Are Loyalty Program Points Vouchers Under the VAT Directive? CJEU Judgment of 5 March 2026

• The CJEU ruled that loyalty points awarded in Swedish loyalty programs do not qualify as “vouchers” under Article 30a of the VAT Directive.
• For an instrument to be considered a voucher, it must serve as a means of payment and its use must not be conditional on further purchases.
• Loyalty points in this case were given automatically, could not be sold or transferred, and could only be used for low-value goods in future transactions with the same seller.
• The points did not function as a payment equivalent but rather as a promotional benefit, so they do not meet the criteria for VAT vouchers.
• The decisive factor is that the instrument must have independent economic value and not be dependent on additional conditions, which these loyalty points did not fulfill.

Source: ksiegowosc.infor.pl

Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.

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