Referral programs are a low-cost, high-reward way to scale your business quickly using your best asset: your customers. By turning your customers into brand advocates, you can lower customer acquisition costs and increase lifetime value.
If you’re ready to build a customer-led growth strategy, this list of the best referral programs across various business models will inspire you.
Why the Best Referral Programs Work
The best referral programs outperform paid acquisition because personal recommendations carry more weight than ads. In McKinsey’s State of the Consumer 2025, consumers across the US and Europe named family and friends as their most trusted and most influential source when making buying decisions, ahead of social media and every other channel tested. Customers who arrive through a referral come pre-endorsed by someone they trust, which makes referral one of the most efficient, high-loyalty acquisition channels a brand can build.
Extole’s own program data shows that roughly 20% of advocates drive about 80% of referrals. The highest-return programs focus on identifying and rewarding those top advocates. The examples below show how leading brands turn that advantage into repeatable growth.
Referral Program Examples For Every Industry
- Retail & E-commerce Referral Program Examples
- Travel & Transportation Referral Program Examples
- Software Referral Program Examples
- Finance Referral Program Examples
- User Service Program Examples
Best Referral Programs in Retail & E-commerce
1. Madison Reed
Madison Reed is a haircare company that delivers color treatment products, hair accessories, styling tools, and more. With the company’s invite a friend program, advocates get a $15 credit for every referred friend who signs up, and referrals get a $15 discount off their first purchase.
Referral Program Pro Tip: Use language that grabs attention and suggests exclusivity. Madison Reed, for example, uses phrases like, “Share the secret of hair color … with your friends and family,” to create a sense of intrigue. For referrals, this type of enticing language can influence the perceived value of a product and convert more people.
2. Glossier
Cult favorite beauty company Glossier’s strong referral program helped it become a staple among Millennials and Gen Z.
Advocates get a $10 store credit when a referred customer clicks on their personalized referral link, creates a new account, and places an order. The caveat is that all three steps must be completed in the same website session for the discount to apply. For referred friends, their reward is 10% off their first purchase from Glossier’s website.
Referral Program Pro Tip: Add a time limit to your rewards to create a sense of urgency. Glossier’s referred customers must complete a purchase within 90 days of receiving their reward, encouraging them to purchase quickly.
Read our detailed takedown of Glossier’s marketing strategy to learn more.
3. MOO
Moo is an online print and design company with a creative dual-sided referral program that offer multiple ways to earn rewards. Customers who refer a friend earn a $20 gift card for every successful referral. When customers refer a business (with a minimum of 10 employees), that reward goes up to $150. Referred friends get 25% off their first order when they sign up, and referred businesses get a dedicated account manager, discounts on products, and more.
Referral Program Pro Tip: Offer tiered rewards so customers earn more based on how many people they refer. By presenting multiple options, you’re increasing the customer’s perceived value of a reward by comparing it to other tiers. Just make sure to clearly explain the differences between the tiers and the steps for earning those rewards.
4. Thinx
Thinx is a women’s health-focused underwear retailer that designs and sells period underwear. The company offers $10 to advocates and their referred friends who participate in their refer-a-friend program.
Referral Program Pro Tip: Use your referral program messaging to highlight how your product solves an unmet need. Thinx, for example, refers to its successful referral program as “the period revolution.” Consumers are drawn to innovative products. That’s because purchasing those products makes them feel like they’re part of a bigger initiative.
5. Brooklinen
Brooklinen lovingly refers to its products as “The Internet’s Favorite Sheets.” Its referral program is integral to their fast growth. They offer various rewards to customers who complete specific actions, such as following the company on Instagram or leaving a product review. The most attractive incentive, however, is their “Refer-A-Friend” offer. Customers and referrals each get $25 off their next purchase of $100 or more when participating.
Referral Program Pro Tip: In addition to creating a pop-up dedicated only to your referral offer, consider including it on a landing page that lists all your rewards programs. This gives your customers lots of options to save and lets them see how they can earn more money for future products.
Read our detailed takedown of Brooklinen’s direct-to-consumer marketing strategy to learn more.
6. HelloFresh
HelloFresh is a subscription-based meal-kit delivery service that expertly uses a referral program to scale their business. An existing customer can log in to their account to access their referral code. New subscribers receive $110 off their first order, and existing customers get a $10 credit.
Referral Program Pro Tip: Give customers the option to share a referral code via social channels and provide a shareable link. Give customers options to make it easier to invite friends via the channels they use most.
Read our detailed breakdown of Hellofresh’s marketing strategy.
7. Blue Bottle Coffee
Selling coffee, brewing equipment, mugs, and more, Blue Bottle Coffee got its start in Oakland, California. Since then, they’ve grown to serve customers across the United States, Japan, and Korea. Customers and friends who participate in the company’s referral program each receive a $20 credit toward future purchases.
