In this guide
A loyalty card template gives you a ready-made layout for stamp cards, punch cards, or wallet-size rewards cards. You can adapt one for printed paper cards kept at the till or for digital wallet passes customers store on their phones.
See also: How to Create a Loyalty Program for Your Shop, Step by Step · Digital Membership Card in Apple and Google Wallet
This guide covers template options for both formats. You will find layout ideas for stamp grids, point trackers, and referral rewards, plus sizing guidance for standard business cards and wallet passes. We also include simple examples you can copy for cafes, salons, retail shops, and service businesses. Use these templates to speed up design, keep your branding consistent, and give customers a reason to return.
Paper Card Design Basics
A paper loyalty card template works best when the design follows a simple rule: the customer should understand the reward in under three seconds. Most paper cards end up in a wallet, a pocket, or a glovebox. They get folded, creased, and pulled out at the till. That means the layout needs to survive rough handling and still be readable.
Start with the card size. The most common loyalty card size is 85 mm by 55 mm, the same as a standard credit card. This size fits neatly into wallet slots and cardholders. For cafes and coffee shops, a slightly smaller format of 80 mm by 50 mm can work well and costs less to print. Salons and barbershops often use a longer, bookmark-style card around 50 mm by 150 mm. That shape stands out in a handbag or on a dressing table, but it does not fit a standard wallet slot. Choose the size based on where your customers will keep the card.
The front of the card should carry three things only: your business name, the reward offer, and a visual stamp grid. Do not crowd the front with your full menu, opening hours, or a map. Those details belong on the back or on a separate flyer. For example, a car wash might print "Wash 9 times, get the 10th free" across the top, with nine small circles underneath. A gym or fitness studio could use "Attend 8 classes, get a free smoothie" with eight squares for stamps.
Leave enough white space around the stamp grid. Each stamp box should be at least 10 mm wide so a standard stamp or marker fits cleanly. If the boxes are too small, staff will stamp over the lines, and the card quickly looks messy. A cafe using a round stamp needs circles of roughly 12 mm in diameter. A salon using a hole punch can use smaller squares, but keep at least 6 mm between each box so the punch does not tear into the next one.
Use a thick paper stock. A weight of 300 to 350 gsm gives the card enough stiffness to survive several weeks in a wallet without falling apart. Anything thinner than 250 gsm will bend too easily and feel cheap. If you print double-sided, make sure the back is not a mirror image of the front. Use the back for your phone number, a short line about the reward terms, and a space for the customer's name. A restaurant might add "One stamp per main course" on the back to prevent confusion.
Colour matters more than decoration. A plain white card with a bold single-colour stamp grid is easier to read than a full-colour card with a busy background. If your brand uses a dark colour, print the card in that colour and leave the stamp boxes white. Staff can then stamp in black or red ink without the mark disappearing into the design.
Finally, test the card before ordering a large batch. Print five or six copies on your chosen stock, stamp them, punch them, and carry one in your own wallet for a week. If the card still looks clean and legible, the layout is ready. If the corners fold or the print smudges, adjust the size or paper weight before you commit to a full print run.
Wallet Card Dimensions
A wallet card needs to fit where customers actually keep it. Most people carry cards in a purse slot, a phone case pocket, or a standard card slot in a wallet. If your loyalty card is even a few millimetres too tall or wide, it gets bent, left at home, or thrown away.
The standard size for a wallet loyalty card is 85.6 mm wide by 54 mm high. This is the same footprint as a bank card or driving licence. It slides into any standard card slot without forcing. The corner radius is typically 3.18 mm, which matches the rounded corners on credit cards and prevents dog-eared edges after months in a pocket.
Thickness matters more than many shop owners expect. A 0.76 mm thick PVC card feels like a bank card and survives daily handling. Thinner cards, around 0.5 mm, are cheaper but feel flimsy and bend easily. For a cafe or salon where customers carry the card for a year or more, 0.76 mm is the practical choice. For a short-term promotion, such as a six-week car wash offer, a thinner card keeps costs down without much risk.
