Apple Wallet Pass Generator: Build Passes Without the Developer Account Headache

An Apple Wallet pass generator lets you create digital coupons, tickets, and loyalty cards without enrolling in the Apple Developer Program or paying its annual fee. You skip Xcode, certificates, and provisioning profiles, and instead use a web-based tool to design and issue passes in minutes.

See also: Digital Membership Card in Apple and Google Wallet · Digital Loyalty Card: What It Is and How It Works

This article explains how pass generators work, what types of passes you can build, and how to choose a generator that fits your business. You will also see a step-by-step example of creating a simple loyalty card and learn what your customers need to add it to their iPhone or Apple Watch.

How a PKPass File Works

A PKPass file is a small package of data that your customer’s iPhone or Apple Watch reads to display a pass in Apple Wallet. The file uses the .pkpass extension and contains everything needed to render the pass: images, text fields, barcodes, colours, and location triggers. When you create an Apple Wallet pass with a generator, the tool assembles these pieces into one compressed file that follows Apple’s format.

The structure is straightforward. A PKPass file is essentially a ZIP archive containing a pass.json file, image assets for the logo and icon, and a digital signature. The pass.json file holds the actual content: the shop name, the pass type, the barcode value, and any custom fields such as a member number or loyalty points balance. The images are standard PNG files, usually small, such as a 29-by-29-pixel icon for notifications and a larger logo for the pass face.

For a cafe running a stamp-card loyalty scheme, the PKPass file might contain a strip image showing empty coffee cup outlines, a text field for the customer’s name, and a barcode encoding the customer’s unique member ID. When the customer taps the pass at the counter, the barcode scans and the point-of-sale system reads the ID. The pass itself does not need an internet connection to display or scan. It works offline because all the visual and barcode data sits inside the file on the device.

Updates happen through a different mechanism. The PKPass file includes a web service URL that points to your pass generator’s server. When you change a customer’s balance, issue a new coupon, or update opening hours, the generator pushes a new version of the pass to the device. Apple Wallet checks that URL in the background and downloads the updated pass automatically. The customer sees the new balance or offer next time they open Wallet. A salon could use this to update a client’s remaining prepaid visits after each appointment. A car wash could push a fresh discount code every month without asking the customer to download anything new.

The digital signature matters because it prevents tampering. Apple requires every PKPass file to be signed with a certificate tied to your pass type identifier. A wallet pass generator handles this signing for you. That is the core benefit for a small business: you avoid creating an Apple Developer account, managing certificates, and writing the JSON by hand. The generator produces a valid, signed .pkpass file that Apple Wallet accepts.

Distribution is flexible. You can email the PKPass file as an attachment, host it behind a “Add to Apple Wallet” button on your website, or send it through a link in an SMS. When the customer taps the link, iOS opens the pass preview and asks them to add it. The same file works for a restaurant loyalty card, a gym membership pass, or a retail discount voucher. The only difference is the content you put into the generator’s fields.

One practical point: a PKPass file is not an app. It cannot run code or collect data by itself. It displays information and carries a barcode. That keeps the process simple and secure. For a shop owner, the PKPass is a container for the customer-facing details that matter at the point of sale, nothing more.

Why Developer Accounts Slow You Down

A developer account is the traditional route for creating Apple Wallet passes. It comes with annual fees, certificate management, and a learning curve that has little to do with serving customers. For a shop owner, that is time spent on infrastructure instead of the business.

The friction starts before you even build a pass. You need to enrol in the Apple Developer Program, pay the yearly fee, and understand how certificates and identifiers work. If you run a cafe or a nail salon, you probably did not open your business to manage cryptographic keys. You opened it to serve coffee or book appointments. Yet the old process forces you into exactly that kind of work.

Certificates expire. When they do, every pass you issued can stop updating. A gym that sends a membership pass to a member's phone may find that the pass no longer shows the latest renewal date. The owner has to log in, generate a new certificate, update the pass template, and hope nothing breaks. That is not a marketing task. It is maintenance.

Restaurants face a similar problem with loyalty cards. A customer earns a free coffee after ten visits. The pass on their phone needs to reflect the new stamp count. With a developer account, the restaurant owner or a hired developer has to maintain the server-side code that pushes those updates. If the certificate lapses, the update fails silently. The customer opens their wallet, sees an old stamp count, and assumes the loyalty programme is broken.

Car washes and salons often want simple things: a discount pass, a booking reminder, or a membership card. A developer account makes even a one-off pass feel like a software project. You create a pass type identifier, generate a signing certificate, export it, configure a server, and test on a physical device. For a single coupon, that is disproportionate effort.

