Google Wallet loyalty cards: how they work on Android

"And my Android customers, what do they do?" It’s often the first question a shop owner asks when looking at a loyalty card on a phone. Demos almost always show an iPhone, and you end up thinking the wallet is an Apple thing. It isn’t: on Android, the card goes into Google Wallet, and the gesture is the same.

This article doesn’t compare the two wallets in general; that’s covered in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, what you need to know. It answers the practical questions on the Android side, the ones that decide whether your card works for everyone or only for half the queue.

What Google Wallet actually is

Google Wallet is Google’s app for keeping payment cards, tickets, boarding passes and loyalty cards on an Android phone. On many Android phones it comes preinstalled; if not, it’s a free download from the Play Store.

A loyalty card takes the form of a pass: a card in your colours, with your logo, the stamp count and a QR code to scan at the counter. It’s tied to the customer’s Google account, not just to their phone. Google says as much: adding a pass can only be initiated in the context of a logged-in Google identity.

On the hardware side, Google states that Google Wallet requires Android 9 or higher. In other words, almost every phone you’ll see at your counter today.

How an Android customer adds your card

It takes three gestures, and it’s the same QR code as for iPhones:

1. They scan the QR code on your counter sign with their phone camera.
2. A page in your shop’s name opens. It offers Google Wallet first, because it has recognised an Android phone.
3. They tap "Add". Google Wallet shows the card and asks them to confirm. Done.

No app from your shop to download, no account to create with you, no password. The customer uses the Google account already on their phone.

What your shop needs

Nothing specific to Android. The list is the same as for Apple Wallet:

• a phone with a browser, for stamping;
• a service that issues real Google Wallet passes, not a web page dressed up as a card;
• a QR code visible at the counter, printed or on a screen.

You don’t have to open a Google developer account or sign anything in a console. That’s the tool’s job. With StampyWallet, both wallets are included in the subscription, with no add-on and no surcharge.

If you’re starting from scratch, the step-by-step guide is in An Apple Wallet loyalty card: the ten-minute setup guide. The five steps apply to Android too: only the customer’s last tap lands in a different app.

At the counter, nothing changes

The customer opens Google Wallet, taps your card and holds it out. You scan it from your phone, the screen shows who you have in front of you and where they stand, and you confirm.

The stamp lands on the card in their phone without them reopening anything. Google calls this a pass update: the installed card changes by itself when you stamp, when you change your logo or colour, or when a reward is ready.

Stamps, tiers or points: all three modes work the same way on Android and on iPhone.

Messages on Android

This is the real reason to move to the wallet: the card lets you write to your customers. A nudge when they’re one stamp away, a word to those who haven’t been in for thirty days, a message to everyone on a quiet Tuesday, or their birthday gift.

On Android, the message is added to the card in Google Wallet, and Google Wallet flags it with a notification. Two of Google’s rules are worth knowing:

• the customer must have left notifications for their passes switched on. If they’ve turned them off in Google Wallet’s settings, the message is still visible on the card, but nothing shows on screen;
• Google caps notifications at three per pass per 24 hours. It’s in its documentation. In practice, a shop that writes once a week never gets near it.

That cap is good news, really. It protects your customers from overly chatty brands, and with it the trust they place in the cards in their wallet, yours included.

Apple Wallet vs Google Wallet: the differences you’ll notice

For you, the tool is the same and so is the counter. For the customer, a few details change:

• The card follows the account, not the phone. On Android it’s saved to the Google account: a customer who changes phones and signs in to the same account gets the card back, stamps included.
• The card can also be seen on the web. Where it’s offered, Google lets people view some loyalty cards on the Google Wallet website.
• The layout is Google’s. Your name, logo and colour are there, but the arrangement follows Google Wallet’s template. A card will never look exactly the same on an iPhone and on an Android, and that’s normal.

None of these differences asks anything of you.

What if the customer doesn’t have Google Wallet?

There are three cases, and none of them means keeping paper cards for everyone.

Google Wallet isn’t installed. Google then prompts the customer to download the app to finish adding the card. It’s free and takes a minute, but some people would rather not do it at the counter.

The phone has no Google services, or it’s too old. It’s rare, but it happens.

The customer simply doesn’t want a wallet.

For all three, the sign-up page offers a third door: get the card by email. The customer types their address and receives the card as a PDF, with a link to its web version. It opens in the browser, with the same QR code you scan at the counter and the same stamps. And if they install Google Wallet later, the web card offers to move the card into it.

One limit, to be upfront about it: the web card has no lock screen. Messages don’t reach it. It’s a safety net, not the main version.

And the email address is only used to send the card: it isn’t stored.

What it costs

There’s also a Network plan, from $129 a month before tax (£79 in the UK, €90 in Europe), which gives every location everything in Growth. Paid yearly, two months are free. Customers are unlimited on every plan, team accounts too, and the data is hosted in France.

And if you stop the subscription, the cards already in people’s phones keep working. Your Android customers aren’t left with a dead card in their Google Wallet.

Frequently asked questions

Does a digital loyalty card work on Android?

Yes. On Android it goes into Google Wallet, the counterpart of Apple Wallet. The customer scans the same QR code as an iPhone customer and taps "Add".

Do I need two QR codes, one for iPhone and one for Android?

No. One QR code is enough: the page recognises the phone and offers Google Wallet first on Android, Apple Wallet first on iPhone.

Do my Android customers have to download an app?

Not an app from your shop. They only need Google Wallet, which comes preinstalled on many Android phones and is free on the Play Store. If they’d rather not install it, they can get their card by email.

Do Android customers get messages on their phone?

Yes, if they’ve left notifications for their passes switched on in Google Wallet. Google limits these notifications to three per pass per 24 hours, which leaves plenty of room for a weekly message.

What happens if my customer changes Android phones?

The card is saved to their Google account. By signing in to the same account on the new phone, they get it back with their stamps.

What about a customer whose phone doesn’t have Google Wallet?

They open "Or get your card by email" on the sign-up page. They receive the card as a PDF and a link to its web version, which they show at the counter like a wallet card. The one difference: messages don’t reach it.

Can I use StampyWallet if all my customers are on Android?

Yes. Google Wallet is included in every plan, just like Apple Wallet. You stamp from your own phone, whether it’s an iPhone or an Android.