Paper wallet cards follow the same 85.6 mm by 54 mm dimensions if they are meant to sit in a wallet. However, paper stock behaves differently. A 350 gsm card with a matte or soft-touch laminate can survive a few months in a pocket. Without lamination, corners curl within weeks. If you print paper loyalty cards in-house, use a guillotine with a corner-rounding punch. Square corners catch on fabric and tear.
Some businesses choose a slightly narrower wallet card to stand out. A card measuring 85 mm by 54 mm still fits a standard slot but feels different in the hand. The difference is subtle, yet customers notice it when they compare cards in a wallet. This can work for a boutique salon or a specialty coffee shop that wants a distinctive feel. Avoid going below 80 mm in width. Narrower cards slip sideways in card slots and can fall out.
The orientation of the layout changes how the dimensions feel. A landscape card at 85.6 mm by 54 mm gives you a wide strip for stamp boxes or points tracking. A portrait card at 54 mm by 85.6 mm is less common and stands out in a stack of cards. Portrait orientation suits gyms or restaurants where the card is stored in a phone case pocket rather than a traditional wallet slot. Before choosing portrait, test it in the wallets your staff actually carry.
Keyhole slots and punch holes affect usable space. A slot punch near one edge, typically 3 mm by 8 mm, lets customers attach the card to a keyring. This reduces the printable area and moves your logo or stamp grid inward. If you plan to punch cards, leave a 10 mm clear zone around the hole on both sides. For a car wash or gym where keyring attachment is common, design the layout with the hole position fixed before adding text or graphics.
Check your printer or card supplier’s template before finalising artwork. Many print shops provide a loyalty card template with bleed and safe area marked. Standard bleed is 3 mm beyond the trim edge, so your design file should be 91.6 mm by 60 mm for a standard wallet card. Keep all text and stamp boxes at least 5 mm from the trim line. This prevents important details from being cut off during production.
Visual Layout Ideas
A loyalty card template works best when the layout matches how customers actually use the card. A cafe stamp card gets glanced at in a queue. A salon card sits in a wallet for weeks. A car wash card lives in a glovebox. Design for that moment.
Front and back split
Put the brand and reward promise on the front. Put the mechanics on the back. A gym loyalty card might show the logo, a bold "10 visits = 1 free guest pass", and a simple grid of ten numbered circles on the front. The back holds the terms, expiry rules, and a space for the member's name. This keeps the front clean and gives staff a quick visual reference when stamping.
A restaurant loyalty card template often benefits from a different split. The front shows the restaurant name, a short tagline like "Buy 9 mains, get the 10th free", and a row of small knife-and-fork icons. The back carries the stamp boxes plus a line for "Favourite dish" or "Allergies". That small personal note turns a generic card into something staff can use during service.
Vertical stamp strip
For cafes and juice bars, a vertical layout works well on a wallet-sized card. Place the business name and logo at the top. Run a single column of eight or ten stamp circles down the centre. Leave a narrow margin on the left for the customer to hold the card without covering the stamps. At the bottom, print the reward in plain words: "Full card = any medium coffee".
This layout suits high-traffic counters. The barista can stamp without rotating the card. The customer can see progress at a glance. If you use a square loyalty card template, the same vertical strip fits neatly and still leaves room for a QR code in one corner linking to your menu or opening hours.
Grid with reward preview
Salons and barbers often prefer a grid layout because appointments are less frequent and each visit feels more significant. A 3x3 grid of boxes on one side gives nine clear steps. Under each box, print a tiny service icon or abbreviation: cut, colour, beard, treatment. The other side shows the reward ladder. For example, after three visits the customer gets a free conditioning treatment. After six, a discount on a colour service. After nine, a free cut.
This layout works because it shows progress and reward tiers without extra explanation. Staff can circle the completed box or use a hole punch. A hole punch is faster than a stamp and works well on thicker card stock.
Key tag and wallet card pair
Car washes and gyms often issue a small key tag alongside a wallet card. The key tag carries only the business name, a phone number, and a row of five or seven punch holes. The wallet card holds the full loyalty card layout with terms and a barcode for the till system. Customers keep the tag on their keys, so they never forget the card. Staff punch the tag at each visit and scan the wallet card if a digital record is needed.