The time cost is real. A shop owner might spend several evenings reading documentation, watching tutorials, and troubleshooting error messages. Every hour spent on certificate renewal is an hour not spent on staff training, window displays, or talking to customers. If you hire a developer to do it, you add a recurring cost and a dependency. When that developer is busy or moves on, your passes are stuck.

There is also a practical issue with testing. Apple requires passes to be signed before they can be added to Wallet. That means you cannot quickly preview a design on your own phone without going through the signing steps. A bakery that wants to test a birthday offer pass must first sort out the developer account, the certificate, and the signing tool. Most owners give up at this point and fall back on printed vouchers or social media posts.

An apple wallet pass generator removes this layer. You design the pass, enter the content, and download a .pkpass file that is already signed and ready to test. No certificate management, no annual developer fee, no server code for basic passes. For a small business, that is the difference between launching a pass this afternoon and putting it off for another quarter.

Designing Passes Without Code

A pass is only useful if a customer can read it in half a second. Most shop owners assume that means hiring a designer or learning a markup language. It does not. A good apple wallet pass generator gives you a visual editor where you pick a template, drop in your logo, set your colours, and type the details customers need. No code, no exported image files with weird dimensions, no waiting on a freelancer.

Start with the pass type. Apple Wallet supports several, but most small businesses only need three: store cards for loyalty, coupons for offers, and event tickets for bookings or classes. A cafe running a buy-five-get-one-free coffee card uses a store card. A car wash offering a discounted deluxe wash after a service uses a coupon. A gym running a weekend bootcamp uses an event ticket. Choosing the wrong type confuses the wallet layout and makes the pass harder to scan.

The visual hierarchy matters more than decoration. Put the customer’s name or membership number near the top. Put the offer or balance directly below it. Put your shop name, address, and phone number in the smaller strip at the bottom. A salon pass that says “10% off next cut” in large text with the client’s name above it works better than a busy pass with five colours and a logo squeezed into every corner.

Keep the logo simple. A square or round logo at 300 by 300 pixels or larger works well. Avoid thin lines and small text inside the logo because Apple Wallet scales it down. A bakery with a detailed illustration of a croissant should test the pass on a real phone before sending it to customers. If the croissant becomes a beige blob, use a simpler icon or just the shop name in a bold font.

Colour choices should match your storefront, not your mood. A restaurant with dark green walls and cream menus should use the same dark green for the pass header. This creates recognition when a customer opens their wallet at the counter. A bright orange pass from a spa with a calm, neutral interior feels off. Stick to one or two colours. The wallet already adds its own borders and background, so extra colours create noise.

Text fields need to be short. Apple Wallet truncates long strings. A loyalty pass for a car wash should say “Wash 3 of 8” rather than “You have completed three washes out of eight total washes required for your free wash reward.” A pkpass generator that lets you preview the pass on different screen sizes helps here. Check the preview before you publish.

Relevant dates go in the right place. A coupon pass with an expiry date should use the built-in expiration field so the wallet shows a warning when the pass is about to expire. A gym class ticket should use the event date field so the pass appears on the lock screen at the right time. Putting the date in a custom text field instead means customers miss the reminder.

Barcodes are where many passes fail. If you already scan barcodes at your point of sale, use the same format in your pass. A cafe using a Code 128 scanner at the till should generate a Code 128 barcode, not a QR code. A salon that manually types membership numbers does not need a barcode at all. A wallet pass generator should let you choose the barcode format or turn it off completely. Test the pass with your actual scanner before a busy Saturday shift.

Finally, create one pass template and reuse it. A restaurant with a loyalty card for regulars and a birthday coupon for email subscribers should not design two passes from scratch. Duplicate the first template, change the offer text and the relevant date, and keep the logo, colours, and layout identical. This saves time and keeps your brand consistent across every pass a customer sees.

Adding Barcodes and QR Codes

A pass without a scannable code is just a digital loyalty card with a nice design. The real value comes when your staff can scan it at the counter, at the door, or on the go. Most pass generators let you add a barcode or QR code to the back of the pass, and this is where you need to make a few practical decisions before you publish anything.

Start by checking what your current point-of-sale system can actually read. If your cafe uses a barcode scanner that reads Code 128 or EAN-13, generate that format. If your gym or salon uses a tablet with a camera-based scanner, a QR code is usually the safer choice because it works reliably from a screen at arm's length. Don't guess. Test a sample pass with the exact scanner you use at the till before you send passes to customers.

