First-purchase offer matrix: price, soft currency, and eligibility windows

First-purchase packs still drive early ROAS only when price, soft-currency grant and eligibility window are the same object in store, client and ads. Build a matrix; do not improvise per geo in Slack.

Documented store constraints

Apple’s Set a price for an In-App Purchase (body-read 20 September 2026) requires choosing from up to 800 price points, with a base country or region used to generate comparable prices across 174 storefronts. Hard-coding a single USD tier into every locale without a price schedule will break when Apple equalises non-base storefronts.

Google Play promo codes document one-time-use and custom codes, quarterly creation limits (including 500 one-time-product codes per quarter per app) and redemption in-app or in Play Store. Promo codes are not a substitute for a priced starter SKU; they are a separate eligibility path.

Matrix fields (operator checklist)

1. SKU / product ID — one row per store and platform.
2. List price point — App Store price point ID or Play purchase-option price; never a free-text “about $5”.
3. Soft-currency grant — exact amount and currency ID shown in FTUE and in ads.
4. Eligibility window — hours since install, or “never purchased”; document whether reinstalls reset it.
5. Promo-code path — if used, record code type, end date and whether ads mention it.
6. Creative claim QA — endcard price and grant must match the live matrix row.

Facts vs limits

Download the operator card.

Draft prepared 20 September 2026. Local expansion-500 file; human editorial review pending. No CMS write.