Minimalist single-side layout
Some businesses only need one side. A bakery or sandwich shop with a simple "Buy 6, get 1 free" offer can fit everything on a single 85mm by 55mm card. Top third: logo and reward line. Middle third: six stamp circles in a horizontal row. Bottom third: shop name, address, and a short expiry note like "Valid for 12 months". This layout is cheap to print and easy to replace when the design changes.
Whatever layout you choose, leave white space around the stamp area. Crowded cards get damaged faster and look less appealing in a customer's wallet.
See your own card before you pay
Design a stamp or points card in your shop colours and preview it on iPhone and Android for free. Pay only when you go live.
Design your card freePunch Card Variations
A standard 10-stamp card works for many businesses, but the layout you choose should match how often customers visit and what you want them to do. The goal is a card that feels achievable, not a chore.
The 9-slot grid for frequent visits
Coffee shops and bakeries benefit from a faster reward cycle. A 3x3 grid with nine punch spots means a customer who visits three times a week earns a free drink in about three weeks. That pace keeps the reward visible. Print the card at standard business card size, 3.5 by 2 inches, so it slips into a wallet or phone case. Place your shop name at the top, the nine circles in the middle, and the reward text at the bottom: "Buy 9 drinks, get the 10th free." Avoid cluttering the grid with decorative elements that make the punch holes hard to see.
The 12-punch card for higher-ticket services
Salons, barbershops and car washes often use a 4x3 layout with 12 slots. A haircut every six weeks means a customer takes over a year to fill the card, which can feel too long. To fix that, reduce the requirement or add a midpoint reward. For example, after six punches the customer gets a free beard trim or a discounted deep-clean service. Print the midpoint reward directly on the card so staff do not have to explain it each time. A 12-slot card also works for car washes where customers might visit monthly; a free basic wash after 10 paid washes is a clear target.
The single-line strip for counter speed
Busy restaurants and takeaway counters often use a horizontal strip with 8 or 10 numbered boxes in a single row. The layout is fast to stamp, easy to read at a glance, and fits on a slim card roughly 8.5 by 2 inches. This format works well when staff are handling a queue and cannot search for the next empty circle. Number each box so customers can see their progress without counting. Keep the strip uncluttered: logo on the left, boxes across the middle, reward text on the right or on the reverse side.
The double-sided card for loyalty plus referrals
A card with punches on the front and a referral section on the back serves two purposes. Gyms and fitness studios use this layout to reward attendance on one side and member referrals on the other. The front might have 10 punch spots for classes attended. The back has five blank lines where staff write the name of a referred friend. When all five lines are filled, the member gets a free month or a merchandise item. This layout keeps both programmes visible without issuing two separate cards. Use heavier card stock, around 350 to 400 gsm, so the card survives months in a gym bag.
The stamp-free loyalty card layout
Some businesses skip punches entirely and use a stamp or sticker system with a different visual structure. A card with 10 empty squares works well when staff use a custom rubber stamp that fits each square. This gives a more branded look than a standard hole punch. Cafes that sell loose-leaf tea or specialty chocolate often prefer this approach because the stamp can include a small logo or icon. Design the squares at least 0.5 by 0.5 inches so the stamp impression is legible. Test the stamp size against the printed square before ordering a large batch of cards.
Digital Wallet Formats
Paper loyalty cards get lost, damaged, or left in another jacket. Digital wallet passes sit on the phone your customer already carries. For a cafe, salon, or car wash, that means fewer missed stamps and less reprinting.
A digital loyalty card template follows the same core layout rules as paper, but the canvas is smaller and the interaction is different. The phone screen shows one card at a time, so the design must be readable at a glance and tappable without confusion.
What to put on a digital card
Keep the front of the pass simple. The business name, the loyalty mechanic, and the current progress are the three elements that matter most. A coffee shop card might show nine coffee cup icons with five filled in. A car wash card might show a simple progress bar labelled "Washes: 3 of 8". Avoid cramming a full menu or opening hours onto the pass itself. That information belongs on the back of the pass or on your website.
The back of a digital pass is a good place for practical details. Add your street address, phone number, and a short line about how the reward works. For example: "Buy 8 washes, get the 9th free. Show this card at the pay window." This keeps the front clean while still answering customer questions.
