscribe to Messages Plus
* [Clients](/clients) — record a client's date of birth
* [Reports](/insights/reports) — the Birthday rewards report