Loyalty & wallet pass glossary

Apple Wallet is the default app on every iPhone for storing payment cards, transit cards, boarding passes, event tickets and loyalty cards. GetLoyal cards are added to Apple Wallet with a single tap and live next to the customer's credit cards, ready when they walk into your store.

A Bluetooth Low Energy beacon is a small wireless transmitter installed in a physical location. When a customer with a compatible wallet pass walks near it, their phone can surface the pass on the lock screen automatically — perfect for prompting a check-in or reminding shoppers they have a reward to redeem.

CLV is the total revenue a single customer is expected to generate for your business over the entire time they remain a customer. Loyalty programs are one of the highest-leverage ways to grow CLV because they directly increase repeat-visit frequency and average order value.

A geofence is a virtual perimeter drawn around a physical location (for example, your store). When a customer enters or leaves the geofence, their wallet pass can be promoted on the lock screen. Geofencing is a powerful way to drive footfall at the exact moment a loyal customer is nearby.

Google Wallet is the equivalent wallet app on Android devices. It stores payment cards, tickets, boarding passes and loyalty cards, and supports the same real-time updates and lock-screen notifications as Apple Wallet. GetLoyal generates a Google Wallet version of every pass automatically.

A join link is the unique URL (e.g. getloyal.ai/join/abc123) that lets a customer enrol in a specific loyalty card. Tapping the link opens a branded join page where the customer adds the pass to their wallet in one tap. Join links can be shared on social media, in email, on receipts, or printed as QR codes.

PassKit is Apple's framework for creating, signing and updating wallet passes. GetLoyal uses PassKit under the hood to generate Apple Wallet passes and to push real-time updates to customers' iPhones whenever their balance, tier or status changes.

A .pkpass file is the package format Apple Wallet uses to store a single pass. It bundles the pass design, branding, and signed metadata so that iPhones and Apple Watches can render and verify the pass offline. Every loyalty card a customer adds to Apple Wallet is delivered as a PKPass.

The Point of Sale is the system or device used to process customer purchases — for example a Shopify POS terminal, an iPad register, or a traditional cash drawer. GetLoyal's Shopify integration ties loyalty earning and redemption directly into the POS checkout flow.

A loyalty card where customers accumulate points based on how much they spend (for example, 1 AED = 2 points). Once their balance reaches a defined threshold they redeem points for rewards. Points cards are flexible and work well for retail, hospitality and any business where order values vary.

The traditional paper card with hole-punches or rubber-stamp boxes used to track repeat visits. Digital wallet stamp cards do the same job without the lost-card problem: they live in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, can't be forgotten at home, and let merchants see who their best customers actually are.

A short message delivered to a customer's lock screen via their wallet, without requiring an app of your own. GetLoyal merchants use push notifications to announce flash promotions, remind customers they're close to a reward, or re-engage lapsed customers — typically achieving much higher open rates than email or SMS.

Redemption is the moment a customer claims the reward they've earned — for example, exchanging a full stamp card for a free coffee, or spending points on a discount. In GetLoyal, staff redeem rewards by scanning the customer's pass and selecting Redeem reward in the scanner.

The number of stamps, points or visits a customer needs to accumulate before they unlock a reward. Setting the right threshold is one of the most important loyalty-program decisions: too high and customers give up, too low and the reward feels unearned.

The Staff Scanner is the web-based tool your team uses to scan customer wallet passes. It runs in any modern smartphone or tablet browser — no app download — and lets staff award stamps or points, redeem rewards, verify memberships and check in event tickets.

A digital loyalty card that fills up with one stamp per qualifying purchase. After a set number of stamps (typically 5–10) the customer earns a reward such as a free coffee or pastry. The digital version replaces the paper punch card and updates instantly in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet whenever staff scan the pass.

A tier is a level within a membership or loyalty program — for example Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each tier unlocks different perks, discounts or benefits. Tiered programs encourage customers to spend more or visit more often in order to climb to the next level and unlock better rewards.

A digital pass — loyalty card, ticket, coupon, membership card or boarding pass — that is stored inside the user's mobile wallet (Apple Wallet on iPhone, Google Wallet on Android). Wallet passes can be updated over the air in real time and surface lock-screen notifications when relevant.

The strip image is the wide banner photo at the top of a wallet pass. It's the most visible part of your card design and the strongest opportunity to express your brand. Apple recommends a 1125×432px image for crisp rendering on every iPhone screen size.