Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to “Link the email accounts you use with game platforms”?
Lootcakes rewards you for sharing your in-game
purchase receipts from free-to-play games.
Whenever you make a purchase within a mobile or online game, you will
(almost always) receive an email receipt documenting your purchase. We
enable you to share this data by linking the Gmail accounts at which you
receive such purchase receipts.
Linking your Gmail account is a convenient,
"set and forget" process. Once linked, we will automatically detect
your receipts and reward you - and your friends - for qualifying purchases.
The linking process is performed using IMAP
(Internet Message Access Protocol), the long-established internet standard for
providing email access via third-party applications. For more information
about IMAP, see its Wikipedia page here.
You can either link the Gmail account at which
you already receive game purchase receipts, or create and link a new Gmail
account that you intend to use solely for this purpose. Lootcakes will
only search for emails from game platforms & operators, and for security
purposes, from Gmail/Google itself.
You can unlink your Gmail account at any time,
either within your Lootcakes settings or directly with Google by changing your
Google account password.
What is/are “lootcakes” and how can I
get them?
The word “lootcakes” is both the name of our
company and the name of our redeemable virtual currency (often called ‘points’
by conventional loyalty programs). To distinguish between our
currency and company, the currency is generally represented with a lowercase
“l”, or with the abbreviation “LC$”.
We’ve tried very hard to make our reward system
“democratic” – i.e. beneficial to all game players regardless of their
purchasing levels. As a member, there are several ways to earn
LC$:
1. By making real-money purchases within qualifying
games/platforms (also known as ‘in-app purchases’ or ‘microtransactions’); or
2. By winning awards from your Alliances (your
clans, guilds, teams or custom-built groups), regardless of your purchasing
levels; or
3. By winning Nation Awards, regularly dished out
to members in recognition of your participation in the overall economy (again,
regardless of your purchasing levels).
What type of purchases qualify for rewards? (Eligible Purchases defined)
Eligible
Purchases are defined as purchases made within Qualifying Games, of a
Qualifying Purchase Type, the receipts for which are shared with Lootcakes as
Qualifying Data.
Qualifying
Games are defined as games that meet ALL of the following requirements:
· Business Models: Free-to-Play1
· Platforms: App Store (iOS), Google Play, Steam2
· Regions of Purchase: United States
Qualifying
Purchase Types are defined as purchases that meet ALL of the following
requirements:
· Purchase Form: In-App Purchases or Downloadable Content Purchases (excluding
Subscriptions)
· Purchase Currency: U.S. Dollars
Qualifying
Data is defined as purchase receipts that meet ALL of the following
requirements:
· Format: Emailed Purchase Receipt
· Sent by: Qualifying Game Platform/Operator
· Sent to: Linked Email Address
· Shared Through: Linked Email Account3
· Eligible Link Methods: IMAP (Internet Message Access
Protocol) 4
· Supported Linked Email Account
Providers: Gmail
· Forwarded Emails: Not Accepted
· Emails Shared with Linked Email
Account via POP.: Not Accepted
· Photos/Screenshot of Receipts: Not Accepted
· Physical Receipt Copies: Not Accepted
We intend to periodically
expand the list of qualifying games, platforms, regions and business models,
including games directly distributed by game publishers through their own
websites. Theoretically there is no limit to the range of qualifying
games we can include. Our technology does not require integration
with a game’s publisher or distribution platform. As long as an
email receipt is provided to the game’s consumer (you), we should be able to
process the receipt and verify its authenticity. We will strive to
become as “universal” as possible, as quickly as possible.
1 Free-to-Play means the game costs $0 to download/install, but
offers optional in-game (in-app) purchases, also known as microtransactions.
2 Steam Community Market purchases and Steam Gift Purchases do not
qualify for rewards.
3 A Linked Email Account is defined as an email account that a
member has authorized Lootcakes to access using an Eligible Link Method, launched
from within the Lootcakes website/app.
4 IMAP (Internet
Message Access Protocol) is the long-established internet standard for
providing email access via third-party applications. For more information about IMAP, see its Wikipedia page.
Why don’t you
reward “pay-to-own” game purchases, or even DLC/microtransaction purchases made
within “pay-to-own” games? Why only reward purchases in free-to-play
(freemium) games?
