Delivery methods in Tango API

Delivery methods determine how Tango delivers a reward to its recipient. Set deliveryMethod on each line item to control whether the reward is delivered by email, text message, physical shipment, embedded experience, or another supported channel.

Because deliveryMethod is configured at the line-item level, a single order or async order can contain line items that use different delivery methods. The selected delivery method determines:

The recipient information required for the line item
Whether the reward is delivered digitally or physically
Delivery tracking and status behavior
Whether the reward (UTID) is eligible for the requested delivery channel
Additional fulfillment requirements such as shipping details, bulk upload files, or embedded delivery experiences

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Note:

The legacy sendEmail field is deprecated. Use deliveryMethod for new integrations. When resending an email-delivered reward, you can select a supported alternative delivery method, such as PHONE or QRCODE. See Resend a line item.

Not every unique Tango identifier (UTID) supports every delivery method. For example, a UTID must include the PHONE attribute to support text delivery.

QRCODE is supported for reward delivery in the Tango portal only. The Tango API can retrieve orders and line items associated with QR code-delivered rewards, but it cannot create or send rewards using deliveryMethod=QRCODE. After QR code delivery is enabled for your platform, users can send eligible rewards through the Tango portal.

Delivery methods in single orders

The following table describes Tango delivery methods and their availability. See Create Orders.

Delivery method	Availability	Description
`NONE`	Available	Tango does not deliver the reward. You are responsible for delivering it to the recipient. This is similar to `sendEmail=false`.
`EMAIL`	Available	Tango delivers the reward to the recipient by email. Include the recipient’s email address. This is similar to `sendEmail=true`.
`PHONE`	Available when enabled	Tango delivers the reward by text message. Include a valid recipient phone number. Mobile delivery must be enabled for your platform. Sign the Mobile Delivery Addendum in the Tango portal and confirm compliance with applicable regulations. You need Entire organization access and the Platform settings permission. See Enable mobile reward delivery.
`ADDRESS`	Available	Tango ships a physical reward to the recipient’s address through a carrier. Include a valid physical address. 📘 Note: If you provide a recipient address without a `deliveryMethod`, Tango sets `deliveryMethod` to `ADDRESS` before processing the order. Some digital cash options may also require a physical address.
`EMBEDDED`	Available	Display Tango’s landing page within your application so the recipient can access the reward.
`EMBEDDED_COMPONENT`	Product-specific	Use an embeddable, tokenized iframe component for supported BHN MyPrepaidCenter cards. This capability works only through the API. See Get embedded component.
`WHATSAPP`	(🚧 Coming soon)	Deliver eligible rewards through WhatsApp.

Delivery methods in Async orders

Async orders support the same core delivery concepts as standard orders but are designed for large-scale reward distribution. deliveryMethod is specified at the line-item level and determines how each reward batch is fulfilled. See Create asynOrders.

Delivery method	Availability	Purpose
EMAIL	Available	Deliver rewards by email.
PHONE	Available when mobile delivery is enabled for the platform.	Deliver rewards by SMS/text message. See the Eligibility and requirements table below.
ADDRESS	Available	Ship a physical reward directly to an individual recipient's address. With `ADDRESS`, each line item includes recipient information and the reward is delivered directly to that recipient
BULKSHIPMENT	(🚧 Coming soon)	Use `BULKSHIPMENT` only for async orders that send multiple physical rewards to one shipping address. Ship one or more physical rewards to a shared location where your organization distributes the rewards. See the Eligibility and requirements table below.
BULKDIGITAL	(🚧 Coming soon)	Is used for large-scale digital reward distributions and bulk recipient processing. See the Eligibility and requirements table below.
EMBEDDED	Available	Present the reward experience within an application.
NONE	Available	Tango fulfills the reward but does not deliver it to the recipient.

Eligibility and requirements

Some delivery methods require additional configuration, recipient information, platform enablement, or specific ordering workflows. Before selecting a delivery method, verify that:

The reward supports the selected delivery method.
Your platform is enabled for any required delivery capabilities.
The request includes all required recipient or shipping information.
The delivery method is supported by the API or workflow you are using.