Referral Program Pro Tip: Consider using personalized shareable codes so they’re easy for customers to remember and share anywhere. Blue Bottle Coffee includes its name and a randomly generated code. Replace the random code with the customer’s name to make it more memorable and easier to share.
Best Referral Programs in Travel & Transportation
8. HotelTonight
HotelTonight is a travel booking app that offers users last-minute, discounted hotel deals. When advocates use the app to share their referral code with friends and family, they get $25 toward their next booking. Referred friends also receive $25 toward their first booking – provided the booking is at least $135.
Source: HotelTonight
Referral Program Pro Tip: Even though advocates can share their referral code in places like email and social media, they receive credit only when their friends download the HotelTonight app and make a minimum-purchase booking. Use this technique if your goal is to increase engagement with your mobile app.
9. Outdoorsy
Outdoorsy is a vacation rental company similar to Airbnb but with an adventurous side, letting you rent RVs, cabins, tent sites, and other camping shelters. With their referral program, invite your friends to create an account. If they use your referral link, they get $50 off their first trip, and you get $75 off your next trip. If your referral lists their own RV or campground, you’ll make $100.
Referral Program Pro tip: Referral programs can do more than just generate sales. Here Outdoorsy is using them to generate host sign-ups as well.
10. Marriott Hotel
Marriott uses a point-based system to reward customers for referrals. Members can refer up to five new customers annually, potentially earning points for each. Bonus points can be redeemed for a number of rewards, including discounted flights, rental cars, gift cards, concert tickets, and travel packages.
Referral Program Pro Tip: Use a points-based system instead of discounts to save money and to keep your customers coming back. Marriott, for example, gives new referred customers 2,000 bonus points after their first five stays, incentivizing them to book more trips to earn their reward. Plus, the ability to rack up points for a number of redeemable rewards drives customer loyalty.
11. Citi Bike
Annual members who use Citi Bike’s bike-sharing system can get a free month for each successful referral. Citi Bike’s terms state that advocates can earn rewards for up to 24 referrals, which translates into two free years of service. This is a great incentive!
Referral Program Pro Tip: Spell out the long-term benefits advocates stand to gain from participating in the program. The more they stand to gain over time, the more likely they’ll be to participate.
Best Referral Programs in Software
12. Gusto
Gusto offers U.S. businesses cloud-based payroll, benefits, and HR management software. Their incentive program offers accountants a way to grow their business. Based on a four-tier system, every client an accountant refers to Gusto will earn rewards. The more clients who sign up for Gusto, the higher the rewards. Accountants also get rewards for referring other accountants.
Referral Program Pro Tip: In business, the best referral programs position themselves as a partnership. Gusto does this well by positioning its referral program to help accountants grow their business and get more clients. Don’t just ask your customers to be advocates for your brand – be advocates for them as well. This will make participating in the program feel more like a reward than an ask.
13. Airtable
Airtable is a project management and organizational tool built to help SMB teams stay organized. Their referral program gives advocates a $10 credit for each new person they refer to the platform. When a referrer earns enough referral credits, they can use those credits to upgrade their account to a premium plan.
Referral Program Pro Tip: When it comes to products like project management, more capabilities mean more efficient workflows. Allow customers to build up their referral credits to purchase higher-value rewards. This will motivate them to refer more users.
14. Dropbox
Dropbox is an online data storage platform. Customers with a basic Dropbox account get 500 MB of storage added for each referral they make, up to 16GB total. For Dropbox Plus and Professional customers, the reward per referral increases to 1GB (up to a 32GB max).
Referral Program Pro Tip: Include a referral status bar in your program so customers can see how much they’ve earned to date. You’ll give them a goal to aim for so they keep sharing.
15. Justworks
Justworks is an online platform that helps businesses manage payroll, employee benefits, and HR responsibilities. Justworks doesn’t mess around when it comes to referrals. For every company that signs up through a referral link, the referring customer earns $100 per employee. So if a customer refers a company with 100 employees, the customer will get $10,000 in rewards for a successful sign-up.
Referral Program Pro Tip: To show companies how quickly rewards can grow, share examples. Justworks clarifies that the larger the company a user refers to, the more money the user can earn. After all, a $10,000 reward opportunity is pretty hard to pass up.
Best Referral Programs in Fintech
16. Intuit QuickBooks
Quickbooks accounting software offers referrers a $100 prepaid Visa giftcard for each successful referrer. Plus, the referred customer gets a 50% discount.
Referral Program Pro Tip: Put emphasis on the fact that advocates are helping their friends and family improve their user experience by partnering with you. QuickBooks, for example, encourages customers to help their friends “focus on their passion.” This makes the referral program feel more personal, increasing the follow-through rate.
17. Robinhood
Robinhood is an online investment app. For every new friend a customer invites to join Robinhood, both the customer and the referral earn free stock (up to $500 a calendar year).
Referral Program Pro Tip: For investment companies like Robinhood, disclosing any financial information customers should know when investing in stocks is good practice. Robinhood, for example, clearly explains how customers should report the income they receive from free stock when filing their taxes. Laying out this type of information will help referrals new to investing feel more comfortable with becoming a customer.
