Mobile wallet
A mobile wallet is an app on the phone that stores payment cards and passes such as tickets, gift cards and loyalty cards. On most phones it is Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, and it opens with one tap or straight from the lock screen.
What a mobile wallet is
The term covers two jobs that live in the same app: paying, with a bank card stored on the phone, and carrying passes from businesses. For a local business the second job matters. A loyalty card or voucher in the wallet cannot be left at home, shows its balance at a glance and can be changed by the business after it is saved. Rewardly cards and vouchers go to Apple Wallet on iPhone and to Google Wallet on Android.
How it works for a café, salon or restaurant
- A café's stamp card in the wallet replaces the paper card that customers forgot or lost.
- A salon's gift voucher arrives in the wallet with the remaining value on it.
- A restaurant updates its member card for the season, and every saved card changes with it.
What to watch
A wallet card earns its place by being useful. Show the balance and the next reward clearly, update it when something changes, and keep messages rare so customers do not remove it. Remember that paying and loyalty are separate: the card in the wallet records visits, it does not take the payment.