Account and Card Status Guide
This page explains how member account statuses and loyalty card statuses work — what each status means, how they affect a member's ability to earn and redeem points, and what happens when statuses change.
Table of contents
- Account statuses
- Card statuses
- Earning points
- Redeeming points
- Deceased vs. Closed
- Common scenarios
- Quick reference
Account statuses
An account can be in one of six states. Most accounts are Active. Deceased and Closed are permanent — they can never be changed once set.
| Status | What it means | Can it be changed? |
|---|---|---|
| Active | All earning, redemption, and account operations are available with no restrictions. | Yes |
| Suspended | All earning, redemption, and profile updates are blocked. The account stays suspended until an administrator explicitly reactivates it — there is no automatic expiry. | Yes — an administrator must explicitly change it back to Active |
| Unregistered | Earning is allowed. Redemption is blocked until the member completes registration, at which point the account automatically moves to Active. | Yes — resolved when the member completes self-registration |
| Cancelled | Earning and redemption are blocked. Whether the account can be reactivated depends on client configuration — some programs treat it as permanent, others allow administrator reactivation. | Depends on configuration |
| Deceased | All operations are permanently blocked. The status cannot be changed by any API call or administrator action — only a database-level correction can alter it. | No — permanent |
| Closed | All operations are permanently blocked. The status cannot be changed by any API call or administrator action — only a database-level correction can alter it. | No — permanent |
What each status means in practice
Active — The member can earn, redeem, and transfer points, update their profile, add cards, and receive offers. No restrictions.
Suspended — An administrator has explicitly blocked all point earning, redemption, point transfers, and most profile changes on this account. The member can view their account in read-only mode only. The account stays suspended indefinitely — it does not auto-expire. An administrator must explicitly change the status back to Active to restore operations.
Example: A fraud investigation is opened after suspicious transactions are detected and all account activity must be frozen while the case is reviewed. The account remains suspended until the investigation is closed and an administrator clears it.
Unregistered — A ghost account created by a data feed or partner system before the member has self-registered. Earning is allowed at the point of sale. Redemption is blocked until registration is completed, at which point the account automatically moves to Active.
Example: A loyalty card is picked up in-store and scanned at checkout before the member has created an online profile. Points accumulate on the ghost account. Once the member registers online and links their card, the account becomes Active and redemption is unlocked.
Cancelled — A cancellation triggered by a system process (not by a member request or direct administrator action). Earning and redemption are blocked. Whether reactivation is possible depends on client configuration: in some programs the account can be returned to Active by an administrator; in others it behaves as a permanent end state.
Example: An automated rule cancels accounts that have had no activity in 36 months. An administrator may be able to reactivate on request if the member re-engages.
Deceased — Set when a death notification is received. All earning, redemption, profile updates, and card operations are permanently blocked. The status cannot be changed through any API call or administrator action — only a database-level correction can alter it. The system automatically deletes the member's phone number (for privacy compliance), releases their email and phone identifiers so they can be reused by new members, and unsubscribes the account from SMS. Cards are left in their current state for manual review by an administrator.
Example: A family member or legal representative contacts customer service with a death certificate. The account is marked Deceased, locking it permanently while allowing estate-related card review.
Closed — Set when a member requests account deletion or an administrator terminates the account. All earning, redemption, and account operations are permanently blocked. The status cannot be changed through any API call or administrator action. The system automatically cancels all cards on the account, releases all identity locks, and can optionally anonymize personal data, purge point balances, and remove the member from their household.
Example: A member submits a GDPR right-to-be-forgotten request. The account is Closed with anonymization and point purge options enabled, removing all identifiable data and terminating the membership permanently.
Card statuses
A card can be in one of seven states. Most cards are Active. Cancelled and Expired are permanent and cannot be reactivated.
| Status | What it means | Can it be changed? |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Earning and redemption are both available. No restrictions on this card. | Yes |
| Suspended | Redemption on this card is blocked. Earning continues — points still accumulate to the account. The card stays suspended until an administrator explicitly reactivates it. | Yes — an administrator must explicitly change it back to Active |
| Lost or Stolen | All redemption on this card is blocked. Earning continues. A replacement card is issued. The original card is not reactivated in most cases. | Effectively no — a new replacement card is issued instead |
| Damaged | All redemption on this card is blocked. Earning continues. A replacement card is issued and the damaged card is eventually cancelled. | Effectively no — a new replacement card is issued instead |
| Fraud/Abuse | Redemption on this card is blocked while earning continues. The card stays in this state until an administrator completes the investigation and either clears it (back to Active) or confirms fraud (moves to Cancelled). | Yes — an administrator must explicitly resolve the investigation |
| Cancelled | All earning and redemption on this card are permanently blocked. Cannot be reactivated. | No — permanent |
| Expired | All earning and redemption on this card are permanently blocked. Cannot be reactivated. A renewal card can be issued. | No — a new renewal card is issued instead |
What each card status means in practice
Active — The card can be used for all transactions: earning, redeeming, and transfers.
