What to look for in a loyalty card app
A loyalty app should be easy for you to run and even easier for customers to use. Price matters, but so does what you get for it.
Questions worth asking before you sign up to any of them:
- Setting it up: Can you get going yourself, without a sales call, a consultant or new hardware?
- What customers have to do: Every extra step loses people. Do they need to download an app? How long does it take to get their first stamp?
- The real price: Look at the monthly fee plus any set-up fees, per-customer or per-scan charges, and the minimum contract length.
- Stopping cheats: Ask how stamps are given. If customers can stamp themselves by scanning a code on the counter, expect some of them to do it from home.
- Wallet support: Being able to save the card to Google Wallet or Apple Wallet makes it easier for customers to find at the till.
- Seeing who uses it: At the very least you want a list of members, their progress and when they last came in.
Features worth having
Not every business needs all of these, but they're the ones that make a difference day to day.
QR code scanning
Stamps and rewards handled by scanning, using phones you already own. No card terminal or tablet.
No app download
Customers get their card from a link or QR code and it opens in the browser, so nobody has to visit an app store first.
Wallet support
Saving the card to a phone wallet means customers can find it at the till without opening a browser. RewardForge supports Google Wallet.
Customer list
A list of members with their stamps, rewards and last visit, so you know who your regulars are.
Your branding
Your logo and reward on the card, so customers see your business rather than the app maker's.
Self-service set-up
Sign up and set up the card yourself, without waiting for a sales call.
Clear pricing
One monthly price, no per-customer or per-scan fees, and no long contract.
Built for phones
Staff scan with their phones at the counter and customers use theirs, so everything needs to work on a small screen.
How RewardForge measures up
Here's how RewardForge does against that list, including the gaps.
Made for small businesses
RewardForge does one thing: digital stamp cards. There's no points engine, no tiers and no marketing suite, which keeps it quick to learn.
One price
$33.99 a month after a 30-day free trial, paid by Direct Debit. No set-up fee, no charge per customer or per scan, and no contract.
Little effort for customers
Customers scan your QR code, sign up with a name and email, and the card opens in the browser. There's no app to download.
Stamps you can trust
Customers show a code that expires after 10 seconds and your staff scan it. Nobody can stamp their own card.
What it doesn't do
There's no Apple Wallet pass, no points-per-dollar option, no push notifications and no till integration. If you need those, a bigger platform may suit you better.
Talk to the people who build it
Support is by email, and it goes to the people who build RewardForge.
RewardForge compared with a paper stamp card
We haven't compared other apps here because their features and prices change. Paper is what most small businesses are switching from.
| Feature | RewardForge | Paper stamp card |
|---|---|---|
| Setting up | One sign-up form | Design, order and print cards |
| App download for customers | Not needed | Not needed |
| Google Wallet | Yes | No |
| List of customers | Yes, with stamps and last visit | None |
| Faked stamps | Staff-only scans; codes expire in 10 seconds | Easy with a lookalike stamp |
| Lost or damaged cards | Card is stored online | Lost for good |
| Your branding | Logo, reward picture and Wallet colour | Whatever you print |
| Equipment | Staff phones | Ink stamp or hole punch |
| Cost | $33.99 a month after a 30-day free trial | Printing and reprints |
| Paper | None | A card per customer |
| Customer limit | None | As many cards as you print |
Paper cards are cheap and need no set-up, which is why so many shops still use them. RewardForge costs more than a box of cards, but the card can't be lost or faked and you can see who your regulars are.
Where a loyalty card app fits
Businesses where the same customers come back every week or month.
Cafés and coffee shops
"Buy 9, get the 10th free" moves onto the phone. Scanning a code is about as quick as stamping a card, so the morning queue keeps moving.
Restaurants and takeaways
Reward regular diners with a free starter, dessert or main after a handful of visits. The stamp goes on when they pay.
Shops
Independent shops, bakeries and delis can stamp each visit or each purchase over a set amount, and offer money off or a free item as the reward.
Barbers, salons and spas
Stamp each appointment and give a free treatment or product after a set number. Referral bonuses can bring in friends of existing clients.
If the same people come back to you regularly, a stamp card is worth trying. The 30-day trial is free and you don't need to give payment details.
More reading
Related guides.
Try RewardForge with your own customers
Set up your card, print the QR code and see how it goes for 30 days. No payment details needed, and no contract if you keep it.