Adding a loyalty card to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet: how it works (for customers and business owners)

You can only add a loyalty card to Apple Wallet if the business offers a real Wallet card: you tap "Add to Apple Wallet" and that is it. Google Wallet is more relaxed and also lets you create a card yourself by scanning the barcode on your plastic card. Below are the steps for both, the reasons it sometimes fails, and how you as a business owner get your own card into your customers' wallet.

In short

• Apple Wallet: only cards that the issuer has built as a Wallet pass.
• Google Wallet: Wallet passes from the issuer, plus cards you create yourself with a barcode.
• Business owners: with a service like Beepify your card is in both wallets within five minutes.

Why people want their loyalty cards in the wallet

Since Stocard was folded into the Klarna app in 2024, a lot of people have been looking for a new home for their cards. The logical home is the wallet that is already on the phone: Apple Wallet on iPhone, Google Wallet on Android. The bank card is already there, so is the travel card and the concert ticket. A loyalty card belongs there too.

For the customer it is convenient: one place, no extra app, and the card appears on the lock screen when you are at the business. For the business it is even better: the card does not get forgotten, and every stamp or update arrives as a notification on the customer's screen.

Adding a loyalty card to Apple Wallet (iPhone)

Apple Wallet only accepts cards that the issuer has built as a pass (a pkpass file). So you cannot put a photo or a barcode into Apple Wallet yourself. These are the four ways to get such a pass.

1. Through a QR code in the shop. Scan the code with your camera, tap the link, and tap "Add to Apple Wallet". This is how small businesses with a digital stamp card do it.
2. Through an email or a text message. The business sends a link and the same button appears.
3. Through the app of the business or chain. In the app there is an "Add to Wallet" button next to the card. Large chains work this way.
4. Through Safari on a website. Some businesses put the button on their own site.

After adding it: open Wallet, tap the card, tap the three dots at the top right. There you switch on "Automatic Updates" and "Notifications". Without those two you will not see new stamps.

Not working? Then the business does not offer a Wallet pass. Ask them about it. More and more small businesses are making the move.

Adding a loyalty card to Google Wallet (Android)

Google Wallet has two routes.

Route 1: a Wallet card from the business. Exactly as with Apple: QR code, link or app, and then "Add to Google Wallet". The card gets updates and notifications from the business.

Route 2: create a card yourself. This is only possible in Google Wallet, not in Apple Wallet.

1. Open Google Wallet and tap "Add to Wallet".
2. Choose "Loyalty card" and then "Other".
3. Scan the barcode or QR code on your plastic card, or type the number.
4. Give the card a name (the name of the business) and save.

This self made card is a copy of your plastic card: it shows the barcode, but it gets no stamps or messages from the business. For supermarkets and drugstores that is enough. For a stamp card from your hairdresser or coffee bar it is not, because there the business has to be able to update the stamps.

Why it fails with some cards

| Situation | Apple Wallet | Google Wallet | What you can do | |---|---|---|---| | Business has a real Wallet card | Works | Works | Add through QR, link or app | | Business only has a plastic card with a barcode | Does not work | Works (create it yourself) | On iPhone: use a pass app or ask the business for a Wallet version | | Business only has its own app | Does not work | Does not work | The card stays in that app. Ask the business for Wallet | | Business has a paper stamp card | Does not work | Does not work | Ask the business for a digital stamp card | | Card is added but stamps do not arrive | Notifications off | Notifications off | Tap the card in Wallet and switch notifications on |

The common thread: the business decides whether the card can go in Wallet. As a customer, the most you can do is make a copy (Google) or use an app in between.

What happened to Stocard, and the alternatives

For years Stocard was the standard pass app in the Netherlands and Belgium. In 2024 Stocard was folded into the Klarna app. Existing cards could be moved over, but many users did not want a payment app for their loyalty cards.

The alternatives in a row:

• Google Wallet (Android): create cards yourself with a barcode, free, no extra app.
• Pass apps such as Pass2U or Wallet Passes: they turn a barcode into an Apple Wallet pass. Works for supermarkets, not for stamp cards.
• The real Wallet card from the business: the only option where stamps, points and messages come along.

For cards from chains (supermarket, drugstore, hardware store) the first two are enough. For the hairdresser, the coffee bar, the nail salon and the gym you need the third, and the business has to offer it itself.

For business owners: how to get your card into your customers' wallet

If you run a business, this is the part that counts. Customers want their card in Wallet, and a card in Wallet gets used more often than a paper card or a card in a separate app. Here is what you need.

Technically. Apple asks for a developer account, a Pass Type ID certificate and a server that signs passes and sends push notifications. Google asks for a Wallet API account and an approved issuer. Together that is a few weeks of work for a developer, plus maintenance when certificates expire.

Practically. A service that does this for you gives you a design screen (logo, colour, number of stamps), a QR code for the counter and a way to stamp with your phone. Your customer scans, taps "add" and has the card. With every stamp they get a notification.

That is how a digital stamp card from Beepify works: card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, no app for the customer, live in five minutes. Next to stamps you can hand out points, levels, memberships and coupons, and send messages when a customer stays away too long. There is more about the Apple side on the page about the Apple Wallet stamp card.

Three things your customers like:

1. No account, no password. Just a first name and, if you want the birthday campaign, an email address.
2. The card shows up by itself. Wallet puts the card on the lock screen when the customer is at your business.
3. Every stamp is a message. "2 more stamps until your free coffee." That is the reason they come back.

Frequently asked questions

Can you add loyalty cards to Apple Wallet?

Yes, if the business or chain offers a card that was made for Wallet. You then get an "Add to Apple Wallet" button in an app, an email or through a QR code. A loose barcode or a photo of your card cannot go straight into Apple Wallet. For that you need a separate app.

How do I add a loyalty card to Google Wallet?

Open the link or QR code from the business, tap "Add to Google Wallet" and confirm. The card then sits under your payment cards. If the business has no Wallet card, you can create one yourself in Google Wallet by scanning the barcode through "Add to Wallet" and then "Loyalty card".

Why can I not add my loyalty card to Wallet?

Usually because the business does not offer a Wallet card, only a plastic card or its own app. Apple Wallet only accepts cards that the issuer has built as a pass. Google Wallet is more relaxed and lets you create a card with a barcode yourself. Ask the business whether they have a Wallet version.

What is a good alternative to Stocard?

Stocard was folded into the Klarna app in 2024. If you do not want Klarna, you can put cards straight into Google Wallet (scan the barcode) or use a pass app such as Pass2U or Wallet Passes. For cards from small businesses, the best route is a real Wallet card from the business itself, with no app in between.

As a business owner, how do I get my loyalty card into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet?

You need a service that builds cards in Apple's format (pkpass) and Google's format (Wallet object), with a certificate and push notifications. Building it yourself takes weeks. A provider such as Beepify does it in five minutes: you design the card, you get a QR code and customers tap "add".

Want to try it yourself?

If you run a business, make your own digital loyalty card for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet in five minutes and test it on your own phone. Free to start, no app for your customers, and every stamp arrives as a notification on their screen.