Unfortunately, we can’t do everything we want yet! Limiting our initial offering allows us to focus on delivering you a functional, sustainable, high-quality service. That being said, we chose to start with free-to-play games for business reasons. Within free-to-play games, relatively few players make purchases (usually 5%-15% of each game’s players). Since free-to-play spenders are relatively scarce and therefore disproportionately valuable to game publishers, it follows that we can generate more value (and thereby give you more rewards) by focusing our early efforts on free-to-play games. As we grow, we intend to expand the type of qualifying game purchases to include other business models.
How can my Eligible Purchases get
disqualified? (Approved Purchases defined)
Approved
Purchases are defined as Eligible Purchases that have not been refunded or
otherwise disqualified during their Review Period1.
Reasons for Disqualification of Eligible Purchases include (but may not be limited to) any of the following events taking place prior to the end of the Review Period for the applicable purchase:
· Purchase is found to have been
incorrectly classified as an Eligible Purchase.
· Purchase is refunded.
· Date of Purchase Receipt did not
occur during an Active Link Period for the Relevant Email Account.2
· Purchase is determined to have been
previously rewarded.
· Linked Email Account was unlinked3 (e.g. authorization was
revoked for Lootcakes to access member’s applicable Linked Email Account).
· Game platform contact email address
is changed (e.g. the email address to which the member receives purchase
receipts and other correspondence from the applicable game platform).
· Deletion of possible refund (or
refund-related) email is detected in member’s applicable Linked Email Account.4
· Sign of potential fraud or
violation of our Terms of Service is detected.
1 The Review Period is defined here.
2 Date of Purchase Receipt is defined as the date/time when
the emailed purchase receipt was originally received in the user's Linked Email
Account. Active Link Period is defined as a period of time during which the
relevant email account was a Linked Email Account. Relevant Email Account is
defined as the Linked Email Account in which the receipt was received. This
reason for disqualification applies only to Eligible Purchases made after
Account Creation.
3 This disqualification will occur irrespective of whether the
authorization was manually or automatically revoked. Please note
that authorization will be automatically revoked if you change your Google
account password (used to access Gmail).
4 To avoid this type of disqualification, members are advised not to delete ANY emails received by their Linked Email Account within 36 hours of email receipt during the Review Period for an Eligible Purchase.
How long will it take for my purchases to be
rewarded? (Review Period defined)
If an Eligible Purchase has not been refunded or otherwise disqualified by the end of its Review Period, then it becomes an Approved Purchase and gets rewarded.
The Review Period is defined as a period time that begins on the Date of Receipt Detection1 and extends up to the following number of days for each platform/region:
· App
Store (iOS) / United States: 5 days
· Google
Play / United States: 5 days
· Steam / United States: 5 days
1 Date of Receipt Detection is defined as the date/time when an emailed purchase receipt is first detected by Lootcakes in the member's Linked Email Account.
How many lootcakes do I earn per
dollar of Approved Purchases?
For every $1.00 (USD) you spend on Approved Purchases1 made AFTER account creation:
BASE REWARDS (without PowerUps)
WITH POWERUPS @ Level 3
For every $1.00 (USD) you spend on Approved Purchases1 made BEFORE account creation:
You Earn: 500 LC$ (e.g. Level 3 earn rate).3
Please note: Reward values are subject to change at any time.
1 Approved Purchases are defined as Eligible Purchases that have not been refunded or otherwise disqualified during their Review Period. Eligible Purchases are defined here. Approved Purchases are defined here. Review Periods are defined here.
2 Levels and XP are explained here.
3 All rewards are subject to Reward Limits (caps) listed here.
4 The Alliance Bonus is divided and shared equally amongst all members of your alliance (other than you). Only applies if you are a member of an alliance for the game in which the purchase was made. Alliances are explained more here.
5 PowerUps are game-specific offers that, once activated, increase your rewards in the relevant game by a multiplier (e.g. 1.5x, 5x, etc.). PowerUp purchases are subject to powerup-specific terms and conditions (including Reward Limits). PowerUps are explained in more detail here.
6 Yes, you can activate up to two powerups for the same game. In that case, both powerup multipliers apply to the Approved Purchase.
Are there any caps on the rewards I
can earn? (Reward Limits defined)
Yes. Approved Purchases may only get partially rewarded, or may not get rewarded at all, due to a member having reached Reward Limits.
