Spend Limits
How customer spend limits work
Overview
Customers can set a daily, weekly and/or monthly spend limit from My Account > Responsible Gaming. Each period is independent, and every limit that's set is checked.
| Period | Resets |
|---|---|
| Daily | Midnight |
| Weekly | Midnight on Monday |
| Monthly | Midnight on the 1st of the month |
All times use your site's timezone (Settings > General > Timezone).
Changing a Limit
| Change | When it takes effect |
|---|---|
| Setting a limit for the first time | Immediately |
| Lowering a limit | Immediately |
| Raising a limit | After email confirmation plus the waiting period |
| Removing a limit (leaving the box blank) | After email confirmation plus the waiting period |
Raising or removing, step by step
- The customer enters a higher amount (or leaves the box blank) and clicks Save
- They're emailed a confirmation link, valid for 24 hours
- They click the link while logged in. The waiting period now starts (default 24 hours, set in Timing Rules)
- Once the waiting period ends, the new limit is applied by the hourly scheduled task and the customer is emailed
The old limit stays in force the whole time. My Account shows the pending change and when it will apply.
What Counts as Spend
- The value of products in the customer's orders, after any coupon discounts
- Only orders in the statuses chosen in Settings (Processing and Completed by default)
- Spending counts in the period it was paid - the order's payment date. An auction won last week but paid today counts towards today's limit. Orders counted without a payment date (for example cash on delivery, or orders the shop marks as processing) count from the date they were placed
- Orders being paid for right now also count, for up to an hour (or WooCommerce's "hold stock" time if longer), so two checkouts at the same moment can't both use the same allowance. If the payment fails or the order is cancelled, it's released straight away
- Shipping, tax and fees are not counted
- Refunds reduce spending. Money given back is no longer spent. Refunding particular products takes off their refunded value (excluding tax, the same basis as spending). A refund entered as an amount only, without choosing products, takes off that amount. Deleting a refund adds it back, and a fully refunded order doesn't count at all. The refund reduces the period the order was paid in
- Editing an order - changing quantities or prices, or adding or removing a coupon - updates the customer's spending straight away, even if the order status stays the same
- Products paid for with YetiRaffles wallet credit are counted, so credit can't be used to get around a limit
How Limits Are Enforced
YetiAware checks the customer's spend this period plus their basket value after coupon discounts (the same way past orders are counted) against each limit:
- Basket and checkout - an error is shown and the order can't be placed. This works with both the classic and the block-based Cart and Checkout. Items can still be added to the basket, so a customer can apply a coupon that brings the total within their limit
- Pay for order page - orders paid later, such as Yeti Auctions winner orders, are checked again at the moment of payment. If the order would exceed a limit, or a cooling-off or self-exclusion has started since the order was created, no payment methods are offered and payment is refused
Each order is checked and its value reserved in one locked step as it is placed or paid - classic checkout, block checkout and the pay for order page - so simultaneous checkouts or payments can't go over a limit between them.
The customer sees which limit would be exceeded and how much they have left, e.g. "This order would exceed your weekly spend limit of £50.00. You have £12.00 remaining for this period."
Need Help?
If you have questions or need assistance, check out our Troubleshooting Guide or FAQ.