Every voucher link you send has a status that updates automatically as it moves through its lifecycle. The status is shown in the Link status column on the Links tab of your Voucher History page.
This article explains what each status means, including a few that are easy to misread.
Link statuses explained
Status | What it means |
Scheduled | The send is scheduled for a future date and hasn't gone out yet. Applies to email and SMS sends only. |
Sent | The voucher email or SMS has been sent to the recipient but they haven't clicked the link yet. |
Created | The voucher link has been generated. This applies to individual links and printable letters that you distribute yourself. |
Opened | The recipient has clicked the link and opened the page, but hasn't yet generated their voucher. |
Fetched | Energy and cash vouchers only. The voucher has been generated but not yet used. You can usually still cancel it at this stage. |
Redeemed | The recipient has generated their voucher (for example, selected a brand and revealed their barcode). See the note below: this does not necessarily mean the voucher has been spent. |
Cancelled | The voucher was cancelled before it was redeemed. The funds have been returned to your wallet. |
Expired | The voucher link expired before the recipient redeemed it. The funds have been returned to your wallet. |
"Redeemed" doesn't mean "spent"
This one trips people up, so it's worth flagging clearly.
Redeemed means your recipient has generated their voucher on the Huggg platform, for example they've chosen Tesco from a supermarket selection and revealed their barcode. It does not mean they've taken the voucher to a till and used it.
Once a supermarket or retail voucher is generated:
It cannot be cancelled or refunded
Your recipient can use it any time before the voucher's own expiry date (see below)
There is no separate "Spent" status. From Huggg's perspective the voucher is fulfilled at the point of generation.
Energy and cash vouchers work a little differently. After they're generated they show as Fetched, and you can usually still cancel them until they're used.
Two expiry dates: link expiry and voucher expiry
Each voucher has two different expiry dates. Knowing which is which avoids a lot of confusion.
Expiry | Set by | What it controls |
Link expiry | You, the sender | How long your recipient has to click the link and generate their voucher. |
Voucher expiry | The retailer (set by their T&Cs) | How long your recipient has to spend the voucher once it has been generated. |
Once your recipient generates the voucher, the link expiry no longer applies. The expiry shown to them updates to the voucher expiry, which is set by the retailer's terms and varies by brand.
When the funds leave your wallet
For finance and reconciliation, here's how the money moves:
Funds leave your wallet as soon as you make the purchase (when the link is created or sent)
They sit as a live balance with Huggg until one of three things happens:
Redeemed: the voucher has been generated. No further refund or cancellation possible.
Cancelled: the link is cancelled by you before redemption. Funds returned to your wallet.
Expired: the link expires before the recipient generates the voucher. Funds returned to your wallet at midnight on the day the link expired.
A typical voucher journey
For an email or SMS send, you'd usually see:
Scheduled (if scheduled for later) → Sent → Opened → Redeemed
For an individual link or printable letter that you distribute yourself, you'd usually see:
Created → Opened → Redeemed
Energy and cash vouchers pass through Fetched (generated but not yet used) before they show as Redeemed.
If something goes wrong or the voucher isn't used, the link will end up as Cancelled or Expired instead.
What you can do at each status
Status | Can you cancel? | Can the recipient still use the voucher? |
Scheduled | Yes | Not yet, the send hasn't gone out |
Sent / Created | Yes | Yes, until the link expires |
Opened | Yes | Yes, until the link expires |
Fetched | Usually yes (energy and cash vouchers) | Yes, until it's used |
Redeemed | No | Yes, until the voucher expiry set by the retailer |
Cancelled | Already cancelled | No |
Expired | No, already expired | No |
Still need help?
Email us at support@huggg.me and we'll do our best to assist.