Greetings, Gamers! In the April Tech Update blog, I promised to give you a breakdown of how the upcoming loyalty program will work. Today, I’m here to tell you that at its core, Paizo Plus operates similarly to the current program: spend money with Paizo and unlock free products and discounts.
Under today’s Paizo Advantage program, if you subscribe to 4 different lines, you unlock either Starfinder Society or Pathfinder Society subscriptions for free; subscribe to all 6, and you get both for free. Subscribing to 4 lines also unlocks a 15% storewide discount on most Paizo products. Paizo Advantage will be replaced by Paizo Plus when the new store launches.
The Paizo Advantage program was designed to be laser-focused on subscriptions, and it has served Paizo subscribers well for many years. However, as our product catalog has grown, we’ve realized that we need a more robust system that better rewards all our shoppers for their dedication in various ways. We needed a program that was more flexible and easy to understand, as well as one that we could modify as we learned what consumers valued most. That’s how Paizo Plus was born, and we can’t wait to share it with you when we launch!
The Basics
When the new store goes live, you’ll need to opt in to the new loyalty program to start earning gold. If you’ve opted in to receive emails from Paizo, you’ll receive an email about the new program when we launch. And you’ll be able to earn gold right from the start:
- Join Paizo Plus: You’ll earn 25 gold upon joining!
- Leave a Review: 5 gold with an initial limit of 1 per week (260 gold/year if you write a review every week). You can only write reviews of products you have purchased through Paizo.
- Birthday Reward: You’ll earn 25 gold on your birthday. Happy Birthday!
- Follow us on Social Media: Up to 30 gold if you follow us on all 6 platforms. We may add new platforms here over time, such as Bluesky.
- Gold on Purchases: You’ll earn 1 gold for every dollar you spend, and the amount of gold you earn increases as you advance in reward level. More on that below.
Legal details will be available in an updated Terms of Use when the new store launches.
Refer-a-Friend
Another way to earn gold is by recruiting friends to make purchases from Paizo. Each time someone takes advantage of your referral by spending $20 or more at Paizo, you’ll earn 25 gold.
Spending Gold
So, on Day 1 if you take advantage of all the ways you can earn gold you’re sitting with 70 gold in your account. What can you get with it? To start, we’ll be offering:
You’ll see that you can get a Pathfinder Society or Starfinder Society scenario for $10 off, which will make most scenarios you choose free. You can also see that Paizo is tilting the scales in favor of the gold value for Society purchases, because we genuinely believe that this is an essential program for our players and want to encourage more players to participate.
Our goal with the new Paizo Plus is to maintain the same value as the Paizo Advantage program. Paizo Plus is slightly better than Paizo Advantage, and these starting values allow us to monitor the program and expand it in the future once we see how everyone is earning and spending their points.
Reward Tiers
We adapted the proficiency system from Pathfinder Second Edition (and now Starfinder Second Edition) and used it as the basis for the tiers that build the programs around.
Legendary Loot: From time to time, Paizo will release items that are exclusively available to Legendary reward members. They might cost gold pieces, dollars, or a combination of both. They will likely be available in very limited quantities and for short periods of time.
We value our Experts and Masters and will ensure additional rewards are available for all tiers that require both gold and a dollar cost, as well as those that require only gold or other qualifying factors.
Questions and Answers
Here are a few answers to some of the most common questions I anticipate. For the complete legal rules (which take precedence over this Q&A), you’ll need to wait until we launch.
Will I keep my free subscriptions to Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society when Paizo Plus launches?
No, but you will be able to purchase Society scenarios for free using gold.How is gold calculated?
Paizo Plus takes the cart total after all discounts have been applied (but before taxes and shipping) and multiplies that amount by your gold multiplier (1, 1.25, or 1.5). For example, if you buy a hardcover book for $60 and use a $20 off coupon, you’ll earn gold based on the $40 purchase (40, 50, or 60 gold depending on your tier).Can I spend the gold I would be earning from a purchase during that purchase?
No, you can only spend gold after it has been earned.How long do I stay in a membership tier?
When you achieve a new tier, you stay in that tier for 12 months. At the end of 12 months, Paizo Plus recalculates your tier.When I reach a new tier, do I need to wait a year before I can advance to the next one?
No, when you reach a higher tier, you will be upgraded, and a new 12-month calculation will begin.Do I reach a new tier by accumulating gold or spending money?
Only by spending money. Gold and dollars are two different pools.Does gold expire?
Yes, after 12 months. You always spend the gold with the closest expiration date first. We’ll send an email to notify you about expiring gold if you’ve opted in to receive emails from us.Can I earn gold for past purchases?
No. Only purchases made after Paizo Plus goes live and you’ve opted in to the program count. You can, however, write reviews for purchases over the last 5 years and earn gold on those reviews.Will Paizo give away free gold?
That is a distinct possibility if you’re reading our fantastic emails and following us on social media!What happens if I terminate my account?
All gold is removed and cannot be returned.Can I give gold to a friend?
No. Gold is for your use only and is limited to your account.Does gold have any cash value?
No.Do the discounts offered in Paizo Plus stack with store sale discounts?
No. You’ll receive the single highest discount available.
Sneak Peek of the Store
Here’s a brief look at what the team has been working on in the new store. Still subject to change, of course. Isn’t it pretty?
Concluding the Adventure
We look forward to unveiling the new store and Paizo Plus in the very near future! We're much closer to launch now than we were in my April blog, but we still have some work to complete before we’re ready to announce a specific date.
Thank you again for your support of Paizo. We look forward to welcoming you to the new store soon!
Good Gaming!
Jim Butler
Chief Executive Officer
Introducing Paizo Plus
Tuesday, July 8, 2025