Reward Limits are defined as limits on the U.S. dollar amount of Approved Purchases to which rewards apply, as follows:
For Approved
Purchases made AFTER account creation:
BASE REWARDS (e.g.
without PowerUps):
· Single
Purchase Cap: $100
· Total Purchases Cap (Per Member)1: $400 Per Calendar Month
POWERUP-RELATED REWARDS (Subscription format):
· Single
Purchase Cap: None2
· Total Purchases Cap (Per Member)1: Specific to PowerUp2
POWERUP-RELATED REWARDS (Flash Sale format):
· Single
Purchase Cap: None2
· Total Purchases Cap (Per PowerUp)1: Specific to PowerUp2
For Approved
Purchases made BEFORE account creation:
· Single
Purchase Cap: $50
· Total Purchases Cap (Per Member): $200.00 over 6-month period prior to Account Creation Date
1 The Total Purchases Cap is defined differently for: (a) Basic Rewards and PowerUps with a Subscription format; versus (b) PowerUps with a Flash Sale format. For (a), the Total Purchases Cap applies to each individual member. For (b) the Total Purchases Cap is a collective cap across all members participating in the powerup.
2 If the Total Purchases Cap for any PowerUp would be reached by
fully rewarding an Approved Purchase, the portion of such purchase that exceeds
the Total Purchases Cap will instead be treated as a Basic Reward and thereby
is subject to the Single Purchase Cap, Total Purchases Cap and lower earn rate
of Basic Rewards.
What can I get for redeeming my
lootcakes?
When redeeming lootcakes, you can choose from a variety of digital gift cards & codes from major retailers & video game platforms, including GameStop, PlayStation® Store, Xbox Live plus many more - including the top mobile gaming options - available through Reward Link Preferred. You can visit our redeem page here here.
Lootcakes is very excited to be partnered with Tango Card one of the world’s leading providers of digital gift cards and rewards technology.
Our digital rewards will be emailed to you immediately upon redemption, giving you a fast and easy way to obtain more virtual goods in the games you love.
We look forward to hearing your suggestions about new redemption options, and we plan to add much more as time goes on.
How many lootcakes do I need to
redeem a gift card/code?
You can go here to view the lowest number of
lootcakes (LC$) required to redeem each retailer's gift card. Click any
retailer's tile for more detail about the LC$ required to redeem specific gift
card/code denominations.
As a member, your level dictates your “base earn rate” (e.g. the number of lootcakes you earn for every U.S. dollar of Approved Purchases, before any PowerUps are taken into account). All members begin at Level 1. As of now, Level 3 is the highest attainable level.
To increase your level (e.g. to “level up”), you must earn XP (aka “experience points”). XP bonuses are rewarded for completing select member actions at the values listed below1:
· Account
Creation: 10 XP
· Link
Your Email Account: 50 XP
· First
Approved Purchase: 100 XP
· Link
Your Platforms & Networks2:
10 XP each
· Referral
of New Member (via Referral Code)3:
25 XP each
· Referral
of New Member (Alliance)4: 25
XP each
· First Alliance Created/Joined: 25 XP
The number of XP associated with each level is as follows1:
· Level
1: 0-49 XP
· Level
2: 50 – 149 XP
· Level 3: 150+ XP
1 The type of actions that qualify for XP, the amount of XP rewarded for each action, the amount of XP required to level up, and the number of attainable levels are all subject to change.
2 The action required to “link” varies by platform/network and in certain cases may only involve submission of your platform username/nickname.
3 You earn this XP bonus for every member who joins Lootcakes using your referral code up to your referral code limit. Your referral code limit is listed on the referral page after you log in.
4 You earn this XP bonus for being part of a new member’s
first joined/created alliance (except if you already earned XP for inviting
them with your referral code). This XP bonus was created so friends
who play together don’t have a reason to compete over whose referral code is
used to refer friends to Lootcakes.
What are Alliances and how do they
benefit me?
Alliances represent a great way for members to help each other - and to help their gaming groups (clans, guilds, teams, etc.) - to earn extra rewards.
Lootcakes allows you to create a valuable home for your existing game groups, or to create new groups to take advantage of our special group benefits. We call our groups ‘Alliances’.