Layout differences from paper
Paper cards often use a grid of small boxes for stamps. On a phone screen, those boxes become too small to tap accurately. Replace the grid with a single row of larger icons, or use a progress bar. If your paper card has ten stamp boxes, a digital version might show ten dots in a horizontal line, each large enough to read without zooming.
Colour contrast matters more on a phone. A customer may check their balance in bright sunlight outside your shop. Use dark text on a light background or white text on a strong brand colour. Thin, pale grey text that works on a printed card can disappear on a phone screen.
Real-world scenarios
A gym with a "attend 12 classes, get one free" scheme can use a digital pass that updates after each check-in. The member opens their wallet, sees eleven filled circles and one empty, and knows exactly where they stand. No front-desk staff member needs to explain the balance.
A restaurant running a lunchtime loyalty offer can push a lock-screen notification when a customer is nearby. The pass shows "2 stamps until a free starter" without the customer opening an app. This is a practical reason to choose a digital format over paper, especially for businesses where customers visit weekly rather than daily.
Size and file considerations
Digital wallet passes use standardised dimensions set by Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. You do not need to design for a specific millimetre size the way you would for a printed card. Instead, design at a high resolution and let the wallet platform scale it. A safe approach is to create artwork at 1000 by 600 pixels or larger, then test it on both an iPhone and an Android device before rolling it out.
Keep the file size small. A pass with a large background image can take a moment to load, which feels slow at the till. Use compressed images and avoid animation. The pass should open instantly when the customer taps it.
When digital works better than paper
A salon with a points-based system, where customers earn points per pound spent, is a strong candidate for digital. Paper cards cannot show a changing points balance easily. A digital pass updates after each visit and shows "You have 240 points. 500 points = £10 off." That level of detail is clumsy on a stamped card but natural on a phone.
A car wash with a monthly unlimited plan can also use a digital pass as proof of membership. The pass shows the plan name and expiry date. Staff scan it at the entrance. No paper card to laminate, no replacement cards to issue when a customer washes their wallet with their jeans.
Branding Your Template
A loyalty card template does more than track stamps or points. It carries your brand every time a customer opens their wallet, purse or phone case. The colours, fonts and logo on the card should match what customers see at your counter, on your receipts and across your social media. A card that looks disconnected from your shop can feel like an afterthought, even if the offer itself is generous.
Start with your logo placement. For a standard wallet-size card, the top third is the most visible area when cards are stacked or fanned out in a card holder. Place your logo there, ideally no smaller than the width of a thumb. If your logo is word-based, make sure the lettering stays legible at roughly 85 mm wide. For a cafe or bakery, the logo can sit next to the shop name rather than above it, which frees up space for the stamp grid below.
Choose one or two brand colours and stick to them. A salon that uses deep green on its appointment cards and price list should use the same deep green on its loyalty card background or border. This consistency helps staff spot your card instantly in a crowded wallet. It also makes the card feel like part of a set. Avoid filling the entire card with a dark colour unless your brand already uses that shade heavily on signage. A light background with a strong coloured header band often reads better when printed on standard card stock.
Typography matters more than most owners expect. Use the same font family as your menus, window signs or gym membership forms. If your brand font is decorative, limit it to the shop name and use a clean, simple font for the terms, stamp boxes and contact details. A car wash loyalty card with ten small circles for washes needs those circles to be clearly separated. If the font around them is too busy, customers will misread how many stamps they have left.
Consider the back of the card as branding space too. A restaurant can print its opening hours, a map snippet or a short note about how the reward works. A gym can list class times or a QR code that links to a booking page. Even a simple tagline on the back reinforces the brand without crowding the front. If you use a paper card template rather than plastic, the back is also a good place for a stamp or punch area if the front holds the main design.
For salons and barbers, a loyalty card template often includes a grid of ten or twelve small boxes. Brand each box subtly, perhaps with a tiny scissors icon or a dot in your brand colour. This keeps the grid functional while adding visual identity. For cafes, a coffee cup icon inside each stamp circle works well and prints clearly even on thinner paper.
