Almost everyone has Apple Wallet and Google Wallet on their phone. They hold payment cards, boarding passes and tickets, and they work just as well as your venue’s loyalty card. Here is how it works and how to get it running.

What a loyalty card in Wallet is

It is the digital equivalent of a paper stamp card, stored right in the phone’s wallet. The customer collects stamps or points on it, sees how much is left until the reward, and always has it on hand, because it lives in the phone.

Unlike a paper card it does not get lost, and unlike your own app the customer does not have to download anything.

How a customer adds the card (without an app)

The whole thing takes a few seconds:

  1. The customer points their camera at the QR code at the till (or taps a link).
  2. They fill in a few details and tap Add to Apple Wallet / Google Wallet.
  3. The card is saved among the payment cards and tickets. Done.

No app download, no registration with a password. This zero friction is exactly why customers actually use Wallet cards, unlike dedicated apps that nobody installs.

How the card works for a venue

Every card in Wallet is a live document you can update at any time. Several things follow from this:

  • Stamping: staff scan the customer’s card with a phone or tablet and the stamp is added instantly, with no extra hardware.
  • Push notifications: the card can be updated and the message appears to the customer right on the lock screen. There is a separate article on how to send them smartly.
  • Your own data: you know how many customers have the card, how often they come, and when they were last in.

Apple Wallet vs Google Wallet: do you need to handle both?

No. A good tool generates the card for both wallets automatically, so you never worry about the differences between iPhone and Android. The customer gets the card that fits their phone.

How to roll out the loyalty card in your venue

Rolling it out does not require months of development or an IT department:

  1. Sign up and go through the wizard (logo, colors, number of stamps, reward text).
  2. Print a QR code for the till, the table or the shop window.
  3. Have staff actively offer the card to every customer.

With Walio you set the whole thing up yourself in roughly 5 minutes, and you can start for free.

Who it makes sense for

For any venue that lives on repeat visits: cafés, restaurants, hair and beauty salons, fitness, retail and bakeries and patisseries.

Where to go next

Want a loyalty card in Apple and Google Wallet for your venue? Get in touch or just try it for free.