Add a loyalty card to Google Wallet: the customer's steps

What does your customer need on their Android phone?

Very little. Most Android phones come with Google Wallet, and that is where the card goes.

Your customer needs:

• A phone camera to scan the QR code on your poster
• Google Wallet on the phone
• A few seconds while you make their order

They do not download an app from you. They do not create an account or think up a password. That is the point: a customer at the counter will do half a minute, not five.

If you want the bigger picture of why Wallet cards work without an app, read how Wallet cards work without an app.

How does a customer add the card to Google Wallet?

Here is what happens from the customer's side, step by step. It helps to know this so you can point someone through it while they wait.

1. Scan the poster. The customer opens the phone camera and points it at the QR code on your poster. A sign up page opens.
2. Type a first name. That is the only thing required. Email and birthday are optional.
3. Decide on messages. There is a box for receiving messages from you. It is never ticked in advance, so the customer chooses.
4. Tap the Google Wallet button. On an Android phone, the Google Wallet button is shown first.
5. Save the card. Google shows the card and the customer saves it to their Wallet.

The card is in Google Wallet within about half a minute. Then you scan it and add the first stamp of the visit.

What if they open the page on a computer?

Some customers find your sign up link at home. On a computer the page shows both the Apple Wallet and Google Wallet buttons, plus a QR code. They scan that QR code with their Android phone and carry on from step 2 there.

What if someone has an iPhone?

Same poster, same steps. An iPhone simply gets the Apple Wallet button first. You do not need a second poster. For how the two Wallets compare, see a stamp card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.

What does the customer see on the card?

The front of the card is your card, not a generic one. It shows:

• Your logo and colours
• The name of your shop
• The stamps so far, for example 7 / 10
• The reward, for example "A free coffee of choice"
• The customer's first name
• A QR code for you to scan

The back of the card explains how it works, shows the latest message from you and links to a page where the customer can see and delete their own data. They do not have to ask you for that.

Take a coffee bar as a hypothetical example. The card has 10 stamps, 2 welcome stamps and the reward "A free coffee of choice". Right after signing up, the customer opens Google Wallet and sees 2 / 10 with their name on it. Welcome stamps can be set from 0 to 3, so you decide how full the card looks on day one. There is more on that setup on the coffee bar page.

For a clinic, the card shows only the first name, the stamps and the reward. No medical data goes on the card.

What changes on the card after each visit?

When you or a colleague scan the card and tap "Add stamp", the card on the customer's phone updates within seconds. Often a short notification appears on the lock screen.

So the customer sees the count go from 7 / 10 to 8 / 10 before they have left the counter.

A few things the customer will notice over time:

• One stamp per visit. By default a card gets one stamp per 12 hours. You can change that per card, for example 24 hours for a barber, or turn it off.
• The reward appears. When the card is full, the reward is ready and shown on the card. You scan and tap "Redeem reward". The stamps for that reward come off, and any extra stamps stay.
• Your design follows along. If you change your colours, logo or reward, every card that is already in someone's Google Wallet updates by itself.

The QR code on the card holds a signed code, never a customer number. Data stays in the EU.

Will customers get messages on their Android phone?

That depends on your plan and on what the customer chose at sign up.

On every plan, the customer can get a welcome message. On the paid plans you can also send offers, birthday messages and win back messages. Those only reach customers who ticked the box at sign up.

Two limits are worth knowing:

• Messages are at most 160 characters.
• Google Wallet allows at most 3 notifications per card per 24 hours. Above that, the message still shows on the card, just without a notification.

Customers can turn off notifications for your card in their Wallet at any time. The card itself keeps working. If you want to use win back messages well, read how to win back regular customers.

What happens when something goes wrong?

Most questions at the counter come down to a few situations. Here is what happens in each.

One practical tip: when someone mentions they swap phones often, suggest they add their email at sign up. It is optional, but it is what brings the card back.

How do you start?

You can have a card ready for your Android customers today.

1. Try it on your own phone first. Use the free stamp card maker to make a card with your name, logo, colours and reward, and see it in Google Wallet right away. No account needed.
2. Create your account. Choose your reward, the number of stamps and your colours. Your first card is ready within a few minutes.
3. Print the poster. You get a printable A4 poster with your logo, reward and a large QR code. Put it where customers wait.
4. Set up a scanner. Open joinusuals.com/scan or the Usuals app on any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera. No till integration needed.
5. Walk the first few customers through it. Once you have seen it a few times, you can explain it in one sentence: scan, first name, Google Wallet button.

Usuals is free up to 30 customers, with no payment details needed. Starter is €29 per month, excl. VAT, and Business is €49 per month, excl. VAT. Both add messages and the AI assistant. All plans are on the pricing page.