Refer a friend is the Upfirst referral program. You share your personal link with another business owner. When that business becomes a paying customer and stays into the second month, you get a $50 gift card and they get a $20 gift card. Both gift cards arrive by email.
The gift card is not tied to one shop. The person who receives it opens the email and picks what they want: a Visa prepaid card, Amazon, Starbucks, and hundreds of other brands.
Where to find your link
Open Upfirst, click your account name in the navigation menu, then click Refer a friend. The page shows your link, the three steps, and the list of people you referred.
Your link looks like this: https://app.upfirst.ai/r/K7M2PQ4A
Your link belongs to your business and it never changes. Use the Copy link button and share it by email, message, or any other way.
Who can see the page: the account owner, and any teammate who has access to billing. Teammates without billing access do not see the menu item.
How it works
1. Your friend opens your link (day 0)
The link takes them to the sign-up page and saves a marker in their browser.
2. They run the free trial (day 0 to day 14)
They sign up and try Upfirst. Nothing is paid out at this point.
3. They pay their first invoice (about day 14)
The trial ends and they move to a paid plan. Their row changes to Upgraded.
4. They pay their second invoice (about day 45)
Both gift cards go out. The emails are usually sent within a few minutes of that payment. The row changes to Earned.
Why the second invoice? The reward is for customers who stay. If your friend leaves during their first paid month, no gift card is sent to either side.
The gift cards
You get $50, sent to the billing email on your Upfirst account.
Your friend gets $20, sent to the billing email on their Upfirst account.
Our gift card partner, Tremendous, sends both emails. The email has a link. The person who receives it opens the link, picks the brand they want, and claims the card there. Amounts are in US dollars.
Your referral list
The list on the Refer a friend page has four columns: the friend's email, the status, your reward, and the date the gift card was sent.
Status | What it means |
Signed up | Your friend started a trial. Nothing is paid yet. |
Upgraded | Your friend paid their first invoice. The date of that payment is shown next to the status. The gift cards come after the second invoice. |
Earned | Both gift cards were sent. The date is in the Gift card sent column. |
A friend appears in the list only after they finish sign-up and their trial starts. The list shows the email address they used.
Things to know
The reward condition is the second paid invoice. A trial is not enough, and one paid month is not enough.
Timing. On a monthly plan the second invoice is paid about six weeks after sign-up: 14 days of trial, then one month of service. On an annual plan the second invoice is the renewal, so the gift cards come after 12 months.
New accounts only. Your link must lead to a new Upfirst account. A business that already has an account, or had one before, cannot be referred.
The link works through the browser. When your friend opens your link, we save a marker in that browser for one year. If they sign up on another device or in another browser, or if they delete their cookies first, we cannot connect the sign-up to you. Typing your name or your email during sign-up does not track the referral. Only the link does.
The last link wins. If your friend opens two different referral links, the one they opened last counts.
No self-referrals. A sign-up is not paid when it belongs to the same business as the referrer, or uses the same billing email.
One reward per referred business. People from one company share one Upfirst account, so that is one referral.
Your own plan does not matter. You get your $50 whatever plan you are on, and also during your own trial.
The two invoices must be real payments. An invoice of $0, for example after a 100% discount, does not count. Only normal plan invoices count: extra charges, one-time invoices, and mid-month changes do not.
Gift cards are not account credit. They cannot be used to pay an Upfirst invoice and cannot be exchanged for cash.
We send the gift card to the billing email on the account. We cannot change the address after the card is sent.
Tax is on the person who receives the card. Any tax on the gift card is their responsibility.
We check referrals. We can hold a reward when a sign-up does not look genuine.
Upfirst can change or stop the program at any time. Gift cards already sent are not affected.
Common questions
How much do I get?
You get a $50 gift card and the friend you refer gets a $20 gift card.
When do I get my gift card?
After your friend pays their second invoice. On a monthly plan that is about six weeks after they sign up. The email is usually sent within a few minutes of that payment.
My friend signed up, but they are not in my list.
The three common reasons: they did not finish sign-up, so their trial never started; they signed up in a different browser or on a different device from the one where they opened your link; or they already had an Upfirst account. Contact support and we will check the sign-up.
My friend is paying, so why does the status still say "Upgraded"?
Upgraded means the first invoice is paid. The gift cards are sent after the second one, normally one month later.
I did not get the gift card email.
The email comes from Tremendous, our gift card partner, not from Upfirst. Look in the spam and promotions folders and search for Tremendous. Check that you are looking in the mailbox of the billing email on your account. If it is still missing one day after the status changed to Earned, contact support and we can send it again.
What can I buy with the gift card?
You choose in the email: a Visa prepaid card, Amazon, Starbucks, and hundreds of other brands. Claim it as soon as you can and follow the instructions in the email.
Can I get money off my Upfirst bill instead?
No. The reward is a gift card only. We cannot turn it into account credit or cash.
My friend cancelled after one month. Do I still get the reward?
No. The gift cards are sent only after the second paid invoice.
Do I get anything when my friend only starts a trial?
No. A trial alone does not earn a reward.
How many people can I refer?
There is no set limit. Every referred business that reaches its second paid invoice earns you a $50 gift card. We do check referrals and can hold a reward when a sign-up does not look genuine.
Can I refer myself, or my second business?
No. A sign-up that belongs to the same business, or uses the same billing email as you, does not earn a reward.
Can my friend still use my link after they signed up?
No. The link is connected to the sign-up at the moment the account is created. It cannot be added to an account later.
I lost my referral link.
It is always on the Refer a friend page: account menu, then Refer a friend. The link never changes.