Finally, test a printed sample before ordering a large batch. Hold the card next to your menu, price board or product packaging. Check that the colours match under shop lighting, not just on a screen. A loyalty card is a small piece of real estate, but it sits in a customer's pocket for weeks. Make every millimetre count for the brand.
Printing Material Choices
The material you print on changes how the card feels in a customer’s hand, how long it survives in a wallet, and what it costs to replace. A loyalty card template can be laid out perfectly, but if the stock is flimsy or the finish rubs off, customers will stop carrying it. Choose the material based on how often the card is handled and where it lives between visits.
Standard card stock is the most common starting point for cafes, bakeries and quick-service restaurants. A 300–350 gsm card feels solid without being rigid. It fits easily into a purse or pocket, and it is cheap enough to reprint when a customer loses one. If your loyalty card layout includes ten stamp boxes, this weight holds ink well and does not curl after a few weeks in a wallet. A matte finish works best here because customers often write their name on the back, and pen grips better on uncoated stock.
Glossy or laminated cards suit salons, barbershops and gyms where cards are pulled out repeatedly. A thin laminate layer protects the print from hand cream, sweat and spilled drinks. The loyalty card size stays the same, but the card feels more premium. If your loyalty card examples show a photo of the salon interior or a bold brand colour, lamination keeps that image sharp. The trade-off is cost. A laminated card can cost several times more than plain stock, so reserve it for customers who have already made a first visit rather than handing it out to every passer-by.
Plastic or PVC cards are the most durable option. Car washes, gyms and restaurants with high repeat frequency benefit here because the card may sit in a glovebox or gym bag for months. A plastic card survives moisture, friction and being sat on. Many print shops offer the same loyalty card template on PVC with rounded corners, which prevents dog-eared edges. The card feels like a bank card, which can raise the perceived value of your programme. The downside is that plastic cards cannot be stamped with a standard rubber stamp. You need a hole punch, a sticker system or a barcode scanner instead.
Eco-friendly alternatives are worth considering if your customers care about sustainability. Recycled card stock with a natural grain works for zero-waste shops, plant-based cafes and independent bookshops. It prints slightly softer than coated stock, but that fits a handmade or organic brand. Some suppliers offer biodegradable plastic made from corn starch. It behaves like PVC but breaks down in industrial composting. Check with your printer before committing, because not all loyalty card layouts reproduce well on textured recycled board.
Tear-resistant synthetic paper fills the gap between laminated card and full plastic. It is waterproof, hard to rip and still printable with a standard desktop printer. This suits food trucks, market stalls and pop-up shops where cards may get damp or crumpled. The material is thin enough to fit a standard wallet slot without adding bulk, and it holds up to repeated folding better than any paper stock.
Test one material before ordering a large batch. Print your loyalty card template on two or three options, carry them in your own wallet for a week, and see which one still looks presentable. The right material is the one your customers will actually keep.
Common Layout Mistakes
A loyalty card template looks simple until you print it. Small errors become obvious when a customer pulls a crumpled card from their wallet or a barista tries to stamp it during a rush. These mistakes cost you time, confuse staff, and make customers less likely to carry the card at all.
Cramming too many stamp boxes onto one side
You want the card to last, so you squeeze ten or twelve circles into a space that comfortably fits six. The result is a grid of tiny boxes that staff struggle to hit with a stamp or hole punch. At a car wash, an attendant wearing gloves needs a target at least 12 mm across. At a cafe, a barista stamping while holding a cup in the other hand needs clear separation between boxes. If your loyalty card size is standard credit-card format (85.6 mm by 54 mm), eight stamp circles is usually the practical maximum. If your programme needs ten visits, use both sides of the card or issue a second card after the first is full.
Placing the stamp area where fingers cover it
Customers hold cards by the edges or the middle. If your stamp boxes sit in the bottom-right corner, right-handed customers will cover them with their thumb every time they hand the card over. Staff then have to rotate the card, find the next empty box, and stamp carefully. In a busy salon reception, this slows the queue. Keep the stamp grid centred or in the upper half of the card. Leave at least 5 mm of clear space around the grid so a stamp never overlaps the card edge or your logo.
