diff --git a/vue-app/src/api/bright-id.ts b/vue-app/src/api/bright-id.ts
index a11161dec..b917c69b7 100644
--- a/vue-app/src/api/bright-id.ts
+++ b/vue-app/src/api/bright-id.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,27 @@ const BRIGHTID_APP_URL = 'https://app.brightid.org'
 const NODE_URL = brightIdNodeUrl
 const CONTEXT = process.env.VUE_APP_BRIGHTID_CONTEXT || 'clr.fund'
 
+/**
+ * These errors from the BrightID sponsor api can be ignored
+ * https://github.com/BrightID/BrightID-Node/blob/8093479a60da07c3cd2be32fe4fd8382217c966e/web_services/foxx/brightid/errors.js
+ *
+ * 39 - The app generated id was sponsored before
+ * 63 - Spend request for this app-generated id submitted before.
+ * 68 - The app has sent this sponsor request recently
+ */
+const IGNORE_BRIGHTID_ERRORS = [39, 63, 68]
+
+/**
+ * Check if the error number is in the ignore list.
+ * @param errorNum error number to check
+ * @returns true if the error is one of the IGNORE_BRIGHTID_ERROS
+ */
+function canIgnoreError(errorNum: number) {
+  /* eslint-disable-next-line no-console */
+  console.warn('BrightID error', errorNum)
+  return IGNORE_BRIGHTID_ERRORS.includes(errorNum)
+}
+
 export interface BrightId {
   isVerified: boolean // If is verified in BrightID
   verification?: Verification
@@ -222,7 +243,7 @@ export async function brightIdSponsor(
   const json = await res.json()
 
   if (json['error']) {
-    if (json.errorNum === 68) {
+    if (canIgnoreError(json.errorNum)) {
       // sponsorship already sent recently, ignore this error
       return { hash: '0x0' }
     }
@@ -246,7 +267,17 @@ async function netlifySponsor(userAddress: string): Promise<SponsorData> {
     body: JSON.stringify({ userAddress }),
   })
 
-  return res.json()
+  const json = await res.json()
+  if (res.status === 200) {
+    return json
+  }
+
+  if (res.status === 400 && canIgnoreError(json.errorNum)) {
+    return { hash: '0x0' }
+  }
+
+  // return the error
+  return json
 }
 
 /**
@@ -260,7 +291,7 @@ export async function sponsorUser(userAddress: string): Promise<SponsorData> {
   }
 
   try {
-    return netlifySponsor(userAddress)
+    return await netlifySponsor(userAddress)
   } catch (err) {
     if (err instanceof Error) {
       return { error: (err as Error).message }
diff --git a/vue-app/src/lambda/sponsor.js b/vue-app/src/lambda/sponsor.js
index 4da4e4469..2d5e4739b 100644
--- a/vue-app/src/lambda/sponsor.js
+++ b/vue-app/src/lambda/sponsor.js
@@ -9,12 +9,8 @@ const NODE_URL =
  * @param errorMessage error message
  * @returns error object
  */
-function makeError(errorMessage) {
-  const body =
-    typeof errorMessage === 'string'
-      ? errorMessage
-      : JSON.stringify(errorMessage)
-
+function makeError(errorMessage, errorNum) {
+  const body = JSON.stringify({ error: errorMessage, errorNum })
   return { statusCode: 400, body }
 }
 
@@ -24,7 +20,7 @@ function makeError(errorMessage) {
  * @returns result object
  */
 function makeResult(result) {
-  const body = typeof result === 'object' ? JSON.stringify(result) : result
+  const body = JSON.stringify(result)
   return { statusCode: 200, body }
 }
 
@@ -56,7 +52,7 @@ async function handleSponsorRequest(userAddress) {
 
   if (!brightIdSponsorKey) {
     throw new Error(
-      'Environment VUE_APP_BRIGHTID_SPONSOR_KEY_FOR_NETLIFY not set'
+      'Environment variable VUE_APP_BRIGHTID_SPONSOR_KEY_FOR_NETLIFY not set'
     )
   }
 
@@ -96,14 +92,14 @@ async function handleSponsorRequest(userAddress) {
   const json = await res.json()
 
   if (json.error) {
-    if (json.errorNum === 68) {
-      // sponsorship already sent recently, ignore this error
-      return makeResult({ hash: '0x0' })
-    }
-    return makeError(json.errorMessage)
-  } else {
-    return makeResult(json.data)
+    return makeError(json.errorMessage, json.errorNum)
   }
+
+  if (json.data) {
+    return makeResult({ hash: json.data.hash })
+  }
+
+  return makeError('Unexpected result from the BrightID sponsorship API.')
 }
 
 /**
@@ -122,8 +118,8 @@ exports.handler = async function (event) {
       return makeError('Missing userAddress in request body: ' + event.body)
     }
 
-    return handleSponsorRequest(jsonBody.userAddress)
+    return await handleSponsorRequest(jsonBody.userAddress)
   } catch (err) {
-    return makeError(err.message + ' ' + event.body)
+    return makeError(err.message)
   }
 }
diff --git a/vue-app/src/views/Verify.vue b/vue-app/src/views/Verify.vue
index 1fa5478a5..6167d7ae9 100644
--- a/vue-app/src/views/Verify.vue
+++ b/vue-app/src/views/Verify.vue
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@
             >
             </transaction>
             <div class="qr">
+              <loader v-if="!appLink && !autoSponsorError"></loader>
               <div class="instructions" v-if="appLink">
                 <p class="desktop" v-if="appLinkQrCode">
                   {{ $t('verify.p4') }}