Apple Wallet vs Google Wallet for business: you don’t have to choose. The same loyalty card can live in both, and the customer only sees the button that suits their phone: Apple Wallet on iPhone, Google Wallet on Android. What differs is mainly how notifications behave.
Here are the differences that matter for a shopkeeper, and the solution for customers who have neither.
Do you need one card per Wallet?
No. You create a single card: logo, colours, reward. Fidelia generates it for both Wallets. When a customer scans your QR code, the page detects their phone and offers the right button. You see a preview of both versions before you publish.
At the counter nothing changes: your team scans the card’s code with the scanner on their phone, whether the card is in Apple Wallet, in Google Wallet or on the web.
What are the differences in notifications?
When a stamp is added or a reward is ready, the card updates in the customer’s phone, and a notification can appear.
- Apple Wallet. The card update comes with a message on the lock screen. For Apple’s exact rules, see Apple’s documentation.
- Google Wallet. Google alerts each card only three times per 24-hour period. After that, the card is still updated, but without an audible or visual notification. See Google’s documentation for details.
In practice, a customer who gets one stamp a day won’t hit that limit. It matters mostly if you also send campaign messages: one message too many can take the place of a reward alert. That’s why it pays to send few and well-chosen messages; see the pricing for what the Pro plan includes.
What about the lock screen and proximity reminders?
With Fidelia Pro, the card can appear on the lock screen when the customer passes near your shop. On iPhone, iOS decides whether and when the card appears: it’s a pleasant bonus, not a guarantee. So never promise a customer that the card will definitely appear. The Pro plan costs €59 a month, excl. VAT; the Essential plan, €29.
What can you do for customers without a Wallet?
Some customers have an old phone, another device or prefer the computer. Fidelia then offers a web card, reachable by a link and showing a QR code. It updates like a Wallet card, and the team scans it the same way. A web card counts in your customers straight away, whereas a Wallet card is counted once it has been added to the phone.
What should you remember?
- A single card is enough, and it exists in both Wallets.
- Plan for the web card for other devices.
- On Google, count on three alerts per card per 24 hours.
- On iPhone, the lock screen is a bonus, not a guarantee.
- Send few messages, so reward alerts always get through.
To replace your paper cards, read the digital loyalty card guide. For the price, see what a digital loyalty card costs and the pricing.