Forgetting to number the stamp boxes
Unnumbered boxes create a silent argument at the till. A customer says they have visited seven times. Your staff member counts the stamps and sees six. Without numbers, nobody can quickly verify who is right. Number every box, even if the numbers are small. This matters most in restaurants and gyms where multiple staff members handle the same customer's card over several weeks. A numbered loyalty card layout also lets customers track their own progress without asking.
Mixing the reward text with the stamp area
Some templates place "Buy 9 get 1 free" in the middle of the stamp grid. The first stamp covers the word "free" and the message becomes unreadable. Put the reward description in a separate zone, ideally at the bottom or top of the card. Use a thin divider line or a colour change to separate the instructional text from the stamping area. A salon offering "10th haircut free" should print that line under the grid, not inside it.
Using low-contrast colours for stamp boxes
Light grey circles on a white background look elegant on screen but disappear under dim cafe lighting. A loyalty card template with pale outlines forces staff to squint and customers to hold the card at an angle. Use dark outlines for stamp boxes, at least 60% contrast against the card background. If your brand colours are pastel, add a dark border around each box. Test the printed card under the actual lighting in your shop, not just at your desk.
Cramming contact details into the stamp zone
Some shop owners try to fit a phone number, Instagram handle, and opening hours between the stamp boxes. The card becomes visually noisy and the stamp grid shrinks. A loyalty card layout works best when it does one job well: tracking visits. Put your contact details on the reverse side. If you must include them on the front, use a small footer strip no more than 8 mm tall. A car wash can print "Show this card each visit" in that strip without stealing space from the stamps.
Ignoring the punch-hole position
If you plan to punch holes instead of stamping, the hole position matters. A punch hole too close to the card edge tears after three or four visits. A hole placed over your logo defaces your brand. Standard single-hole punches reach about 6 mm into the card. Keep all punch targets at least 8 mm from any edge and clear of your logo and text. Test your loyalty card template with the exact punch you will use at the counter.
Skipping the test print
The most common mistake is designing on screen and ordering 500 cards without a physical test. Print one sheet on your own printer, cut out a card, and carry it in your wallet for a week. Stamp it, punch it, spill a little coffee on it. If the layout survives that, it will survive your customers.
Real World Card Examples
A cafe can use a simple stamp grid on a business-card-sized loyalty card. The top third carries the shop name and a short line like “Buy 9 drinks, get the 10th free.” Below that sits a 3 by 3 grid of circles, each large enough for a rubber stamp. The bottom strip holds the card number and a space for the customer’s name. This layout works because the barista can stamp in under a second during a rush. The card fits in a wallet, and the reward rule is visible without flipping the card over.
A hair salon often needs more room for appointment details. A wallet card with a vertical layout works well. The front shows the salon name, phone number, and a line for the next appointment date. The back has a table with columns for date, service, and points earned. For example, a cut and colour might earn two points, while a blow-dry earns one. After eight points, the client gets a free treatment. This design turns the card into a mini record of visits, which helps staff suggest the next service.
Car washes benefit from a punch card that attaches to a key ring. The card is roughly the size of a standard loyalty card but has a punched hole in one corner. One side lists the wash packages: basic, premium, and full detail. The other side has ten small circles for hole punches. A customer who buys a premium wash might get two punches instead of one. The key ring format matters because drivers rarely open a wallet at the pay window, but keys are already in hand.
A restaurant can use a folded card that doubles as a menu insert. The outside is the loyalty side, with a 4 by 2 grid for stamps. Each stamp marks a main course purchased. After eight stamps, the customer gets a free starter or dessert. The inside lists the restaurant’s opening hours, delivery number, and a QR code for the booking page. This layout keeps the loyalty offer next to the menu, so staff can hand it over with the bill without extra effort.
A gym or fitness studio often uses a card that tracks class attendance. A standard credit-card-sized design works, but the back needs a grid with enough rows for twelve visits. Each row has space for a date and an instructor’s initials. After twelve classes, the member gets one free session or a discount on the next monthly plan. The front shows the studio name, class types, and a short note that the card is non-transferable. This prevents people from sharing one card to reach the reward faster.