For a coffee shop, a common setup is a QR code that encodes the customer's membership number. When the customer opens Apple Wallet and shows the pass, your staff scans the QR code and the POS system finds the account, applies the stamp or discount, and logs the visit. The QR code itself does not need to contain the customer's name or phone number. A short, unique ID is enough, and it keeps the pass lightweight and fast to scan.

Car washes and restaurants often use barcodes for prepaid packages or booking references. A car wash selling a five-wash bundle can put a Code 128 barcode on the pass that matches the booking ID in their system. Each visit, the staff scans the barcode, the system deducts one wash, and the pass updates on the customer's phone the next time it refreshes. The key is that the barcode value must stay stable. If the value changes every time the pass updates, the scanner may reject it or the system may lose track of the customer.

Salons and barbershops can use QR codes for check-in. A customer books an appointment online, receives a pass with a QR code containing the booking reference, and scans it at a self-service kiosk or the front desk. This removes the need to spell a surname or search by phone number. The pass generator should let you set the QR code content as a static text string, such as BOOKING-48291, rather than a long URL with tracking parameters. Short values scan faster and reduce errors.

Gyms face a different challenge: members often keep their phone in a pocket or armband, and the screen may be dim or smudged. For gym access, a barcode is often more reliable than a QR code because laser scanners read barcodes better through scratched screen protectors. If your gym uses turnstiles with barcode readers, generate a Code 39 or Code 128 barcode and set the pass to increase screen brightness automatically when opened. Most pass generators include this option, and it makes a noticeable difference at a busy entrance.

One mistake to avoid is putting too much data into the code. A QR code that contains a full JSON object with name, email, membership tier, expiry date, and address becomes dense and hard to scan. Keep the code content to a single identifier, such as a membership number or booking ID. Your system can look up the rest. If you need to encode more, use a short URL that points to a mobile-friendly page, but test how long that URL takes to load on a weak connection before committing.

Also decide where the code appears. Apple Wallet passes can show a barcode on the front or the back. For cafes and restaurants where speed matters, put the code on the front so the customer does not need to flip the pass. For gyms and salons where the front shows a photo or membership level, the back is fine. The pass generator you choose should let you control this placement without editing code.

Finally, test with real phones. An iPhone with a cracked screen protector, a low-brightness setting, and a slightly smudged display is your worst-case scenario. If your scanner reads that, it will read anything.

Distributing Passes to Customers

A pass is only useful once it lands in a customer’s phone. The distribution method you choose shapes how often the pass gets used, how easy it is to update, and whether it actually replaces a plastic card or paper voucher. Most small businesses do not need a complex setup. A simple, repeatable channel works better than trying to cover every possible touchpoint.

Email and SMS are the fastest starting points

The most common route for a cafe, salon, or car wash is to send the pass link directly to a customer after they book, buy, or sign up. A salon can include the pass link in the booking confirmation email. A car wash can text it after a customer pays for a wash bundle. The link points to a .pkpass file. On an iPhone, the customer taps the link, the Wallet app opens, and they tap Add. On Android, a compatible wallet app handles the file the same way.

Keep the message short. For example: "Your loyalty card is ready. Tap to add it to your wallet." Do not bury the link in a long marketing email. The fewer steps between the message and the Add button, the higher the chance the customer actually saves the pass.

QR codes work well at the counter and on receipts

A printed QR code that opens the pass link gives you a zero-friction way to convert walk-in customers. Print the code on a small tent card next to the till, on the back of a receipt, or on a sticker inside the changing room mirror at a gym. A customer scans it, adds the pass, and the next visit is tracked automatically.

The QR code should point to a stable URL that serves the current version of the pass. If you update the pass design or the loyalty rules later, the same QR code keeps working. You do not need to reprint anything.

Social media and booking pages extend the reach

A restaurant or cafe can add the pass link to the "Book now" confirmation page or the Instagram bio. This works best when the pass offers something the customer wants immediately, such as a free coffee after five visits or a discount on the next appointment. A generic "add our loyalty card" link performs worse than a specific offer. For example: "Add your coffee card and get your sixth one free."

Handling updates after distribution

One advantage of a wallet pass generator over a static PDF or plastic card is that you can push updates to passes already saved on customer phones. If a salon changes its opening hours, updates the loyalty threshold, or moves to a new location, the pass can reflect that change the next time the customer opens it. This only works if the pass is hosted on a server that the generator can reach. A one-time generated file sent as an email attachment cannot be updated later.

