What the wallet is
Apple Wallet (on iPhone) and Google Wallet (on Android) are the digital wallets that come with the phone. Besides payment cards, they hold what we used to carry on paper: boarding passes, tickets, coupons and loyalty cards. Each of these is called a «pass».
For a small business, the wallet has a huge advantage: it’s already installed. There’s no need to convince anyone to download anything.
What your card can do inside the wallet
- Show your brand: your logo, your colours, a photo and the customer’s progress (stamps, points, sessions on a pass).
- Update itself: when your team adds a stamp, the card changes on the customer’s phone within seconds.
- Send notifications that appear on the lock screen: reward ready, birthday, an offer.
- Appear when they’re nearby: if you set your shop’s location, the phone can remind them of the card when they walk past.
- Carry a QR code your team scans to stamp or redeem.
How the customer saves it
- They scan the QR code on your counter with their camera.
- They type their name and email or mobile, and accept the privacy policy.
- They tap «Add to Apple Wallet» or «Add to Google Wallet». Done.
The process takes about 10 seconds. If their phone has no wallet or they don’t want to use it, they can open the card as a web page from the link they receive.
Differences between iPhone and Android
The idea is the same, but each system displays the card its own way. On iPhone the card has an image strip with fields below; on Android the design is a bit more sober and the image goes in the header. A good platform generates both versions from the same design, so you don’t have to do anything twice.
What you need to get started
To issue wallet passes on your own you’d need Apple certificates, a Google issuer account and a server to sign and update them. With a platform like Fidelizando all that is already done: you design your card in the design studio, print the poster with your QR code and start stamping the same day.
What the wallet doesn’t do
It’s worth being realistic: wallet notifications aren’t a channel for daily advertising. If you overdo it, the customer can turn off your card’s notifications or delete it. Use them for things they genuinely care about: their reward, their birthday, a one-off offer.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work on every phone?
On iPhone with Apple Wallet and on most Android phones with Google Wallet. If a phone has no wallet, the card opens as a web page.
Does it cost anything to send wallet notifications?
There’s no cost per message, unlike SMS.
Can the customer delete the card?
Yes, whenever they want. If they add it again with their email or phone, they get their stamps back.