A small retail shop can use a loyalty card template with a simple points system. The front has the shop logo and a line like “Earn 1 point per £1 spent.” The back has a table with columns for date, amount spent, and points balance. Staff fill in the balance by hand at the till. This works for shops without a digital loyalty system, because the maths stays simple. For example, a £25 purchase earns 25 points, and 200 points gives £10 off the next purchase. The card also has a line for the customer’s email, which the shop can use to send a reminder when the balance is close to the reward.
Each of these examples uses a standard loyalty card size, usually 85 mm by 54 mm, so they fit in wallets, purses, or card sleeves. The layouts differ only in how the grid, table, or punch area is arranged. The key is matching the card layout to the speed of service and the type of reward. A cafe needs a fast stamp. A salon needs a visit record. A car wash needs a key ring card. The loyalty card template stays the same; only the fields and grid change.
How PassHive handles this
This site is published by the team that builds PassHive, so you should know exactly where we stand. PassHive is a tool for shops, cafes, salons, car washes, restaurants and gyms that want to issue their own branded loyalty cards for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. It is not a design agency, not a print shop, and not a point-of-sale system. It solves one part of the loyalty card template problem: turning your layout into a live wallet card that customers actually keep.
You can start designing your card free and preview it on iPhone and Android before you pay anything. The card shows your shop name, colour and logo. You choose whether it is a stamp card (buy 9, get the 10th free) or a points card. Once it is live, the card updates itself on the customer's phone when you add a stamp or points. There is no app for customers to download. They join by scanning a QR code at the counter or opening a link.
Yearly billing gives you two months free. You can see the full breakdown on PassHive pricing. For comparison, PassKit starts at $39.50 per month and includes only 250 passes, then charges per extra pass. A cafe with 1,000 customers would pay roughly $73 per month on PassKit versus $10 on PassHive. A business with 10,000 customers would pay about $341 per month on PassKit versus $10 on PassHive.
PassHive also handles the parts of loyalty cards that paper cannot. You can send push notifications to saved cards, such as an offer or a note that a reward is ready. Google limits these to roughly three messages per card per day. Location-based reminders can appear on the lock screen 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 we describe it as a possibility, not a guarantee.
If you run a chain, you can turn any branch off at any time and its cards stop working immediately. Developers and agencies can use the public REST API with API keys to create cards, add stamps or points, and send messages from their own POS, app or website. Documentation is at passhive.app/docs. PassHive is not a POS and has no named integrations with Shopify, Square, Toast or similar platforms.
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.
Make the card first. Pay when you go live.
Design a stamp or points card in your shop colours, preview it on iPhone and Android, and decide after you have seen it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard size for a wallet loyalty card?
A standard wallet loyalty card matches a credit card size of 3.375 by 2.125 inches. This size fits easily into card slots and wallets. Using this dimension ensures your template is practical for everyday carry and compatible with most card holders.
How do I choose between a paper and a wallet card template?
Choose paper cards for low-cost, short-term promotions or stamp-based rewards. Choose wallet cards for long-term programs where durability matters. Paper works well for cafes and quick service, while wallet cards suit retail, salons, and businesses with higher repeat purchase frequency.
What elements should every loyalty card layout include?
Every layout needs your business name, logo, a clear reward mechanism, and a unique customer identifier or barcode. Add a short call to action like 'Collect stamps' or 'Scan to earn points'. Keep the design uncluttered so staff and customers can read it quickly.
Can I use a loyalty card template for a digital wallet pass?
Yes, many templates can be adapted for Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Use a vertical or horizontal layout with a clear barcode area and minimal text. Digital passes often require specific image sizes, so start with a high-resolution template and test the scan before distributing.
What are common mistakes in loyalty card design?
Common mistakes include overcrowding the card with text, using low-contrast colors that hurt readability, forgetting to leave space for stamps or punches, and omitting contact information. Another error is choosing a non-standard size that does not fit wallets or standard card sleeves.
How many reward steps should a punch card template have?
Most punch card templates use eight to twelve steps. Fewer steps make the reward feel attainable quickly, while more steps can increase perceived value but may discourage participation. Match the number to your average purchase frequency and the value of the free item or discount.
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