Vouchers & Coupons

Vouchers and coupons are the oldest engagement tool in business. A discount, a freebie, a buy-one-get-one offer. Simple, proven, and universally understood.

The problem is that traditional vouchers are trivially easy to abuse. Paper coupons get photocopied. Digital codes get shared on Reddit. Screenshot a QR code and suddenly one voucher becomes a hundred. Brands lose revenue, analytics become unreliable, and the users who actually earned the voucher get the same deal as everyone who gamed the system.

bonuz Voucher DNFTs fix this by making every voucher a unique, on-chain asset with built-in redemption logic and anti-fraud enforcement. Each voucher lives in a specific user's wallet. It can only be redeemed through verified interaction with the brand. Once redeemed, it's done. No copies, no screenshots, no double-dipping. The blockchain is the receipt.

How Vouchers Work

A Voucher DNFT is an on-chain asset that represents a redeemable offer. It has a defined value or benefit, usage rules, and an expiry condition. When the user presents it at a point of interaction (in-store, online, at an event), the brand verifies and processes it, and the DNFT's state transitions permanently to redeemed.

The core mechanic is simple: user holds voucher → presents it → brand verifies → state changes to redeemed → done. What makes it powerful is that every step is cryptographically enforced and recorded on-chain.

Apple Wallet & Google Wallet

Voucher DNFTs can be added to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet for quick access at the point of redemption. The pass displays the offer details, expiry date, and redemption status. When a user walks into a store, their voucher is one swipe away in their native wallet, no app required. State changes (redeemed, expired, uses remaining for multi-use vouchers) sync automatically, so the pass always reflects the current voucher state.

Types of Vouchers

Brands configure vouchers through the Brand Dashboard (app.bonuz.market). The same DNFT technology supports multiple voucher models:

Single-Use Voucher. One redemption, then it's consumed. The most common type. A free coffee, a 20% discount, a complimentary dessert. Once redeemed, the DNFT transitions to a redeemed state permanently.

Multi-Use Voucher. A set number of redemptions before the voucher is fully consumed. "3 free drinks" or "5 uses of 10% off." Each redemption decrements the counter. The DNFT tracks remaining uses and transitions to fully redeemed when the count hits zero.

Time-Bound Voucher. Valid only within a defined window. "Valid until March 31" or "Redeemable this weekend only." The DNFT automatically transitions to expired if not used before the deadline. No manual cleanup needed.

Conditional Voucher. Becomes active only when a condition is met. "Unlock after your 5th visit" or "Available after completing the onboarding quest." The voucher DNFT exists in the user's wallet but remains locked until the condition triggers. Commonly used as rewards within loyalty programs and quest chains.

Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO). A voucher that requires a qualifying purchase to activate. Staff verifies the purchase via QR scan, then the voucher becomes redeemable for the free item. Both steps are tracked on-chain.

Referral Voucher. Issued when a user successfully refers a new user to the brand or ecosystem. The referral is verified through bonuz's connection system, and the voucher is minted to the referrer's wallet automatically.

Creating Vouchers

Through the Brand Dashboard:

Select the voucher template. Choose between single-use, multi-use, time-bound, conditional, BOGO, or referral models.

Define the offer. What does the voucher give? A percentage discount, a fixed amount off, a free item, a service upgrade, or any custom benefit the brand defines. This is stored as metadata on the DNFT.

Set usage rules. How many times can it be used? When does it expire? Is it transferable or soul-bound? Does it require a minimum purchase? Can it be combined with other vouchers? All configurable per campaign.

Choose distribution method. How do users receive the voucher? Options include direct airdrop to existing users, reward from a loyalty program or quest, QR code claim (printed at a venue or shared digitally), NFC tap distribution, campaign link, or automatic issuance based on a trigger (first purchase, birthday, referral).

Set supply. How many vouchers exist? Can be unlimited or capped (first 500 users only, limited edition drop). Supply is enforced on-chain.

Launch and monitor. Track claims, redemptions, expiry rates, and conversion in real time through the dashboard.

The State Machine

Voucher DNFTs follow a clear lifecycle:

Issued / Claimable → The voucher is created. Either minted directly to a user's wallet (airdrop, reward trigger) or made available for claiming (QR, NFC, link).

Active → The user holds the voucher in their wallet. It's visible, valid, and ready to use. The bonuz Lifestyle Wallet displays the offer details, expiry date (if any), and remaining uses (for multi-use vouchers).

Redeemed → The user presents the voucher at a point of interaction. The brand verifies it (staff QR scan, NFC tap, or dashboard confirmation). The DNFT state transitions to redeemed. For multi-use vouchers, the redemption counter decrements. For single-use vouchers, the state change is final.

Fully Consumed → For multi-use vouchers, this state is reached when all uses are spent. The DNFT remains in the wallet as a historical record but cannot be used again.