Suspended — An administrator has blocked redemption on this specific card. Earning is not affected — points continue to accumulate to the account as normal. The card stays suspended indefinitely; it does not auto-expire. An administrator must explicitly change the status back to Active to restore redemption.
Example: Suspicious redemption activity is detected on one card in a multi-card account. That card is suspended to block further redemptions while the specific card is investigated, without blocking the rest of the account.
Lost or Stolen — The member has reported this card missing. Redemption is blocked on this card number. Earning continues so the member is not penalized while waiting for a replacement. A new card is issued and the original card remains in Lost or Stolen status permanently.
Example: A member calls customer service to report their wallet was stolen. The card is marked Lost or Stolen immediately and a replacement card is mailed. Any transactions against the old card number still earn points but cannot be used to redeem.
Damaged — The physical card is no longer readable — for example, a broken chip or demagnetized stripe. Redemption is blocked on this card. Earning continues. A replacement card is issued. The damaged card is eventually moved to Cancelled once the replacement is active.
Example: A member's card no longer scans at checkout due to a worn magnetic stripe. Customer service marks it Damaged and ships a replacement. The member can still earn points at the register once the new card arrives.
Fraud/Abuse — The card has been flagged due to suspicious activity. Redemption on this card is blocked; earning continues. The card stays in this state until an administrator resolves the investigation: if cleared, the card returns to Active; if fraud is confirmed, the card moves to Cancelled and the account may also be suspended or closed.
Example: The system detects an unusual pattern of high-value redemptions on a single card within a 24-hour window, consistent with card-sharing or point-farming. The card is flagged for Fraud/Abuse, blocking further redemptions while a team member reviews the transaction history.
Cancelled — All earning and redemption on this card are permanently blocked. Cannot be reactivated. Cancellation is triggered by account closure (all cards on the account are auto-cancelled), card replacement (the old card is cancelled when a new one is issued), or a manual cancellation by an administrator.
Expired — The card has passed its printed expiration date. All earning and redemption are permanently blocked. A renewal card with a new expiry date can be issued to replace it.
Earning points
Earning is lenient by design. The system applies one primary rule: if the account is Closed or Deceased, earning is blocked entirely. For all other account states, earning is allowed as long as the card itself is not Cancelled or Expired.
- Earning is allowed when the account is Active or Unregistered, as long as the card is not Cancelled or Expired. A card that is Suspended, Lost or Stolen, Damaged, or flagged for Fraud/Abuse still allows earning — points accumulate to the account until the card issue is resolved.
- Earning is blocked when the account is Closed, Deceased, Suspended, or Cancelled — regardless of card status. It is also blocked when the card is Cancelled or Expired, even on an Active account.
| Account status | Card status | Can earn? |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Active | ✅ Yes |
| Active | Suspended | ✅ Yes — points accumulate; redemption on this card is blocked |
| Active | Lost or Stolen | ✅ Yes — points accumulate while awaiting replacement card |
| Active | Damaged | ✅ Yes — points accumulate while awaiting replacement card |
| Active | Fraud/Abuse | ✅ Yes — points accumulate while the investigation is open |
| Active | Cancelled | ❌ No — card is permanently deactivated |
| Active | Expired | ❌ No — card is past its expiration date |
| Unregistered | Active, Suspended, Lost, Damaged, or Fraud/Abuse | ✅ Yes — ghost accounts earn before registration is complete |
| Unregistered | Cancelled | ❌ No — card is permanently deactivated |
| Suspended | Any | ❌ No — account-level block overrides all card statuses |
| Cancelled | Any | ❌ No — account-level block overrides all card statuses |
| Deceased | Any | ❌ No — permanent account-level block |
| Closed | Any | ❌ No — permanent account-level block |
Redeeming points
Redemption is strict by design. Spending points is treated as a financial transaction — the system requires both the account and the card to be fully Active before allowing any redemption. There is one configured exception for unregistered accounts.