Each alliance is dedicated to a single game. Whenever a member of a Qualifying Alliance1 makes an Approved Purchase in such game, every other member of his/her alliance will share a bonus sum of LC$2. This bonus is awarded in addition to the LC$ earned directly by the purchaser. Any alliance member whose account is in good standing will be eligible to receive the alliance bonus, even those who rarely spend money themselves.
1 A Qualifying Alliance is an alliance with 5 or more members.
2 The total amount of this shared bonus is 25% of the
LC$ earned by the purchaser.
What are Nation Awards and how do I
win them?
Nation Awards are prizes (generally a lump sum of lootcakes) that are
regularly given out to members in recognition of your contribution to what is,
in essence, a new economy. Your “natural resources” (aka your game
activity data) generates our economy’s wealth (lootcakes) – just like oil,
gold, timber, etc. power the economic development of real-life nations. You
are the pioneers - the (data) miners – that make our reward system possible,
and by giving out Nation Awards we are celebrating the community as a
whole. Nation Awards will be given out to random groups of members
and alliances regardless of their purchasing levels. Some awards
will be periodic, while others will apply to special occasions, such as when
the economy reaches historic milestones.
What are PowerUps and why should I
love them?
PowerUps are special, limited-time offers during which your purchases within a particular game are rewarded with more lootcakes (LC$) than your base earn rate. How much more? That depends on the powerup's 'multiplier'. For example, a powerup with a multiplier of 2x would provide you with twice as many lootcakes as your base earn rate. Of course, powerups only apply to Approved Purchases made prior to the powerup's expiration or exhaustion.
To activate a powerup, you must navigate to its Activation Page while using the device on which you play the relevant game. After pressing the 'ACTIVATE' button, you will need to open the game to complete the activation process.
There are two powerup "formats": Subscription and Flash. Members will typically need to activate a game's Subscription PowerUp to unlock its Flash PowerUps. As compared with Flash PowerUps, Subscription PowerUps typically have a longer duration (e.g. 3 months versus 3 days) but a lower multiplier (1.5x versus 5x). Another thing to note: when you activate both a Flash PowerUp and Subscription PowerUp for the same game, you get the benefit of BOTH multipliers. For example, you would receive 6.5x your base earn rate in the relevant game if you have an active Flash PowerUp of 5.0x and an active Subscription PowerUp of 1.5x.
PowerUps may be offered to all members (type='Nation'); all alliances for the
relevant game, or only to select members who play the game.
Can other members see my lootcakes
balance, or know when I’ve made a purchase?
No - not unless you opt in to reveal this information. The
default setting is to keep your purchases and reward balances hidden from
others, including your fellow Alliance members.
What will you do with our data?
How do you make money?
First of all, your data is the lifeblood of our business, and without your willingness to share it, we cannot fund your rewards nor sustain our business. To gain and keep your trust, we will: (a) be honest and direct with you; (b) take your data security seriously; and (c) be responsive to your feedback. To learn more about our Core Principles, please click here.
As a member, we will use your data to help game publishers to
connect and communicate with you (and other gamers like you) more efficiently,
and to bring you special offers. Players who spend money in
free-to-play games – and those more likely to spend based on certain behaviors
– are VIPs in the eyes of game publishers. [Yes, you may be a VIP
and not even know it!] We will charge fees to game publishers who want to know
and reach you (and others like you) based on your game
behavior. This is how we make money, and by extension, how
we can fund your rewards.
We invite you to read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for additional information about our data policies
and business practices.
This seems cool. Can I become an
affiliate/Lootcakes partner?
Thanks, and yes you can! If you are a
content creator (e.g. a YouTuber, Twitch broadcaster or blogger), and you play
free-to-play games, please communicate your partnership interest by sending us an email to jointheteam@lootcakes.com,
including the URLs of your channels/blogs. Once we receive your
interest, we will send you some questions to begin the application
process.
Partnership benefits include cash and sponsored giveaways to your community. Benefits will vary depending upon the
size of your community, the number of members and spenders you drive to our website, and other factors. We look forward
to connecting with you to consider a potential partnership!
The FAQ was last updated on November 10, 2020.
The merchants represented are not sponsors of the rewards or otherwise affiliated with Lootcakes Inc.. The logos and other identifying marks attached are trademarks of and owned by each represented company and/or its affiliates. Please visit each company's website for additional terms and conditions.
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