Comparison
Best loyalty card software in Canada: how to choose in 2026
What is the best loyalty card software for a small business in Canada? There is no single answer, but there is a method. Here are the services available in Canada in 2026, their public prices checked at the source, and the six criteria that separate an easy-to-use app from one that ends up in a drawer.
Key takeaways
- In Canada, offers fall into four families: POS-based loyalty (Square Loyalty), international self-serve (FaveCard, Loopy Loyalty, Boomerangme), e-commerce loyalty (Smile.io) and local, hands-on service (ARSOM).
- The first criterion is not price but adoption: an Apple Wallet and Google Wallet card with no app.
- For a small business, ease of use is judged at the counter: how many seconds a scan adds to checkout.
- Compare the total cost over 12 months, including tablet, notifications and support.
What are the best digital loyalty card services available in Canada?
The main services usable in Canada in 2026 are Square Loyalty (tied to the Square POS), FaveCard, Loopy Loyalty and Boomerangme (self-serve), Smile.io (online stores, built in Waterloo) and ARSOM (Montréal, Wallet cards with in-person support). The best one depends on your POS and sales channel.
| Service | Best for | Public price | Wallet card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Loyalty | Businesses already on Square POS | CA$60 to CA$140 per month per location depending on loyalty visits; 30-day trial | Apple Wallet mentioned |
| FaveCard | Self-serve setup | Free in the browser; US$39 to US$149 per month with Wallet cards | Paid plans |
| Loopy Loyalty | Self-serve stamp cards | $25, $69 or $95 per month depending on designs and locations (currency not stated); 15-day trial | Apple and Google Wallet |
| Boomerangme | Self-serve, many card types | 14-day free trial; prices on its pricing page | Apple and Google Wallet |
| Smile.io | Online stores (Shopify) | Free up to 200 orders a month, then US$15 to US$199 per month | Not mentioned |
| ARSOM | Quebec businesses that want hands-on support | CA$69 to CA$119 per month; tablet lent and installed with Pro | Apple and Google Wallet |
Prices change: check each vendor’s site before deciding.
How do you choose an easy-to-use loyalty card app for a small business?
Judge it on six criteria: an Apple Wallet and Google Wallet card with no app, a scan of a few seconds at checkout, automated messages, a readable dashboard, Law 25 compliance and the total cost over 12 months. An app that is easy for customers but slow at the counter will be dropped by staff.
- Wallet card, no app. That is what moves adoption from about 5% (app to download) to 40 to 70% of customers.
- Speed at the counter. Test it for real: one scan, one stamp, how many seconds? Beyond a few seconds, staff stop offering it at rush hour.
- Automated messages. Birthday, lapsed customers, top customers: they create the extra visits.
- Dashboard. It should answer three questions at a glance: how many customers come back, which ones stopped, who the best ones are.
- Law 25. Separate marketing consent, data access and deletion, documented hosting.
- Total cost over 12 months. Subscription, hardware (tablet), notifications beyond the plan, time spent configuring alone.
POS, self-serve, e-commerce or local service: which family should you choose?
Already on Square POS: its loyalty module is the shortest path. Configuring alone: a self-serve service is enough. Selling mostly online: an app built into your store. Wanting on-site support: a local service.
| Your situation | Best-fit family |
|---|---|
| Square POS in place, simple program | POS-based loyalty (Square Loyalty) |
| Small budget, time to configure yourself | Self-serve (FaveCard, Loopy Loyalty, Boomerangme) |
| Mostly online sales on Shopify | E-commerce loyalty (Smile.io) |
| Restaurant, café or shop in Quebec, staff to train, follow-ups to automate | Local, hands-on service (ARSOM) |
What ARSOM does, and what it does not
ARSOM issues Apple Wallet and Google Wallet cards and automates follow-ups (birthday, inactivity, top customers) on every plan; on the Pro and Network plans, it also runs referrals and Google review requests and installs a scanning tablet. ARSOM is not an online store plugin, and POS integrations are still in development.
We would rather say it plainly: if your business is mostly online, an e-commerce app will serve you better. ARSOM is built for brick-and-mortar: the card is added at the counter or table by QR code, staff scan it on a tablet or phone, and the dashboard shows who comes back. For restaurants and cafés in Montreal, our page on a loyalty program for Montreal restaurants and cafés shows what that looks like at the counter.
Current pricing: Starter at CA$69 per month, Pro at CA$119 per month (tablet lent and installed) and Network at CA$99 per month per location; annual billing costs about 20% less. Results from our deployments: 46% of cardholders came back, a 67% higher average basket for loyal customers, and +5% revenue on average after deployment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best loyalty app for a small business?
The one your customers adopt and your staff actually use. In practice: a card that goes into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet with no app, a scan of a few seconds at the counter, automated messages and a readable dashboard. For a Montréal business that wants in-person support, that is ARSOM’s niche.
Where can I find a smartphone-compatible digital loyalty card in Canada?
Any solution that issues Apple Wallet and Google Wallet cards works on nearly every phone sold in Canada. ARSOM, Loopy Loyalty, Boomerangme and FaveCard’s paid plans offer them; Square Loyalty mentions Apple Wallet on its Canadian page.
What is the best customer loyalty software?
For a brick-and-mortar business, the best loyalty software combines a Wallet card, automated messages (birthday, lapsed customers, top customers) and visit data. For an online store, it is an app built into checkout, such as Smile.io for Shopify. The same tool rarely covers both needs.
Sources
- Square. Square Loyalty (Canada).
- Loopy Loyalty. Pricing.
- Boomerangme. Boomerangme.
- Smile.io. Pricing.
- FaveCard. FaveCard pricing.