LoyaltyCards is a digital stamp card system that replaces the paper punch card, without collecting anything about you. It's two apps working together: the Customer app is your digital wallet of loyalty cards, and the Business app is what a shop uses to issue and manage them. There's no server connecting them — they talk directly to each other via QR code, on the spot, and nothing leaves either device.
Every business picks one mode when they set up — it's a trade-off between speed and cryptographic proof, and the right choice depends on the reward value and how well a business trusts its regulars.
The business displays a static, reusable QR code at checkout. Customers scan it themselves to add a stamp — no staff interaction needed. It's fast (about 2 seconds) and needs no hardware beyond a printed code, but it's honor-based: a determined customer could scan repeatedly. Each business sets a cooldown between stamps (5–60 seconds, 30 by default) to discourage casual abuse, though that's enforced locally on the customer's phone, not cryptographically.
Joe prints two QR codes and tapes them to the register: "Get Loyalty Card" and "Add Your Stamp." Sarah, a regular, scans the first on her first visit and the card appears in her wallet instantly. Every visit after that, she scans "Add Your Stamp" — total time, about 2 seconds. On her 10th visit her card is complete; she shows it to Joe and taps "Redeem Reward" — no scan needed, just a witnessed tap — gets her free coffee, and a fresh card is created automatically. It works because Sarah is a regular who values the reward and won't bother gaming a $5 coffee, and speed matters to Joe during the morning rush.
The business generates a fresh, time-limited QR code (valid 1–2 minutes) from their own device for every stamp. Each one is signed with the business's private key and chained to the previous stamp, so it can't be forged or replayed. Redemption requires the business to scan the customer's completed card and validate the whole chain. It's slower (5–10 seconds) and needs a device at checkout, but nothing about it depends on trusting the customer.
Maria keeps an iPad at reception. On Lisa's first $200 massage, Maria issues a card from the iPad and Lisa scans the QR it displays. Every visit after, Maria taps "Add Stamp," a time-limited QR appears, and Lisa scans it — each stamp is cryptographically signed. On Lisa's 5th visit, Maria taps "Redeem Card," scans Lisa's completed card, the whole signature chain is validated, and Lisa gets her free massage. A $200 reward justifies the extra few seconds, and Maria gets a genuine audit trail for her books.
| Feature | Express Mode | Secure Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | ~2 seconds | 5–10 seconds |
| Hardware | Printed QR only | Phone/tablet required |
| Fraud prevention | Scan cooldown (5–60s) | Cryptographic signatures |
| Redemption | Self-service | Business scans and validates |
| QR expiry | Never (print once) | 1–2 minutes |
| Best for | Low-value, high-trust, high-volume | Higher-value, any trust level |
A few more scenarios that show how the choice usually plays out in practice:
Neither app asks for a name, email, phone number, or account. There's nothing to sign up for and nothing to log into. Cards live in a local database on the customer's phone; a business's configuration and signing keys live on theirs. Nothing is sent to us, because there's no "us" to send it to — there's no backend at all. See the full Privacy Policy for details.
A business's signing keys are what make every customer's card valid — losing a device without a backup means starting over. The Business app supports backing up (print, email, or save to Files) and restoring to a new device, plus cloning to a second device (like a manager's iPad and a till) that shares the same identity. Full detail is in the Supplier Setup Guide.
See the User Guide for step-by-step instructions, the Supplier Setup Guide for a deeper mode comparison, or the Support page for troubleshooting and contact details.