Read our detailed breakdown of Robinhood’s referral marketing program.
18. American Express
The American Express referral program can earn customers 15,000 Membership Rewards points (up to 55,000 per calendar year) for referrals who sign up, while referrals get at least 10,000 points, depending on which card they sign up for.
Referral Program Pro Tip: Points are a great referral incentive because they can be accumulated over time and used for big purchases. Consider partnering with retail companies to show customers what they can purchase with points earned (e.g., major appliances).
19. Acorns
Acorns is a financial investment service that specializes in micro-investing and robo-investing. When customers refer friends to Acorns using a custom referral link, both parties receive a $5 bonus. Bonuses are rewarded only when a friend’s account is approved and they make a successful investment.
Referral Program Pro Tip: Offer referrals a reward that gets them started with your app. With a $5 credit already added to their account, referred customers only need to choose their investment to get started. It’s a way to engage new customers with your brand quickly and with minimal effort.
Best Referral Programs in Telecom
20. T-Mobile
T-Mobile is one of the largest mobile phone distributors in the world, with a strong referral program to boot. For every friend you refer, you get $50, with a cap of $500 a year.
Referral Program Pro tip: If you have a tight budget, consider adding a cap to your referral reward. It’s an easy way to build a budget for your marketing strategy – you know exactly how much you will spend on referrals for the year.
21. Sling TV
Sling TV is a streaming service that lets users find and watch shows that match their unique preferences. When advocates refer a friend, they both receive $20 off their first month.
Referral Program Pro Tip: For service providers, spreading your referral reward over several months encourages customer retention. That’s because the more customers get used to a service, the more likely they will stick with it to avoid change.
The Best Referral Programs Run on Enterprise Offer Management Infrastructure
The best referral programs run on enterprise offer management infrastructure built to scale across the customer lifecycle. Extole is a highly configurable, enterprise-grade offer management platform that lets brands personalize referral incentives and segment audiences by behavior and event data.
The platform tracks every referral through a real-time event system, giving teams referral insights into advocate relationships and valuable audience segments. Extole verifies eligibility, prevents fraud, and delivers rewards securely and reliably at scale.
Because the offer is the core object, a single configurable layer can power referral, loyalty, and promotional programs. Ready to get started? Request a demo with one of our experts and see what you can build.
Frequently Asked Questions About Referral Programs
What Makes a Referral Program One of the Best?
The best referral programs pair a clear, valuable incentive with a simple sharing experience. They reward both the advocate and the referred friend, and they make the payoff easy to understand. Many also add urgency, tiers, or points to keep advocates coming back.
What Are the Best Referral Programs to Learn From?
Strong examples in this list include Madison Reed, Glossier, HelloFresh, Dropbox, and American Express. Each shows a different tactic, from dual-sided credits to points-based rewards and storage upgrades. Study the programs closest to your industry and business model.
Which Companies Offer the Highest Referral Rewards?
Rewards vary widely by industry and business model. In this list, Justworks offers $100 per employee for referred companies, and Robinhood gives free stock up to $500 a year. Higher rewards often reflect higher customer lifetime value, so size incentives to your margins.
Are Referral Programs Worth It?
Yes. Because people trust recommendations from friends and family more than almost any other source, referred customers tend to arrive already predisposed to buy and to stay. And because your existing advocates bring them in, referral programs can lower acquisition costs while deepening loyalty over time.
Should You Use Single- or Double-Sided Rewards?
Both models work, and the right choice depends on your goals. Double-sided rewards give the advocate and the friend a benefit, which feels fair and lifts participation. Brands like Brooklinen and Thinx reward both sides, while single-sided rewards suit cases where the advocate is the main motivator.
How Do You Choose the Right Referral Incentive?
Start with your audience, margins, and purchase cycle. Match the reward type to the behavior you want: credits and discounts drive first purchases, points build long-term loyalty, and tiered rewards motivate frequent sharing. A configurable platform lets you personalize incentives by segment and test what converts.
What Kind of Software Is Best for Referral Programs?
The best referral programs run on enterprise offer management infrastructure built for scale and configurability. Look for a platform that personalizes and segments incentives, tracks referrals through a real-time event system, prevents fraud, and delivers rewards reliably. Extole provides that infrastructure across the full customer lifecycle.
How Do You Track Referrals and Prevent Referral Fraud?
Referral tracking works best through an event system that records each step, from the shared link to the qualified purchase. That same system verifies eligibility and flags suspicious patterns before rewards are paid. Extole authorizes and verifies every reward, so brands can prevent fraud and deliver incentives securely. Brands can track referrals with a sophisticated event system that records each step, from the shared link to the qualified purchase. That same system verifies eligibility and flags suspicious patterns before rewards are paid. Extole authorizes and verifies every reward, so brands can prevent fraud and deliver incentives securely.
