Short answer: you do not have to choose. Your customers carry both. iPhone owners use Apple Wallet, Android owners use Google Wallet, and a good loyalty program puts your card in whichever one a customer already has. With Stallmark you design the card once, and it goes to both.

It still helps to understand how each wallet handles loyalty, so this is the plain version for business owners.

The quick version

  • Apple Wallet is the wallet built into every iPhone. Your iPhone customers add your card there.
  • Google Wallet is the wallet built into Android phones. Your Android customers add your card there.
  • Both are already installed. Neither asks your customer to download anything new.
  • Both update automatically. When a customer earns a stamp or redeems a reward, the balance refreshes on their phone on its own.
  • You design one card. You should not have to build two programs to cover both kinds of phone.

The rest is detail.

Apple Wallet for loyalty cards

Apple Wallet is the app that already holds your customers' boarding passes and event tickets on iPhone. A loyalty card sits right alongside them.

For a business, the important parts are:

  • Nothing to install. The customer taps Add to Apple Wallet from a web page and the card is saved.
  • Live balance updates. The balance refreshes after each visit, so the customer always sees how close they are to a reward.
  • Always one swipe away. The card sits in Wallet next to their boarding passes.

We cover the exact steps in our guide on how to add a loyalty card to Apple Wallet.

Google Wallet for loyalty cards

Google Wallet is the equivalent app on Android, and it works the same way for your customers who do not carry an iPhone.

For a business, the important parts are the same ones that matter on Apple Wallet:

  • Nothing to install. The customer taps Save to Google Wallet from a web page and the card is saved.
  • Live balance updates. The balance refreshes on the customer's phone after each transaction.
  • It stays with them. The card lives in the wallet they already use, so it is not forgotten in a drawer like a paper card.

Your Android customers get the same experience as your iPhone customers, in the wallet that came with their phone.

Do you need both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet?

Yes, and this is the part that trips owners up. Your customers are a mix of iPhone and Android, and the split varies a lot by country and by neighborhood. If you support only one wallet, you quietly shut out a share of your customers before they even try to join.

Covering both should not be extra work. You are not designing two cards or running two programs. You are making sure that whoever walks in, on whatever phone, can join in seconds. If you are still deciding how the rewards themselves should work, our guide on punch cards vs points covers that choice.

How Stallmark handles both from one card

This is why Stallmark works the way it does. You design your loyalty card once, with your name, your colors and your reward. From that single design, the card is issued to Apple Wallet for your iPhone customers and to Google Wallet for your Android customers.

Your customers never think about any of this. They scan your QR code, tap the wallet button the page shows them and the card lands in their wallet. Because neither wallet needs an app, enrollment stays high. We go deeper on that in do customers need to download an app.

Common questions

Is Apple Wallet or Google Wallet better for a loyalty program? Neither is better. They are the same idea on different phones. What matters is reaching every customer, whatever phone they carry.

Do I have to make two different loyalty cards? No. You design one card. Stallmark issues it to both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.

Do customers need to download an app for either wallet? No. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet both come built into the phone. Customers add your card from a web page or QR code, with nothing to install.

What happens on the customer's phone when they earn a reward? The balance updates in their wallet on its own, so they always see their current progress without refreshing anything.

Which wallet do my customers use? Whichever came with their phone. iPhone customers use Apple Wallet and Android customers use Google Wallet. Your join page shows each customer the right button for their phone.

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