- Redemption is allowed only when both the account and the card are Active. One exception: an Unregistered account where a customer service agent has explicitly applied a redemption override flag can also redeem.
- Redemption is blocked in every other status combination. Any account status other than Active blocks redemption regardless of card status. Any card status other than Active blocks redemption regardless of account status.
Even when status allows redemption, the system also checks for points on hold (recently earned points are held briefly as a fraud measure), minimum lifetime spend thresholds, daily redemption caps, and any active fraud alerts.
| Account status | Card status | Can redeem? |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Active | ✅ Yes |
| Active | Suspended | ❌ No — redemption blocked on this card until an administrator reactivates it |
| Active | Lost or Stolen | ❌ No — member must use replacement card to redeem |
| Active | Damaged | ❌ No — member must use replacement card to redeem |
| Active | Fraud/Abuse | ❌ No — blocked until an administrator resolves the investigation |
| Active | Cancelled or Expired | ❌ No — card is permanently deactivated |
| Unregistered | Active | ⚠️ Special case — only if a customer service agent has explicitly applied a redemption override flag to the account |
| Unregistered | Any other | ❌ No |
| Suspended | Any | ❌ No — account-level block overrides all card statuses |
| Cancelled | Any | ❌ No — account-level block overrides all card statuses |
| Deceased | Any | ❌ No — permanent account-level block |
| Closed | Any | ❌ No — permanent account-level block |
Deceased vs. Closed
Both statuses are permanent and block all operations. The differences matter for data privacy and card handling.
| Deceased | Closed | |
|---|---|---|
| Triggered by | Death notification received from a family member, legal representative, or government agency | Member submits a deletion request, or an administrator terminates the account |
| All operations blocked | Yes | Yes |
| Phone number | Deleted from the database immediately — a stronger privacy obligation applies on death | Retained in the database — may be needed for compliance audits or dispute resolution |
| Cards | Left in current state — an administrator reviews them manually (for example, for estate handling) | All cards are automatically cancelled when the account is closed |
| Data anonymization | Not available | Available as an option — used for GDPR right-to-be-forgotten requests |
| Identity locks released | Yes — email, phone, and external ID can be reused by new members | Yes — email, phone, and external ID can be reused by new members |
Common scenarios
Member loses their card
- The old card status changes to Lost or Stolen — redemption is immediately blocked on that card number.
- A replacement card is issued as Active.
- Earning continues on the old card number — any transactions still credit the same account.
- Redemption is only available once the member transacts with the new Active card.
Fraud investigation
- The account is set to Suspended (blocks all earning and redemption) and/or specific cards are set to Fraud/Abuse (blocks redemption on those cards; earning continues).
- The account or card stays in this state until an administrator explicitly resolves it — there is no automatic expiry.
- If cleared: an administrator changes statuses back to Active and all operations resume.
- If fraud is confirmed: the account moves to Closed (permanent) and all cards are auto-cancelled.
Death notification received
- The account moves to Deceased — all operations are permanently blocked; the status cannot be changed by any API call.
- The phone number is deleted from the database immediately.
- Email and phone identifiers are released so they can be reused by new members.
- Cards remain in their current state for an administrator to review (for example, for estate-related handling).
Member requests account deletion (GDPR)
- The account moves to Closed — all operations are permanently blocked; the status cannot be changed by any API call.
- All cards on the account are automatically cancelled.
- Personal data is anonymized — names, email, and phone are replaced with system-generated placeholders.
- Point balances are purged to zero.
- The member is removed from their household if applicable.
Unregistered member shops at the register
- The sale completes at the POS normally.
- Points are earned and credited to the ghost account.
- Redemption is blocked until the member completes online registration — at which point the account moves to Active and all accumulated points become redeemable.
- Exception: if a customer service agent has explicitly applied a redemption override flag to the account, redemption is available before registration is complete.
Quick reference
Account status capabilities
| Active | Suspended | Unregistered | Cancelled | Deceased | Closed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earn points | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Redeem points | ✅ | ❌ | ⚠️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Transfer points | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Update profile | ✅ | Read-only | Limited | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Add cards | ✅ | Config | Limited | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Change status | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Config | ❌ | ❌ |
Card status capabilities
| Active | Suspended | Lost/Stolen | Damaged | Fraud/Abuse | Cancelled | Expired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earn points | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Redeem points | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Promote to primary | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Replace card | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |