A digital loyalty card for your car wash

A car wash sells a service that people know they should buy more often than they do. The regular who washes the car every second week is worth much more than someone who only comes after a muddy winter, and in Sweden the seasons make the difference: salt and slush from November to March, pollen in spring and bird droppings all summer. A loyalty card gives people a reason to wash more often, and to choose you each time.

What to reward, and after how many stamps?

Washes have a low marginal cost, mainly water, soap, electricity and a little time, so a free wash is a reward that costs far less than it looks.

• 6A free basic washThe classic. Easy for customers to understand.
• 4A free interior vacuum or wax upgradeCosts little and shows off a service customers might not have tried.
• 5A free underbody wash in winterA seasonal reward that protects the car from salt.
• 10A free full detail discount-free upgradeA bigger goal for your most regular customers.

Example calculation: a wash sells for 129 kr and costs you about 25 kr in water, soap, power and handling. Six washes bring in 774 kr, and a free wash with a cost of 25 kr is about 3 % of that. Even at full price it is 1 in 7, around 14 %. These are example figures. Use your own prices and costs.

Cards can have between 3 and 30 stamps. Changing the number affects only new cards.

Which card type fits a car wash?

The stamp card (Essential) is the base: one stamp per wash, a free wash at the end.

On Pro:

• Pack card. A prepaid pack of washes, for example five or ten, sold at a lower price per wash. The customer pays you as usual, by Swish or card. The card shows “Not active yet” until staff tap Activate, then staff tap Use 1 at each wash. The pass shows how many are left. Fidelia does not take the payment or send an invoice. You hold the money in advance, so check prepaid rules with your accountant.
• VIP levels. A level for customers with many visits, with a perk such as a priority lane on busy Saturdays.
• Several cards at once. For example a stamp card for single washes and a pack card for the regulars.

How does stamping work at the wash?

Scan after the wash is paid. The scanner shows “+1” and a first name with progress, for example “Anders · 4/6”. The pass on the phone updates within seconds.

• Staff: each person logs in with a PIN, and every stamp records who scanned it, on which device and at which location.
• One stamp per wash: the cooldown is 5 minutes by default. For a car wash you might lengthen it, for example to a day, so one card does not collect stamps from several washes of the same car.
• Mistakes: the owner or a manager corrects the card in the dashboard with Adjust stamps; the reason and who made the change are logged.
• Reward ready: the pass shows it, and the customer gets a lock-screen notification. Staff tap the claim button and start the free wash.

Seasonal and occasion ideas

• Late winter and spring (March to April): salt removal after the winter, and the first nice weekend.
• Pollen season (May to June): a good reason for a quick extra wash.
• Midsommar and holiday trips: people clean the car before a long drive.
• Autumn: leaves and mud, and a good time for a wax before winter.
• November: winter tyres, salt and a first underbody wash.
• December: gift packs for the person who owns a car.

What to send by push or e-mail

Push messages (Pro) show on the lock screen and only reach customers who opted in to news. One or two a month is enough. Examples:

• Example · title: “Salt season is here” · message: “Book an underbody wash this week. Show your card for a free vacuum.”
• Example · title: “Pollen on the car?” · message: “Quick wash, open until 20:00 today.”
• Example · title: “Two washes left” · message: “Your pack has 2 washes left. We are open every day this week.”

E-mail idea: a short note from your own address in early spring and before winter, with opening hours and the season’s offer. Replies land in an inbox in your dashboard.

Common objections

“Customers pay at an automatic machine.” Then a scan needs a person or a staffed moment. If your site is fully unmanned, a card may not fit; for sites with a kiosk or an attendant it works well.

“I already take Swish and card.” Keep them. The card sits next to payment, and the scan is a separate step.

“I do not want to hold prepaid money.” Then use a stamp card only. A pack card means you receive payment up front, and you need to follow the prepaid rules.

“Customers will not download an app.” They do not have to. The card goes into Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, or opens as a web card if they have neither.

What does it cost?

Essential costs 299 kr a month excl. VAT: one location, one stamp card, unlimited customers and scans, the scanner for your whole team and your first QR stand. Pro, at 599 kr a month, adds pack cards, VIP levels, push messages, e-mails and several cards at once, with a 14-day free trial.