For most shops, the practical approach is to combine two channels: email or SMS for customers you already have contact details for, and a QR code at the counter for everyone else. That covers the majority of real-world cases without adding extra staff training or maintenance.

Updating Passes After Delivery

A loyalty card with an old balance frustrates customers. A coupon that shows an expired date wastes their time. Once you create an Apple Wallet pass and customers add it to their phones, the pass is not frozen. You can push updates from your side, and the customer’s phone refreshes the pass automatically the next time it checks in with Apple’s servers. This works without sending a new file or asking the customer to scan anything again.

The core idea is simple. Each pass you generate has a unique serial number. When you update a pass, you change the content — points, expiry date, seat number, membership tier — and keep the same serial. Apple recognises the pass by that serial and replaces the old version on the phone. The customer does nothing.

Real situations show why this matters.

A cafe runs a stamp card. After a customer buys a coffee, the cashier scans the pass at the till. The system adds one stamp and pushes the update. Within seconds, the customer’s phone shows nine stamps instead of eight. The next coffee is free. If the update did not happen, the customer would argue at the counter or stop using the card.

A car wash sells a monthly pass. The pass shows the expiry date. When the customer renews, the owner updates the pass to show a new date. The old pass on the phone is replaced. The customer drives in, shows the phone, and the scanner confirms the new validity. No paper, no email attachment.

A salon runs a points programme. A client books a colour treatment. The salon updates the pass to add points and maybe change the membership level from Silver to Gold. The client sees the new level next time she opens Apple Wallet. This keeps the pass relevant between visits and reminds her that the salon tracks her spending.

A restaurant offers a birthday voucher. The pass is delivered a week before the birthday. If the customer books a table for a different day, the restaurant can update the pass with a new redemption date. The old date disappears. The customer does not need to download a corrected voucher.

A gym uses a membership pass with a QR code for entry. When a member upgrades from off-peak to full access, the gym updates the pass. The QR code changes to reflect the new access level. The member scans the same pass at the gate. The system knows the upgrade happened.

The practical steps are straightforward. Use a pkpass generator that stores the pass template and lets you change fields without rebuilding the whole design. Keep the serial number stable. Update only the fields that changed: balance, date, barcode value, relevant text. Then trigger a push notification if your tool supports it. Apple will notify the user that the pass has changed. Even without a notification, the pass updates silently when the phone refreshes.

Do not generate a brand-new pass with a new serial for a small change. That creates a second pass in the customer’s wallet and confuses them. The old pass stays there with wrong information. Always update the existing pass.

A wallet pass generator that handles updates well saves you from reprinting cards, resending emails, or explaining at the counter why a customer’s phone shows an old balance. It keeps the pass accurate and the customer confident.

Common Pass Format Mistakes

Small mistakes in pass formatting lead to confused customers and wasted trips to the counter. A pass that looks wrong on a phone screen undermines trust before the customer even walks through the door. Here are the most frequent issues shop owners run into when using an apple wallet pass generator, and how to avoid them.

Wrong logo dimensions and cropping

The logo sits at the top left of the pass and is the first visual cue a customer sees. If the image is too large or has the wrong aspect ratio, Apple Wallet stretches or crops it. A cafe might upload a square Instagram logo, only to find it squashed into a thin strip on the pass. The fix is simple: prepare a logo file at the recommended size before uploading it to your pkpass generator. Keep the logo simple, with no fine text, because small details disappear at that scale.

Missing or vague relevant date

Many passes rely on a relevant date to trigger a lock screen notification when the customer is near your shop. If you leave this field blank, the pass never appears at the right moment. A salon that creates an apple wallet pass for a loyalty card but skips the relevant date loses the chance to remind a client about an upcoming appointment. Set the relevant date to the expiry date, the next booking, or the last visit. This small step makes the pass useful rather than forgotten.

Incorrect barcode format

A barcode that does not scan at the point of sale creates a queue of frustrated customers. Some wallet pass generators default to a QR code, but your scanner may only read Code 128 or PDF417. A car wash that prints a QR code on its pass but uses an older laser scanner at the gate will see every customer struggle. Check which barcode format your scanner supports before you create apple wallet pass files, and test one pass on a real phone at the counter.

Too much text in secondary fields

Apple Wallet shows only a few lines of secondary text before the customer taps for more. If you cram the address, opening hours, membership terms and a promotional message into those fields, the pass looks cluttered. A restaurant that adds a long paragraph about its booking policy ends up with a pass where the most important detail, the table number, is buried. Use the header and primary fields for the essential information, and move the rest to the back of the pass.