Expired → Time-bound vouchers that pass their expiry date transition automatically. No action needed from the brand or user. The DNFT greys out in the wallet and cannot be redeemed.

Archived → Fully consumed or expired vouchers move to an archived state in the user's wallet. They remain on-chain as part of the user's engagement history and contribute to their bonuz ID attestation profile.

Verification & Anti-Fraud

This is where voucher DNFTs fundamentally outperform every traditional coupon system:

One voucher, one owner. Each voucher DNFT is a unique on-chain asset bound to a specific wallet. Screenshotting a QR code doesn't create a copy of the voucher. The DNFT exists exactly once, in exactly one wallet.

Signature-gated redemption. The user can't self-redeem. Redemption requires a co-signature from the brand's authorized address. In practice: the user shows their voucher in the Lifestyle Wallet, the staff member scans it through the brand's dashboard or scanner app, and the co-signed transaction processes the state change. Both parties must participate.

Server-verified state checks. Before processing a redemption, the bonuz backend verifies the DNFT's current on-chain state. Is it still active? Has it already been redeemed? Is it expired? Has the supply been exhausted? This prevents race conditions and double-redemption attempts.

Tamper-proof audit trail. Every issuance, claim, redemption, and expiry is recorded on-chain with timestamps. Brands can audit the complete lifecycle of every voucher they've ever issued. No disputes about whether something was redeemed or not.

Transfer controls. Brands decide whether vouchers are transferable or soul-bound. A promotional voucher might be transferable (let users share deals with friends, creating organic distribution). A reward voucher earned through loyalty might be soul-bound (preventing resale or transfer of earned benefits). Configurable per campaign.

How Users Get Vouchers

Vouchers reach users through multiple distribution channels:

Earned through engagement. The most valuable path. Completing a loyalty punchcard triggers a voucher. Finishing a quest chain issues a reward voucher. Reaching a new tier unlocks exclusive offers. These vouchers feel earned and have higher redemption rates.

Direct distribution. Brand airdrops vouchers to existing users (all users, or a targeted segment based on engagement data). A restaurant might airdrop a birthday voucher to users whose profile includes their birth date.

Claim-based. QR codes at the venue, NFC tags, or shareable links. Users scan and claim. Supply can be capped. First-come, first-served mechanics are enforced on-chain.

Referral rewards. User refers a friend → friend signs up and completes a qualifying action → referral voucher is automatically minted to the referrer's wallet.

Cross-brand gifting. Because vouchers are on-chain assets (when configured as transferable), a user can send a voucher to a friend's wallet. Digital gift cards that are verifiable and can't be faked.

Real-World Examples

Restaurant welcome voucher. A restaurant distributes QR codes at the entrance. New visitors scan to claim a "Free Dessert" voucher DNFT. Single-use, valid for 30 days. Staff scans to redeem after the meal. The restaurant tracks claim-to-redemption conversion in the dashboard. Next month, they adjust the offer based on data.

E-commerce discount code replacement. An online brand replaces shareable discount codes with voucher DNFTs. Each voucher is minted to a specific user's wallet after purchase (as a "thank you" reward). The voucher can't be shared on coupon aggregator sites because it only exists in one wallet. Redemption rate stays authentic and margins stay protected.

Event sponsor activation. A brand sponsors a music festival and distributes 1,000 BOGO voucher DNFTs to attendees who check in at their activation booth (PoP claim triggers voucher issuance). Attendees redeem at the brand's pop-up store on-site. The sponsor gets verifiable engagement data: exactly how many people visited, claimed, and redeemed.

Loyalty reward chain. A retail brand's loyalty program: at 10 stamps, the user's punchcard DNFT triggers a 15% discount voucher DNFT. The voucher auto-mints to the user's wallet. The user sees it appear, walks into the store, and redeems it on their next purchase. No codes to remember, no emails to dig through.

Multi-use service voucher. A spa issues a "5-session pass" as a multi-use voucher DNFT. Each visit, the staff scans and one use is decremented. The user sees remaining sessions in their wallet (3/5 remaining). At 0, the voucher is fully consumed and archived.

Referral campaign. A food delivery brand issues a "$5 off" voucher to any user who refers a friend that completes their first order. The referral verification, voucher minting, and delivery to the referrer's wallet all happen automatically through the Engagement Protocol. No manual tracking, no coupon code leakage.

Why On-Chain Vouchers Matter

Every year, brands lose billions to coupon fraud, unauthorized sharing, and unredeemed offers sitting in databases they can't clean up. Traditional digital coupons (promo codes, email offers, app-based deals) are just strings of text. They can be copied, shared, and abused because there's no concept of ownership or state.

On-chain vouchers through bonuz are owned assets with enforced rules. One owner, verified redemption, automatic expiry, tamper-proof history. For brands, this means accurate analytics, protected margins, and engagement data they can trust. For users, it means their earned rewards are real, visible, and always in their wallet when they need them.