The North Face XPLR Pass: How Points, Rewards and the $150 Yearly Cap Work

XPLR Pass is The North Face's free loyalty program for customers in the US and Canada. Members earn 1 point for every $1 spent on merchandise, and every 100 points becomes a $10 reward, which is 10% back. Rewards are issued automatically three times a year, in June, October and March, and are capped at $50 per reward window and $150 a year. There are no tiers: every member gets free standard shipping, 30-day field testing on gear and a welcome discount from the day they join.

Last checked against The North Face's XPLR Pass page and XPLR Pass terms (dated 24 April 2026) as of 26 September 2026.

This guide is written by Graeme, co-founder of Mage, a loyalty and customer accounts platform for Shopify.

XPLR Pass at a glance

The XPLR Pass page on The North Face's site as of 26 September 2026.

How to join XPLR Pass

Join for free on thenorthface.com or in a North Face store. Online, you create an account with your first and last name, email address, zip or postal code and a password; your date of birth and phone number are optional. In store, give an associate your name, email address and zip or postal code. No purchase is needed, and your membership starts straight away as long as you create your online account within a day.

You have to be a legal resident of the US or Canada and 18 or over (or the age of majority where you live, if that's higher). If you buy something without being a member, you can still join within seven days by calling Customer Service and get points for that purchase.

The sign-up page also advertises a 15% welcome discount for new accounts. The terms don't describe it, so check its conditions when you join.

How XPLR Pass works, on The North Face's sign-up page as of 26 September 2026.

How you earn XPLR Pass points

Members earn 1 point per $1 spent on merchandise at thenorthface.com, in full-price North Face stores and in North Face outlet stores. Taxes, shipping and fees don't count, and neither do gift card purchases or North Face items bought from other retailers. Points take 1 to 10 days to appear, and signing in before you check out is the fastest way to get them. If you check out online without signing in, The North Face matches the email address you enter to your account.

Returning an item for a refund removes the points it earned, and an exchange adjusts them to match the new item.

Members can also earn points for activities:

There's a ceiling on all of it: a member can earn at most 100 points a year from activities. Add up the listed activities and a member could earn more than 300 points a year, so the cap bites quickly, and 100 points is worth $10 in rewards. Activity points are valid for one year.

When XPLR Pass rewards arrive

Points are collected over three windows, and each window ends with a reward issue date:

After each window closes, every full 100 points you earned in it is converted into a $10 reward and issued in the month shown above. You don't have to claim anything. The North Face may notify you by email or post, but the terms say that's a courtesy, so check your account. This is the distinctive part of the program: rewards don't appear when you cross 100 points, they arrive on three dates a year.

That means timing matters. A purchase on 31 May is paid out in June, but the same purchase on 1 June is paid out in October. A jacket bought on 1 October, at the start of window 3, waits until March for its reward.

What XPLR Pass points are worth

Every 100 points earned in a window becomes a $10 reward, up to $50 per window (500 points) and $150 a year. At 1 point per $1, that's 10% back, but only up to the cap:

Assumes spending is spread across the year and every full 100 points converts, up to the caps.

So $1,500 of spending a year is the point where a member stops earning more. Points above 500 in a window carry forward to the next window, but each window still tops out at $50, and the $150 yearly limit doesn't move. Points that don't add up to 100 are not rounded up. The terms say a balance under 100 points that sits unconverted for a year expires, but they don't spell out how leftover points roll from one window to the next.

For comparison, 10% is well above the 3.33% Foot Locker pays in FLX Rewards and the 3% to 6.25% Ulta Beauty's Members get in Ulta Beauty Rewards, and the same as the 10% Kylie Cosmetics members earn at its two lowest tiers. The difference is that XPLR Pass stops paying at $150.

How to use XPLR Pass rewards

Rewards can be used on merchandise at thenorthface.com while signed in, or in a North Face store by showing proof of your membership and reward, such as the reward email, a digital wallet pass, the XPLR Pass app or your logged-in dashboard. You can use up to two rewards per transaction per day, and you don't have to use a whole reward in one go.

The rules:

• They're not gift cards. Rewards can't be exchanged for cash or credit, can't be transferred and can't be used at other retailers that sell North Face products.
• They're local. A reward has to be used in your country of residence, and Canadian members' rewards are in Canadian dollars.
• Returns don't give them back. If you return something you bought using a reward, the reward's value and the points behind it are not returned.
• Lost rewards can be replaced only if you provide valid ID.

Do XPLR Pass points and rewards expire?

Yes. Rewards expire 11 months after they're issued, and The North Face says it doesn't send a warning first. For members in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec, rewards don't expire.

Points expire if they're not converted into a reward within a year of being earned, which the terms describe as a balance of fewer than 100 points that sits for a year. The terms say that this too happens without warning. Points earned from activities are valid for one year.

If The North Face ever ends the program, the terms say members' points will be converted into rewards and emailed to them.

XPLR Pass benefits

Every member gets the same benefits from the day they join, because there are no tiers:

• Free standard shipping, with no minimum. It applies to destinations in the contiguous US when you're signed in, and not to Alaska, Hawaii, in-store purchases, store pickup, returns or exchanges. Standard shipping takes 3 to 6 business days, with no weekend delivery.
• Field testing. Take your gear on an adventure, and if it's not right, return it within 30 days. The gear can be reasonably worn from limited use, and The North Face decides on the refund. Each member gets two uses a year, covering up to four items with a combined retail price of no more than $1,200, and the purchase must be from thenorthface.com or a full-price store, not an outlet or another retailer.
• Early access to limited-edition collections and collaborations, and gifts with certain purchases.
• A members-only Customer Service line in the US, accessible from your member dashboard.
• A birthday surprise. The sign-up page says to add your birthday to your profile for a surprise during your birthday month.
• Wear testing of products before public release, for select members.

