Loyalty Cards in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet: How They Work for Restaurants Without Building an App

Asking a guest to download your restaurant's app is asking a lot. Most won't, and the ones who do delete it the next time they need storage. That's why loyalty programs are moving into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet: apps that already come on the phone, where people keep their boarding passes and movie tickets.

Here's how a Wallet loyalty card works for a restaurant, what the guest sees, and what you need.

The short answer

The guest scans a QR code, types their name, and taps "Add to Apple Wallet" or "Add to Google Wallet". From then on the card lives on their phone with your logo, your colors, and their stamps. The server scans it at checkout, the stamp appears on the card, and when it's full, the reward is right there.

No app to download and no account with a password.

What the guest sees

• Your logo, your colors, and, if you want, a photo of your restaurant.
• How many stamps or points they have and how many are left.
• The reward they're working toward and, once earned, the reward ready to redeem.
• A QR code the server scans.
• The notifications you send: welcome, we miss you, or a one-off promotion.

And when they're near your restaurant, the card can show up on their lock screen with a short message you write. It depends on the phone and its location settings, so treat it as a bonus, not the backbone of the program.

What if the guest doesn't use Wallet?

Some phones don't have Wallet, or the guest simply doesn't use it. A good loyalty card doesn't leave them out: the card also lives in the browser at its own link and works the same for stamping and redeeming. In Westify, the guest taps "My phone has no wallet" and continues on the web version.

How stamping works

The server opens the stamping link on their own phone, signs in with the location's PIN, and scans the QR code on the card. If the camera acts up, they can search for the guest by name or phone number, or read out a short code the guest types into their card.

For delivery orders, you send the stamp over WhatsApp with the order or stick a code sticker on the bag.

Notifications: the channel almost nobody uses well

A card in Wallet is a direct line to the guest's phone, without asking for their number or email to send promotions. Use it with respect:

• An automatic welcome when the card is created.
• A we-miss-you notification at 30, 45, or 60 days without a visit, with the option to gift a stamp.
• One or two updates a month, no more.

Send too many and the guest deletes the card, and you lose the channel.

What does it cost to have my card in Wallet?

Issuing an Apple Wallet or Google Wallet card requires certificates and developer accounts a restaurant usually doesn't have. That's why people use a tool that already handles it. In Westify, the loyalty card is included on the Growth ($59 USD) and Enterprise ($119 USD) plans, and it's a $7.99 USD a month add-on per location on Basic ($29 USD). Current pricing at westify.app/pricing

What guest data is stored?

Their name and, if you require it, their phone number or email. The guest accepts your privacy notice, chooses whether to receive promotions, and can delete their card and data at any time from the card itself.

Does it work on iPhone and Android?

Yes. On iPhone it saves to Apple Wallet and on Android to Google Wallet. In any other case, the web version works from the browser.

Bottom line

Wallet solves the biggest problem digital loyalty programs have: getting the card into the guest's hand without a download. Everything else (the reward, the rules, and your team offering it) is still on you.

See Westify's loyalty card: westify.app/loyalty-card

Work out what your reward costs: westify.app/tools/loyalty-reward-calculator

Related: westify.app/blog/digital-loyalty-card-restaurants and westify.app/blog/how-to-start-restaurant-loyalty-program