Loyalty cards in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet: what you should know
Updated October 21, 2026
Apple Wallet and Google Wallet can store loyalty cards as "passes", but to create them you need a provider that generates them. Apego doesn't create Wallet passes: your points or punch card opens in the browser, and customers add it to their home screen in one tap, with your logo, so it opens like an app. Here are the differences so you can choose what suits your business.
How a card works in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet
A Wallet card is a pass with your logo, a code and the balance. Customers add it from a link or a QR code, show it at the till, and the provider updates the balance when points or stamps are added. It can show notices on the lock screen.
- iPhones come with Apple Wallet. On Android, customers need Google Wallet installed and set up, and many don't use it for store cards.
- The pass shows little information: the balance and some text on the back. Seeing rewards, history or how far they are usually means opening a separate website.
- Passes are generated by your provider with Apple and Google certificates. It's not something you can create yourself without technical tools.
Apego's alternative: your card on the home screen
- The customer scans your QR Their card opens in the phone's browser. Nothing to download.
- They sign in with email or Google Their card is saved to their account and isn't lost if they change phones.
- They add it to the home screen One tap puts an icon with your logo next to their apps. It opens full screen, like an app.
Comparison
| Apple or Google Wallet pass | Apego card on the home screen | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | iPhone; Android with Google Wallet | Any phone with a browser, and on a computer too |
| What customers see | Balance and code | Their points or stamps, the rewards, how far they are, their history, your locations and how to reach you |
| Where it lives | Inside Wallet, next to boarding passes and bank cards | Its own icon with your logo, among their apps |
| If they change phones | Depends on their Apple or Google account | They sign in with their email and everything's there |
| Reminders | On the lock screen | Automatic emails: birthday, reward reached and "we miss you", with one-click unsubscribe |
| Adding at the till | Scan the pass code | Scan their QR or type their phone number |
Advantages of a home screen card
- It works the same on iPhone and Android, without depending on customers using Wallet.
- There's room for everything: customers see the rewards, how far they are and their history without opening anything else. That motivates more than a number.
- Your brand gets its own icon on the phone, instead of being one more card inside Wallet.
- Customers without a smartphone can join too: they just give their phone number at the till.
When a Wallet pass suits you better
If your customers already use Wallet a lot for store cards, or lock-screen notices are key for you, a Wallet pass provider may fit better. Apego doesn't offer them today. If what you want is for customers to always have their card at hand, with no apps and all the information, the home screen does the job and shows more.