---
title: "Give members recurring store credit with Constellation"
url: "https://kestrelwp.com/docs/recurring-store-credit-constellation/"
description: "Give Constellation members store credit every billing period with Account Funds."
published: "2026-10-06T20:27:28+00:00"
modified: "2026-10-06T20:27:28+00:00"
---

This recipe gives members store credit every time they pay for their membership, the same idea as an audiobook club’s monthly credit: members pay a fee and get credit to spend in your store each billing period. Constellation sells the membership and handles renewals, and an Account Funds cashback reward on the membership product adds the credit each time the membership is paid.

The two plugins don’t need to talk to each other. Every membership payment is a WooCommerce order containing the membership product, and the cashback reward credits the customer whenever that product is bought.

## Overview

- **Membership type:** Paid, with recurring billing
- **Billing cadence:** Monthly or annual
- **Primary benefit:** Store credit added to the member’s balance with every payment
- **Best for:** Stores whose customers buy again and again, such as consumables, coffee, cosmetics or supplies

### What members get

- A set amount of store credit each billing period, spendable on anything in your store.
- Any other perks the Constellation plan gives, such as member discounts or exclusive products.

### When this model works well

- Customers already reorder regularly, so the credit turns into orders.
- You want the fee to feel like value received rather than a cost.
- You’d rather give credit than a standing percentage discount.

### When to avoid this model

- Most customers buy once or twice a year, so credit would pile up unused.
- Your margins can’t absorb credit equal to, or above, the membership price.

## Reference model

| Plan | Price | Credit each payment | Other perks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $15 / month | $15 | Members-only products |
| Plus | $30 / month | $35 | Members-only products, free shipping |
| VIP | $50 / month | $60 | Everything in Plus, plus early access |

You don’t need all three tiers to start. One plan with credit equal to its price is a good first version.

## Step 1: Create the membership product

In Constellation, create the plan members join, then the product they buy:

1. Go to **Products » Add New** and choose the **Recurring billing** product type.
2. Set the price and billing period, such as $15 every month.
3. On the **Grant Access** tab, choose the plan under **Membership plans**. **Grant membership access** is ticked automatically for Recurring billing products.
4. Publish the product.

See [Sell memberships with Constellation](/docs/selling-woocommerce-memberships-with-constellation/) for the full product options. This product is what the cashback reward watches for, so each tier needs its own product.

![Account Funds: Step 1 (product data panel with the Grant access tab open (exact screen to be confirmed against Constellation))](https://kestrelwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/account-funds-af-29.png)## Step 2: Create the cashback reward

Go to **Account funds » Cashback**, click **Add new cashback reward**, and name it, for example "Basic member credit". Then set:

- **Amount type:** Fixed ($)
- **Amount ($):** 15
- **Award cap:** Keep awarding this cashback indefinitely
- **Award trigger:** Product purchase
- **Eligible products** (on the **Eligibility** tab): Some products, with the Basic membership product picked under **Products**
- **Award limits:** Unlimited
- **Product quantity:** Award cashback once per eligible product ignoring its quantity in the same order
- **Status:** Active

Click **Create**.

![Account Funds: Step 2 (edit the "Basic member credit" cashback, Eligibility tab)](https://kestrelwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/account-funds-af-30.png)**Award limits** set to **Unlimited** and the indefinite **Award cap** let the reward pay out on every renewal, not just the first purchase; with a limit, it would stop or deplete. Ignoring the quantity keeps the credit to one amount per order. If your plan uses Constellation’s **Allow cumulative purchases** and you want a two-period purchase to earn credit for both periods, choose the multiply option instead.

Repeat this step for each tier, with its own product and amount.

## Step 3: Set an expiration (optional)

To make the credit use-it-or-lose-it, open the reward’s **Expiration** tab and set **Award expires** to **After a duration**, with **Expires after** set to your billing period, such as 1 **Month(s)**. Each payment’s credit then expires a month after it’s added, around when the next payment’s credit arrives. See [Expire and schedule store credit rewards in Account Funds](/docs/account-funds-reward-expiration/).

Leave it at **Never expires** if you’d rather members could save their credit up.

## Step 4: Test a purchase and a renewal

1. In a private browser window, log in as a test customer and buy the membership product.
2. Once the order is **Processing** or **Completed**, go to **Account funds » Wallets** and filter by the test customer. You’ll see a **Product purchase** credit for the reward amount.
3. When the first renewal order is paid, check Wallets again for a second credit.

The renewal order needs to contain the membership product, since that’s what the reward matches. If a renewal doesn’t add credit, check the renewal order’s items.

## Common variations

### With WooCommerce Subscriptions

The same reward works on a WooCommerce Subscriptions product: pick the subscription product under **Eligible products**. Renewal orders contain the subscription’s products, so each paid renewal earns the credit.

### Bonus credit

Set **Amount ($)** above the membership price, such as $35 for a $30 plan, so the membership is worth more than it costs.

### Credit as a percentage of the payment

Use an **Order paid** reward instead, with **Amount type** set to **Percentage (%)** and **Eligible orders** set to **Order contains specific products**, with the membership product picked. The percentage is calculated on the whole order total, so if members buy other products in the same order, those count too.

## Common issues

### Credit wasn’t added on a renewal

Check that the reward is still **Active** and not **Depleted**, that the renewal order reached **Processing** or **Completed**, and that the order contains the membership product picked in **Eligible products**.

### Credit was added twice for one payment

Two rewards may target the same product. Check the order notes for "Awarded $X as store credit cashback to customer via…", which names the rewards that paid out. The amount in that note is each reward’s configured amount, so check **Account funds » Wallets** for the credit actually added. With the multiply option, a quantity of two also doubles the credit.

### Members ask where to see their credit

The My Account store credit tab shows their balance, but not a list of each credit. Turn on the **Store credit awarded** email under **WooCommerce » Settings » Emails** so members hear about each payment’s credit.

### Credit expired before members could use it

The reward’s **Expiration** tab sets how long each credit lasts. Lengthen **Expires after**, or choose **Never expires**. Credit already awarded keeps its original expiration date.

## Keep learning

- [Set up cashback rewards in Account Funds](/docs/account-funds-cashback-rewards/)
- [Expire and schedule store credit rewards in Account Funds](/docs/account-funds-reward-expiration/)
- [Sell memberships with Constellation](/docs/selling-woocommerce-memberships-with-constellation/)
- [Create membership plans in Constellation](/docs/creating-membership-plans-to-provide-access-perks/)