Digital loyalty cards: how they work in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet

What a digital loyalty card is

It's a points or stamp card that lives on the customer's phone instead of in their wallet. The most practical way today is to save it in Apple Wallet (iPhone) or Google Wallet (Android), the apps that already come with the phone and where people keep boarding passes and event tickets.

The card shows the customer's name, their points balance, their tier if your program has tiers, and a QR code to identify themselves at the register. When they earn or redeem points, the card updates on their phone by itself.

Why it works better than an app or a paper card

The biggest difference is friction. Asking a customer to download an app at the register rarely works; asking them to scan a code and tap "Add to Wallet" takes less than a minute.

How it works, step by step

1. The customer scans a QR code on the table, at the register or on a poster, or opens a link you send them on WhatsApp.
2. They fill out a short form: name and phone number, and their birthday if you want it.
3. They tap "Add to Apple Wallet" or "Add to Google Wallet", depending on their phone. The card is saved.
4. At each purchase they show the card's QR. The cashier scans it with a tablet or phone and adds the points.
5. The card updates by itself with the new balance, without the customer doing anything.

Notifications without an app

A little-known advantage: through the card you can send messages that show up on the phone's lock screen, without the customer installing an app or accepting notifications from a website. Use it for a birthday greeting, to say they moved up a tier or to announce a promotion.

On iPhone, the card can also appear on the lock screen when the customer is near your business, if you set your location.

How to create a digital loyalty card for your business

Technically, an Apple Wallet card needs an Apple certificate and a server that signs and updates it; a Google Wallet card needs a Google issuer account and its API. Building it yourself only makes sense if you have a development team. For a business, the usual route is a platform that already handles it. What you decide is:

• The design: logo, colors and, if you have tiers, one color per tier.
• The rules: how many points each purchase earns and which rewards can be redeemed.
• How points are added: scanning the QR at the register or automatically from your point of sale.
• What you ask at sign-up: name and phone number are enough to start.

Is there a free digital loyalty card?

Some digital stamp apps have free plans, and they're fine for testing the idea. Before using one, check three things: whether you can export your customers' data, whether the card goes into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet or into a third-party app the customer has to download, and how many customers or locations the free plan allows. For a business that already has steady traffic, a platform usually pays for itself with a few extra visits a month.

What to ask a provider before signing up

• Does the card work in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, or only one?
• Does it update by itself after each purchase, or does the customer have to download it again?
• How does my team record points, and how long does it take at the register?
• Can it connect to my point of sale?
• Can I export my member list and their history?
• How do I stop staff from giving points away?
• How long until it's up and running?

How SnapRate does it

With SnapRate, each customer signs up by scanning a QR and saves their card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, with no app. The card shows their points, their tier (in that tier's color) and their QR, and it updates by itself every time they earn or redeem. Your team adds points from a terminal that scans the QR with the camera, or points come in automatically through a custom integration with your point of sale. You can send messages to the card, schedule the birthday greeting and, if you want, require a receipt photo with each earn. Up and running in 3 days.

More on the loyalty program page.