Best practices for reverification

Best Practice: Reverification every 11 months

Most account linking programs give access to gated offers for one year after successful verification. SheerID recommends reverification every 11 months in those cases to allow consumers continued access to the offer during the reverification period.

We know that not every program follows this setup. In general, we recommend starting reverification one month before the offer expires.

This article shares SheerID's main recommendations for reverification. It includes two sets of best practices:

• Customer experience tips for marketing and CX teams
• Technical steps for development and operations teams

If you have any questions or would like help designing your reverification strategy, please contact your SheerID Customer Success Manager.

What is reverification?

Reverification is the process of reconfirming someone's status and eligibility for your gated offer.

Why reverification matters

For subscription brands or brands with loyalty programs — especially those offering discounts to audiences whose statuses change frequently — reverification is a critical step in maintaining the integrity of your program and optimizing long-term revenue.

What happens if you don't reverify?

• You risk long-term discount abuse that eats into profits
  • Without reverification, former students or expired eligibility groups may continue to redeem discounts indefinitely. This erodes your margins and invites abuse of your program
• You lose insight into shifting audiences
  • When discounts are used by people they weren't intended for, it diminishes your brand's credibility and weakens the value of the benefit for the consumers who are truly eligible for your offer
• You miss opportunities to re-engage and upsell loyal consumers
  • Reverification doesn't just flag ineligible consumers; it helps you re-engage them. You can transition verified users who have aged out of your offer into new, full-price or loyalty-based tiers, creating natural upgrade paths

Reverification is recommended for all audiences

Account linking programs typically give access to the verified offer for one year after the date of verification. We strongly recommend implementing reverification every 11 months. This process confirms that consumers still meet the criteria for the offer, reducing discount abuse and preserving program value, while allowing continued access to the offer during the reverification period.

Reverification is particularly important for audiences whose eligibility status is likely to change over time. Below are the key groups for which annual reverification is recommended:

• Students
  • Students may graduate, drop out, or otherwise leave their academic program
• Military
  • Active Duty and Reservists may transition to veteran or retired status, which may affect the discount level or eligibility
  • Dependents may lose eligibility as their relationship or age changes
  • Note: Veterans and Retirees hold their status for life and typically do not need to reverify. However, reverification can be used for engagement purposes or to confirm continued activity in these cases
• First Responders, Healthcare Professionals
  • These roles require active employment or licensure, which may lapse due to career changes, retirement, or inactivity
• Educators
  • Like other professions, educators may retire or leave the field
• Young Adults
  • Eligibility for youth-targeted offers typically has an age limit
• Government Assistance
  • Qualifying for government assistance can change frequently based on income, employment, or household status

The bottom line is that without reverification, individuals who no longer meet criteria continue to receive benefits.

When reverification may not be the right fit

If your data shows that:

• Your discounted users exhibit strong lifetime value, even after aging out of their verified status
• Or, if reminding users of their subscription risks unnecessary churn,...

...then skipping reverification might be the right call (for now). But it's worth periodic re-evaluation as your business and business goals evolve.

CX-focused best practices

Clearly communicate eligibility requirements

Make sure consumers understand who qualifies for your gated offer. Clearly state these criteria in all marketing materials and in the terms and conditions on your site or landing page.

Make the reverification process easy and convenient

Send automated emails or in-app messages with a direct link to your reverification form. You can achieve this by working with your technical team to:

• Set an expiration date for each verified consumer (e.g., 11 months after original verification)
• Triggering reminder messages at intervals (e.g., 30, 15, and 5 days before expiration)

Notify consumers in advance

Provide ample notice, ideally at least 30 days before expiration, so consumers can reverify without disruption. For eligible consumers who reverify successfully, their discount continues. For ineligible consumers, you can remove the discount and transition them to standard pricing.

Handle non-responses thoughtfully

If a consumer does not complete reverification by the expiration deadline, trigger a final follow-up and then remove the discount accordingly.

Offer incentives to encourage action

Motivate consumers to complete reverification by offering them a reward, such as "$10 off your next purchase" for verifying within the designated timeframe.

Technical implementation best practices

Store verification timestamps for each user

When a user successfully verifies, store the timestamp of that verification in your CRM or user profile system. Having a stored verification timestamp enables you to schedule future reverification events and maintain a historical record of user eligibility.

Track reverification due dates and maintain access

Use the stored verification timestamp to calculate when a user's reverification is due, and log this date in your CRM. Do not automatically deactivate access or discounts at this date — maintain access while prompting for reverification. While we recommend yearly reverification, it is best practice to start the process before the 12 month mark – ideally, at 11 months post-original verification. This soft expiration date acts as a checkpoint for your team and automation systems, without unnecessary user disruption. Maintaining access during the reverification window improves user retention and ensures continuity of service while still enforcing eligibility rules.

Trigger reverification reminders early

Used the stored verification timestamp to schedule reminder messages. Configure your system to send a timestamp-based event at a set time period post-verification to initiate a reverification reminder email. This proactive approach ensures users are reminded to take action before their benefits are at risk. It supports a better user experience and encourages timely reverification without the need for manual outreach.

Add a data point to reverification requests for reporting

To track when users have been reverified within SheerID reporting, you will need to add either a metadata entry or the externalUserId field to reverification requests. This will enable isolation of reverified users in the downloadable reports for more precise analysis. If you choose to add a metadata entry, we recommend using the consumer’s previousVerificationId as the value, so the requests are tied together. A sample code snippet for metadata is below. For more information, on adding externalUserId, please visit our Developer Center. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to SheerID Product Support.