Canceled Reward: What Happens to Your Child's Balance?
By Erik Nilsen · Kroni7 min read
Your child earned a reward, and then an adult or something outside the family canceled it. In that case your child shouldn't lose out. The promise still stands, even though that exact plan fell through. You have three fair options: a new date, an alternative your child actually wants, or giving back the coins that were spent. Your child helps choose. Before you change anything, check the balance so the value doesn't get added back twice.
Figure out what was actually canceled
Start by sorting out what happened. The conversation goes more calmly that way, and it's easier for your child to follow.
- What was the agreement? For example, "movie trip with Dad on Saturday for 150 coins."
- Why didn't it happen? Did an adult have to cancel, or was it something outside the family, like a canceled showing, a closed pool or a sick friend?
- Have the coins already been deducted? Check the history. Kroni deducts the price when an adult approves the reward, not when the child merely sends a request.
- Did part of the reward happen? Maybe you made it to the movies but skipped the popcorn that was part of the deal.
If the reward is canceled because your child changed their mind or broke a rule you'd agreed on, that's a different situation. You'll need to decide that one using your own family rules. This article covers cancellations your child couldn't do anything about.
Keep the promise separate from the refund
Here's a common mix-up. The theater refunds the ticket, and an adult assumes that settles it. But the refund goes to whoever paid, which is the adult. It doesn't settle the agreement with your child.
Think of it as two separate accounts:
| What | Who it concerns | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The purchase from the business | The adult who paid | The $14 ticket is refunded to Mom's card |
| The promise to your child | Your child | 150 coins were spent on a movie trip that didn't happen |
Virtual coins are a family agreement, not real money. Adults decide whether coins ever turn into dollars, and how. Either way, the reward still has to be delivered or settled, whether or not you get a refund.
The three options
1. A new date
This fits best when the experience itself is what your child wanted. Set a specific date right away. "Soon" or "some other time" isn't good enough. The coins stay spent, and your child is still owed the reward.
Example (fictional): Ida, 8, had spent 80 coins on baking with Grandma on Sunday. Grandma caught a cold, so they moved the baking to the following Sunday. The date went up on the fridge whiteboard.
2. An alternative your child chooses freely
An alternative is only fair if your child thinks it's just as good. It should be worth the same or more, and your child needs to be able to say no without being pressured. If you need ideas that don't cost anything, there are plenty in Rewards Without Money: 50 Ideas for Kids Aged 6 to 14.
Example (fictional): Jonas, 11, was going to a climbing gym, but it closed for maintenance. He was offered an evening of board games and pizza instead, but he said no. So they moved on to option 3.
3. Give back the agreed value
Your child gets back exactly the coins that were spent, no more and no less. They can then keep saving or pick something else later. This is often the safest choice for older kids who saved for a long time, because they get to decide what their savings go toward. If your child wonders how the balance and savings goals fit together, Balance Explained for Kids: Goals, Mastery and Money can help.
If part of the reward did happen, you can agree to give back only the part that didn't. Say the number out loud so your child can see how you worked it out.
Choice card: how to talk it through
A small card makes it easier for your child to see that every option is a real choice. Below is a filled-in example, followed by a blank template you can copy.
Filled-in example (fictional):
| Field | Answer |
|---|---|
| Child | Jonas, 11 |
| Agreed reward | Climbing gym with Mom on Saturday |
| Value | 200 coins |
| Why it was canceled | Gym closed for maintenance |
| Coins deducted? | Yes, when an adult approved the reward |
| Option A: new date | Saturday, October 10 |
| Option B: alternative | Board games and pizza, declined |
| Option C: value back | 200 coins |
| Child's choice | C |
| Adult following up | Mom, tonight |
Copyable worksheet: choice card for a canceled reward
| Field | Answer |
|---|---|
| Child | |
| Agreed reward | |
| Value (coins) | |
| Why it was canceled | |
| Coins deducted? (yes/no/partly) | |
| Option A: new date | |
| Option B: alternative your child wants | |
| Option C: value back | |
| Child's choice | |
| Adult following up, and when |
Younger kids often do fine with two options and a drawing. Older kids can fill in the card themselves.
Check before and after: avoid a double refund
Mistakes happen easily when two adults fix things separately. Mom adds back 200 coins. Dad sees the trip was canceled and does the same. Suddenly your child has 400. Then you have to take coins away again, and that feels unfair even when it's correct.
So do a quick check:
Before you fix anything
- What is the balance right now?
- Is the reward marked as requested, approved or given?
- Has another adult already done something about it?
- Which option did your child choose?
After you've fixed it
- The balance changed by exactly the agreed amount (or didn't change, if you picked a new date)
- Your child has seen the new balance
- The new date or alternative is written down where everyone can see it
- The other adult knows what was done
Example check for Jonas (fictional): Before: balance 35 coins, climbing gym marked as approved, nobody else has made changes. After: balance 235 coins, Jonas has seen the number, Dad has been told.
How this looks in the app
In Kroni, reward requests and the balance are both recorded, so you can see what actually happened before you change anything. How you fix it depends on whether the reward is only requested or already approved or given. When you cancel an approved reward that is still awaiting delivery in Kroni, the deducted amount is returned. Check that return in the history before making any manual adjustment, so your child does not receive the same amount twice. Keep in mind that the app doesn't move real money. If you promised something in dollars, an adult pays it directly, outside the app.
A simple rule you can start with this week
Take two minutes at dinner and agree on one sentence you can post somewhere visible:
"If an adult or something outside our family cancels a reward, you choose between a new date, an alternative you actually want, or getting your coins back."
Once the rule is agreed in advance, you don't have to negotiate it next time something gets canceled. You pull out the choice card, look at the balance together, and settle it.
Frequently asked questions
- Do we have to give extra coins to make up for a canceled reward?
- No. The fair thing is to keep the promise or give back exactly the value that was spent. If you want to add something extra, treat it as a separate decision and say so clearly, so it doesn't become an expectation every time.
- What if the business doesn't refund the ticket?
- That's a loss for the adult who paid, not for your child. The agreement with your child still stands, so they still choose between a new date, an alternative or getting the coins back.
- Can my child change their mind after choosing a new date?
- That's up to your family. One option is to let your child switch to getting the value back if the new date also has to move. If you decide that, write the rule down so both adults handle it the same way.