Mismatched pass type

Apple Wallet has distinct templates for boarding passes, coupons, event tickets, store cards and generic passes. Choosing the wrong type changes the layout and the fields available. A gym that uses a boarding pass template for a membership card ends up with irrelevant labels like "Gate" and "Seat". When you use an apple wallet pass generator, pick the type that matches how the customer will use the pass. A loyalty card should look like a loyalty card, not an airline ticket.

Forgetting to update the pass after changes

A pass is not a static file. If you change your phone number, move premises, or update your logo, the old pass remains on every customer's phone until you push an update. A salon that rebrands but leaves old passes in circulation confuses clients who tap the pass and see outdated details. Use a pkpass generator that supports updates, and resend the pass when key information changes.

Each of these mistakes is easy to make and just as easy to fix before you send passes to customers. A quick test on two or three different phone models catches most formatting problems early.

Testing on iPhone and Android

Before you hand passes to customers, test them on real devices. A pass that looks fine on your office computer can break on a customer’s phone. Most issues show up only when you tap the pass, add it to the wallet, or scan it at the counter.

iPhone basics

Create a test pass with your apple wallet pass generator and send it to your own iPhone first. Open the file in Safari or Mail, tap “Add to Apple Wallet,” and check what happens. The pass should open instantly, show your logo, and display the right colours. If the colours look washed out or the logo is stretched, fix those assets before you print any QR codes.

Walk through the customer journey at your shop. If you run a cafe, add a loyalty pass for yourself and tap it against your scanner. Check that the barcode reads correctly from the lock screen. Some scanners struggle with certain barcode types, especially if the pass background is too dark or the code is too small. Test with the phone at different brightness levels and angles, the way a customer in a hurry would hold it.

Also test the lock screen behaviour. On iPhone, passes can appear automatically when the customer walks into your location, but only if the pass has location data attached and the customer has allowed notifications. Stand outside your salon or gym with the phone locked and see if the pass appears. If nothing happens, check that your location coordinates are correct and that the pass has the “relevant date” or beacon settings configured properly.

Android differences

Android phones do not use Apple Wallet. Customers need Google Wallet or a third-party wallet app that supports .pkpass files. A good pkpass generator will give you a pass that works in both, but you must verify this yourself.

Borrow an Android phone from a staff member or family member. Send the same test pass and open it. On many Android devices, the pass will open in Google Wallet if the file is formatted correctly. If it does not, you may need to offer customers a different format, such as a simple PDF or a Google Wallet pass built separately.

Pay attention to how the pass looks on Android. Fonts, spacing, and colours can shift because Android renders passes differently. A gym membership pass with a tight layout might cut off the member’s name or expiry date. Check every field on a mid-range Android phone, not just a flagship model. Many customers use older or cheaper devices.

Practical test checklist

Run through this list before launch:

• Add the pass to one iPhone and one Android phone.
• Scan the barcode or QR code from the lock screen on both.
• Check the pass after 24 hours and after one week. Some passes stop updating if the server link is wrong.
• Test the “remove pass” flow. If a customer deletes the pass and re-adds it, their loyalty points should still be there if your system stores data on a server.

For a car wash or restaurant with high daily volume, run a small pilot with two or three regular customers. Ask them to add the pass and use it on their next visit. Watch what they do. If they fumble with the phone at the counter, adjust the pass layout or the scanner position. A pass that takes more than a few seconds to use will not get used twice.

Choosing a Wallet Pass Generator

You do not need a developer account to create Apple Wallet passes. A wallet pass generator handles the technical work for you. It packages your offer, loyalty card, or ticket into a .pkpass file that customers can add to Apple Wallet with one tap.

Before you pick a tool, think about how you will actually use passes in your shop.

Start with the pass type you need

Most small businesses use four pass types. A cafe might issue a stamp card that rewards a free coffee after eight visits. A salon could send a coupon for a discounted cut on weekdays. A car wash might use a membership card that customers show at the entrance. A gym can use an event ticket for a free trial class.

Each pass type behaves differently in Apple Wallet. A loyalty card updates its balance when a customer earns a stamp. A coupon has an expiry date and can trigger a lock-screen notification when the customer walks near your shop. A generic card stays static and simple. A generator should support the pass type you plan to use most often.

Check the update method

This is the biggest practical difference between generators. Some tools create a pass once and never change it. Others let you push updates to passes already saved on a customer's phone.

