Product
How to create a digital loyalty card for your business: 6 steps
Creating a digital loyalty card takes six decisions, and only one of them is technical. This article answers the questions business owners ask before getting started: where to begin, what “paperless” or “virtual” actually means, how to get a card into Apple Wallet on iPhone, and what changes for a restaurant.
Key takeaways
- Creating a digital loyalty card takes six steps: mechanics, reward, design, Wallet issuance, sign-up point, launch.
- “Digital”, “paperless” and “virtual” mean the same thing; what matters is where the card lives: Wallet, app, web page or photo.
- An Apple Wallet card is a
.pkpassfile signed with an Apple certificate: either you build it or a platform does it for you. - Allow 1 to 2 weeks between the decision and the first card in circulation.
How do you create a digital loyalty card for your business?
In six steps: choose the mechanics (stamps or points), set the reward, design the card, issue it in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet format, set up a QR code sign-up point, then train your staff and launch. Only the fourth step is technical, and a platform can handle it.
- Choose the mechanics. Stamps (10th coffee free) for products with similar prices, points per dollar for variable baskets. Customers should be able to work out in their head how far they are from the reward.
- Set the reward and the threshold. A regular customer should reach it in 4 to 6 weeks. A reward that feels too far away discourages people before their second visit.
- Design the card. Logo, colours, banner image and text: the card should be recognisable at a glance in the customer’s wallet.
- Issue the card in Wallet format. An Apple Wallet card is a signed file (
.pkpass); a Google Wallet card is an object created through Google’s API. Both update remotely after every visit. - Set up the sign-up point. A QR code on the counter or table, plus a shareable link. The customer scans, fills in a short form and adds the card in one tap.
- Train your staff and launch. One sentence to repeat to every customer: “Would you like our loyalty card? It’s a scan, no app.”
Choosing the mechanics and reward is covered in depth in our complete guide to digital loyalty cards (in French).
Paperless, virtual, digital loyalty card: what is the difference?
None in substance: all these words describe a loyalty card with no plastic or cardboard. The real difference is where the card lives: the phone’s built-in wallet (Apple Wallet or Google Wallet), a dedicated app, a web page or a simple photo of a barcode.
| Format | What the customer has to do | Balance updates | Can you reach them? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Wallet / Google Wallet | Scan a QR code, tap “Add” | Automatic, remote | Lock-screen notifications |
| Dedicated app | Download, create an account, sign in | Automatic | Notifications, if the app is kept |
| Web page (browser) | Keep the link or a bookmark | When the page reloads | Email or text only |
| Photo of a barcode | Find the picture in the gallery | None | None |
The built-in wallet wins because it is already installed: that is what takes adoption from about 5% for an app to 40 to 70% for a Wallet card.
How do you create a loyalty card for Apple Wallet on iPhone?
A business creates an Apple Wallet card by issuing a .pkpass file signed with an Apple certificate, served by a server that pushes updates. You either build it with an Apple Developer account, or use a loyalty platform that generates and signs the cards for you.
Technically, an Apple Wallet card relies on three elements described in Apple’s documentation:
- a pass type identifier and its certificate, created from an Apple Developer Program account (US$99 per year);
- the
.pkpassfile: a package containing the design, the fields (balance, reward) and a barcode or QR code, signed with that certificate; - an update web service: when the counter records a visit, the server notifies the iPhone, which downloads the new version of the card.
That is a developer project, so most businesses go through a platform that provides the certificate, the server and a dashboard. With ARSOM, you supply the logo and colours; the customer scans the QR code and taps “Add to Apple Wallet”.
If you are a consumer who wants to store a card the retailer does not offer in Wallet: Apple Wallet only accepts cards issued by the business itself, so you need a third-party app that converts the barcode into a pass.
A digital loyalty card for a restaurant: what changes?
The card is the same, but three settings change: the QR code goes on the table rather than the counter, the reward is a dish or drink rather than a discount, and automated messages (birthday, lapsed customers) matter more because restaurant guests come back less often than café regulars.
In a restaurant, sign-up happens during the meal, not at payment: a table tent gives guests time to scan. The card is then scanned when the bill is settled.
- Rewards in kind (dessert, starter, drink): they cost you their cost price, not their menu price.
- Close tiers: with a visit every two or three weeks, a 10-visit threshold takes months. A first reward at the 3rd visit keeps guests engaged.
- Automated messages: a birthday reminder and a nudge after 30 or 45 days without a visit.
See our page on loyalty programs for restaurants.
How long does it take and what does it cost?
Allow 1 to 2 weeks between the decision and the first card at the counter. A custom build runs into thousands of dollars; a platform costs a monthly subscription. At ARSOM, the Starter plan is CA$69 per month and the Pro plan, with a tablet lent to you, CA$119.
Delays rarely come from technology. They come from choosing the reward, approving the design and training staff. A typical timeline: scoping in week one, setup and training in week two, launch at the end of week two.
Current ARSOM 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. Every plan includes the Apple Wallet and Google Wallet card; details are on our pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I create a digital loyalty card myself?
Yes, in two ways. You can build it: an Apple developer account, a signing certificate, an update server and a Google Wallet integration, which takes a developer. Or, as most independent businesses do, you can use a platform that generates and signs the cards for you.
Do I need an Apple developer account to create an Apple Wallet card?
To issue cards yourself, yes: Apple Wallet passes are signed with a certificate tied to a pass type identifier, created from an Apple Developer Program account, which Apple lists at US$99 per year. A loyalty platform uses its own certificate, so you have nothing to set up with Apple.
Will my digital card work on Android?
Yes, if the solution also issues a Google Wallet card; Google Wallet comes preinstalled on most Android phones. With ARSOM, the same card exists in both wallets: customers add it to the one on their phone, with no app to install.
How long does it take to create a digital loyalty card?
The setup itself takes a day. The decisions and staff training take longer: allow 1 to 2 weeks between choosing a solution and the first card in circulation at the counter.