The fine print

• Rewards are issued three times a year, and are capped at $50 per window and $150 a year.
• Rewards expire after 11 months, and points left under 100 expire after a year, both without warning.
• Returning something bought with a reward doesn't return the reward or the points.
• A member can use two rewards per transaction per day, and rewards only work at The North Face's own website and stores.
• Free shipping applies to destinations in the contiguous US only, and excludes in-store orders.
• Cancelling membership, or asking The North Face to delete your data, ends it and forfeits unused points and rewards.
• The North Face can change or end the program at any time.

What stands out about XPLR Pass

A ceiling instead of a ladder. There are no tiers to climb. Instead there's one rate, 10% back, and one cap, $150 a year, so The North Face knows the most it can ever pay any member in rewards. Members who spend more don't get more rewards, just the same perks.

Rewards land with the seasons. The three reward dates are labelled summer, winter and spring in the terms, so members get something to spend three times a year rather than whenever they happen to hit a balance.

Rewards are automatic. Every 100 points converts into a reward without the member doing anything. There's no balance to redeem, which removes a step.

The guarantee is the perk. Free shipping and 30-day field testing are available to every member from day one. For a brand that sells technical gear, being able to try it and send it back is a different kind of reward from a discount.

Activities are small and tied to the outdoors. National park check-ins, bringing a reusable bag and referrals are worth a few points each and capped at 100 points a year, so engagement never costs more than $10 of rewards a member.

What members should know going in:

• Rewards stop at $150 a year. After $1,500 of spending in a year, extra spending earns nothing more.
• Rewards arrive only in June, October and March. A purchase made in early October can wait about five months.
• Both points and rewards can expire without notice. Check your account well before the 11-month mark.
• Returns lose the reward. An item bought with a reward can't be returned for that value back.

Is XPLR Pass worth joining?

Yes, if you buy from The North Face. It's free, and standard shipping with no minimum and 30-day field testing are worth having on their own. The rewards pay 10% back, which is more than most retail programs, as long as you spend $1,500 or less a year.

It suits people who buy gear a few times a year and don't mind waiting for rewards. Spend close to $500 in each window and you'll collect the full $150. If you buy once a year, remember that a reward arrives only on one of the three dates and expires after 11 months, so plan to use it.

What Shopify brands can learn from XPLR Pass

XPLR Pass is built for a category of considered, often seasonal purchases, and four ideas carry over to Shopify brands that sell the same way:

1. Cap the total, not the rate. A yearly limit lets you advertise a rich rate and still know your worst-case cost per customer. For The North Face that's $150 on $1,500 of spending, which it can plan around.
2. Pay out when customers shop. Rewards that land at the start of your peak seasons give members a reason to come back at the right moment, and a date to look forward to.
3. Make the guarantee a perk. A members-only trial or returns window costs you only when it's used. The North Face limits it to two uses and $1,200 of product a year, which keeps it affordable.
4. If points expire, warn people. The North Face expires points and rewards without notice, which is hard on members who miss it. A reminder before expiry turns a loss into a reason to come back.

If you're building a Shopify loyalty program like this, Mage covers most of it. The purchase rule can pay a flat 1 point per $1, and fixed-amount rewards can have a points cost and a minimum purchase, and apply at Shopify checkout with no code to copy. Cashback offers can give store credit or a discount code after a qualifying order, with a delay before approval and a limit on how many times each customer can earn it. Points Drops add a one-time bonus to an audience's balance at a scheduled time, so you can time rewards to your peak seasons. Points can expire a set number of days after they're earned, with a reminder before they go. For a step-by-step setup, see how to set up a loyalty program like XPLR Pass.

Frequently asked questions

How many points do you need for a North Face reward? 100 points, which you earn by spending $100, converts into a $10 reward. Rewards are issued automatically in June, October and March for the points earned in each window.

What is the most you can earn in XPLR Pass rewards a year? $150: up to $50 per reward window, three windows a year. Spending beyond $1,500 a year doesn't earn additional rewards.

When do XPLR Pass rewards arrive? In June for points earned from 1 February to 31 May, in October for 1 June to 30 September, and in March for 1 October to 31 January.

Do XPLR Pass points expire? Points that aren't converted into a reward within a year of being earned expire, which in practice means leftover balances under 100 points. Rewards expire 11 months after they're issued, except in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec.

Does XPLR Pass include free shipping? Yes. Members get free standard shipping with no minimum, in the contiguous US when signed in. It excludes Alaska, Hawaii and in-store orders.

What is XPLR Pass field testing? Members can return qualifying gear within 30 days of buying it, even if it's been used as intended, up to two times a year and up to four items worth $1,200 in total. The purchase must be from thenorthface.com or a full-price North Face store.

Does XPLR Pass have tiers? No. Every member gets the same benefits and the same 10% rate, up to the $150 yearly cap.

Is XPLR Pass free? Yes. There's no fee to join, and the sign-up page advertises a 15% welcome discount for new accounts.