A restaurant running a monthly loyalty programme needs updates. When a customer earns points, the pass on their phone should show the new balance without them downloading anything new. A salon offering a one-off birthday discount can use a static pass and never worry about updates.

Ask the provider how updates work before you commit. If you run a cafe with a stamp card, a generator without update support means you would need to issue a new pass every time a customer earns a stamp. That is frustrating for staff and customers alike.

Look at the distribution options

A pass is only useful if customers can find it. A good generator gives you at least two ways to distribute passes.

A QR code on your counter or window lets customers scan and save a pass in seconds. A link in an email or SMS works well for appointment reminders or booking confirmations. A car wash could print a QR code on the receipt. A gym could send a link after someone books a trial class online.

Some generators also let you embed a download button on your website or social media page. This matters if you run promotions through Instagram or Facebook.

Compare the pricing honestly

Free generators often limit the number of passes you can create or remove branding controls. A paid generator may charge per pass, per month, or per campaign. If you issue a new loyalty card to every new customer, a per-pass fee can add up quickly. If you only send a seasonal coupon twice a year, a monthly subscription may not make sense.

Calculate a simple example. If a generator charges £0.05 per pass and you issue 300 loyalty cards a month, that is £15 a month just for passes. If another tool charges £20 a month for unlimited passes, the second option is cheaper at that volume. Run the numbers for your own customer count.

Test the customer experience

Before you choose, create a test pass and open it on your own iPhone. Check how many taps it takes to add the pass. Look at the lock-screen notification settings. Confirm that the pass shows your shop name, logo, and the right colours. A pass that looks generic or takes four steps to install will not get used.

The best generator is the one your customers will actually save.

How PassHive handles this

PassHive is built by the same team that publishes this site. We make the tool because we kept seeing small shops stuck between two bad options: pay a developer thousands for a custom wallet pass, or pay a subscription that penalises you for having more customers.

What you actually get

You create a loyalty card for your shop, cafe, salon, car wash, restaurant or gym. The card carries your own name, colours and logo. Customers save it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet by scanning a QR code at the counter or opening a link. There is no app for them to download.

You can choose a stamp card or a points card. A stamp card works for offers like buy nine coffees and get the tenth free. A points card suits businesses that want to award points per visit or per amount spent, with a reward set by you.

When you add a stamp or points at the counter, the card on the customer’s phone updates itself. The customer does not need to refresh anything or install an update. The change appears in their wallet.

Design and preview before you pay

You can design the card and preview it on an iPhone and an Android phone for free. You see how the logo, colours and text look on both platforms before you commit. You only pay when you go live. That means you can test the layout, the QR sign-up flow and the stamping process without spending anything.

Pricing that does not punish growth

Yearly billing gives you two months free.

Compare that with PassKit. PassKit starts at $39.50 per month and includes 250 passes, then adds per-pass fees on top. A cafe with 1,000 customers would pay roughly $73 per month on PassKit. The same cafe pays $10 on PassHive. At 10,000 customers, PassKit works out to about $341 per month, while PassHive stays at $10.

You can see the full breakdown on PassHive pricing.

Messages and reminders

PassHive can send push notifications to saved cards. You might use this for an offer, a holiday opening-hours change, or a message telling a customer their reward is ready. Google limits this to roughly three messages per card per day, so the channel stays useful without becoming spam.

The card can also remind customers when they are near your shop. Apple supports up to 10 locations per card with a radius of about 200 metres. Google uses your merchant locations. The phone decides when to show the reminder, so you set the locations and the customer’s device handles the timing.

Control and developer access

You can turn any branch off at any time. Its cards stop working immediately, which matters if you close a site or end a promotion.

PassHive also has a public REST API with API keys. Documentation is at passhive.app/docs. This is useful if you already run a till system and want wallet cards to update automatically when a sale happens.

PassHive is not a POS, not an e-commerce plugin, and has no named integrations with Shopify, Square, Toast or similar systems. It does one job: branded loyalty cards in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, issued and updated without a developer account.

If you want to see how your own card would look, start designing your card free.

PassHive is a flat monthly plan for the whole business, not a fee per branch. The plan sets the maximum number of active branches you can run: $10 a month for up to 100 branches, $25 for up to 275, $50 for up to 600 and $100 for up to 1,250. Yearly billing gives two months free ($100, $250, $500 or $1,000 a year). A cafe with one branch pays $10 a month in total, whatever the number of cards or customers. That is what "pay for your branches, not your customers" means: the plan size follows how many branches you run, never how many people save your card.