The following requirements and limitations apply to specific delivery methods. Delivery methods not listed in this section do not have additional requirements beyond the standard order and recipient information requirements.

Delivery method	Requirements
PHONE	Provide the recipient’s phone number in ITU E.164 format: Include the country code. Use the format `+CCCPPPPPPPPPPPP`, where `C` is a one- to three-digit country code and `P` is a phone number of up to 12 digits. Use a maximum of 15 digits, including the `+` sign. Use a supported country and phone-number format. PHONE delivery supports the United States, Canada, and other locations that use the `+1` country code.
BULKSHIPMENT	Use `BULKSHIPMENT` only for async orders that send multiple physical rewards to a single shipping address. Include a `bulkShipping` object with the shipping contact and destination address. Specify a supported `shippingMethod`. The line-item quantity can be one or greater. Do not include a recipient object. A `shippingMethod` is required for physical reward deliveries that use `ADDRESS` or `BULKSHIPMENT`. Some shipping methods support only a line-item quantity of one. If a selected shipping method does not support the requested quantity, the order fails validation. Before submitting an order, verify that the selected `shippingMethod` is supported for the reward, destination, and requested quantity. See Create async orders for the required request fields.
BULKDIGITAL	Use `BULKDIGITAL` when a line item has a quantity greater than one and the rewards are delivered digitally rather than physically shipped. Tango supports bulk digital rewards for up to 50,000 recipients per order through bulk upload templates.
QRCODE	Tango portal only. Use the Tango portal to send eligible rewards by QR code after QR code delivery is enabled for your platform. You can use the Tango API to retrieve reward records, but you cannot send QR code rewards through the API. See Send rewards with QR code.
WHATSAPP	When WhatsApp delivery becomes available, the recipient must have a WhatsApp account. Provide the recipient’s phone number in ITU E.164 format, including the country code and a maximum of 15 digits, including the `+` sign.

Delivery status

deliveryStatus tracks whether Tango successfully delivered a physical or digital reward to its recipient. Delivery status is separate from fulfillment status: a line item can be complete because the reward was generated, while delivery can still require attention.

If delivery fails, the reward and its value remain available. Correct the recipient details, then use Resend a line item to attempt delivery again.

Delivery statuses vary by delivery channel. n/a means the status does not apply to that channel.

API delivery status	Email	SMS/text	Physical mail
`PENDING`	The email server has attempted delivery, but there is no final result yet. Check later for `DELIVERED` or `NOT-DELIVERED`.	The reward is ready, but text delivery has not started yet.	The reward is ready, but it has not shipped yet.
`DELIVERED`	The recipient’s email server accepted the message. The reward email was successfully delivered.	The reward message was successfully delivered to the phone and confirmed by the carrier.	The physical reward was sent to the recipient’s address.
`NOT-DELIVERED`	The email was not delivered because sending email was not attempted, typically when `sendEmail=false`.	n/a	n/a
`SENT`	The email was sent successfully, but final delivery—acceptance by the recipient’s server—is not yet confirmed.	n/a	The fulfillment provider handed the item off for outbound shipping, but transit confirmation is not yet available.
`DEFERRED`	Email delivery is temporarily delayed because of a transient issue, such as a busy mailbox. Tango continues retrying for up to 72 hours.	n/a	n/a
`DROPPED`	The email message was rejected before sending. Resend the reward to an alternative email address.	n/a	n/a
`BOUNCE`	The recipient's email server rejected the message after sending, for example because the address is invalid or does not exist. Use resend with a corrected email address.	n/a	n/a
`BLOCKED`	The email was blocked by an ISP or messaging organization. Ask the recipient to safelist the sender and review the email template for spam triggers before resending.	The message was intentionally blocked—typically due to recipient opt-out, carrier or compliance restrictions, sender or account issues, or prohibited content. It will not be delivered or retried until the underlying cause is resolved.	The mail was blocked—typically due to address issues, recipient restrictions or opt-outs, payment or postage problems, compliance violations, or sender account blocks. It will not proceed until the underlying issue is corrected.