A referral becomes qualified only after a genuinely new user registers through the referring user’s unique link or code, verifies their account, completes onboarding, and participates in their first eligible contest. Rewards remain subject to fraud review and may be withheld or reversed if either account violates the Weather Champs Terms of Use or Referral Program Rules.

​

1. Eligibility

• The referring user must have an active Weather Champs account in good standing.

• The referred person must be a genuinely new Weather Champs user.

• A person who previously created, deleted, or deactivated an account should not qualify as a new user.

• Users cannot refer themselves or create accounts for other people.

• Weather Champs employees, contractors, and test accounts may be excluded.

 

2. How a Referral Is Attributed

Choose one primary attribution method:

• Unique referral link

• Referral code entered during registration

• Referral code entered within a limited period after registration

The rules should state that only one referring user can receive credit for each new account. I would recommend using last valid referral attribution before registration, unless the user manually enters a code during signup.

 

3. Requirements for a Qualified Referral

Do not award both users merely because an account was created. Require the new user to complete specific actions, such as:

1. Register through the referral link or code.

2. Verify their email address or phone number.

3. Complete onboarding.

4. Make their first eligible contest entry.

5. Keep the account active and in good standing through a short validation period.

 

For Weather Champs, I would define a qualified referral as:

 

A new user who registers using a valid referral link or code, verifies their account, completes onboarding, and enters at least one eligible Weather Champs contest.

This reduces fake-account farming while connecting the reward to meaningful activation.

 

4. Reward Structure

The rules should identify:

• The number of Forecast Coins awarded to the referring user

• The number awarded to the new user

• Whether the rewards are equal or different

• Whether rewards are issued immediately or after qualification

• Whether referral rewards count toward achievements, Power Rank, or promotional multipliers

I would strongly recommend stating that referral rewards:

• Are promotional Forecast Coins

• Have no cash value

• Cannot be transferred directly between users

• Cannot be purchased, sold, or traded

• Are subject to Weather Champs’ redemption rules

• Are not affected by subscription coin multipliers unless expressly stated

 

5. Reward Timing

A clear sequence might be:

• The new user’s welcome reward is credited after account verification.

• The referring user’s reward is credited after the new user completes the qualifying activity.

• Rewards may remain pending while Weather Champs verifies eligibility.

• Verification may take up to a stated number of days.

A 7-day validation window would give Weather Champs time to identify duplicate devices, suspicious account patterns, chargebacks, or automated signups.

 

6. Referral Limits

Even with fraud controls, limits are prudent. You could establish:

• A maximum number of rewarded referrals per day

• A maximum number per month

• A maximum number of lifetime referral rewards

• Manual review after a certain threshold

A practical structure could be:

• No more than 10 qualified referral rewards per user per day

• Accounts exceeding 25 qualified referrals in a month may be reviewed

• Weather Champs may increase, decrease, or waive limits during official promotions

Because your achievement system goes up to 100 referrals, I would avoid a low lifetime cap.

 

7. Prohibited Conduct

Explicitly prohibit:

• Self-referrals

• Multiple accounts controlled by the same person

• Fake, temporary, automated, or bot-created accounts

• Using disposable email addresses or virtual phone numbers to evade controls

• Posting referral codes through misleading advertisements

• Offering unauthorized cash payments for registrations

• Purchasing referrals or using referral farms

• Impersonating Weather Champs

• Spam, unsolicited bulk messages, or unlawful marketing

• Manipulating devices, IP addresses, account information, or location data

• Referring users without their knowledge or consent

 

8. Fraud Enforcement

Reserve the right to:

• Delay rewards

• Reject a referral

• Reverse previously issued coins

• Remove referral achievements

• Adjust Power Rank points

• suspend or terminate accounts

• Disqualify users from promotions or redemptions

• Recover rewards obtained through abuse

The rules should clarify that both the referring and referred accounts may be reviewed when suspicious activity is detected.

 

9. Account Status and Reversals

Define what happens when:

• The new account is deleted shortly after signup

• The new user is banned

• The referral was attributed incorrectly

• The qualifying transaction is refunded

• The new user disputes an in-app purchase

• The user changes or removes the referral code

A referral should generally be reversible when the qualifying activity is later invalidated because of fraud, cancellation, refund, chargeback, or account termination.

 

10. Promotions and Changes

Weather Champs should reserve the right to:

• Run limited-time referral bonuses

• Offer different rewards to different eligible user groups

• Modify reward amounts

• Pause or terminate the program

• Correct technical errors

• Apply revised rules prospectively

Avoid promising that a particular reward will always remain available.

 

11. Disclosures

The referral screen should clearly display:

• What each person receives

• What the new user must do

• When rewards are issued

• Any referral limit

• A link to the full Referral Program Rules