A Regulars coffee shop loyalty card is a digital stamp card that your customers keep in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. They join by scanning a QR code at your counter and typing a first name. Your barista stamps the card with any phone, and nobody needs to download an app.
Why does a loyalty card matter for a coffee shop?
Coffee is a habit, and a loyalty card helps the habit form at your shop. Most of your regulars buy the same drink at the same time, five days a week. That routine is worth a lot. A card gives them a small reason to pick you over the chain on the corner.
Paper punch cards get lost in coats and washed in jeans. A wallet card sits on the phone your customer already pulls out to pay. It updates itself after every stamp, so they can see how close they are to a free latte. 🙌
It also tells you who your regulars are. The dashboard shows who is new, who comes in a lot, and who has not been back in 14 or 30 days. That is the stuff you used to keep in your head.
How do coffee shops use Regulars?
Most cafes start with a simple stamp card and then use messages to smooth out the week.
The morning rush
Stamping takes a quick scan with the phone by the till. No hole punch, no looking for a pen, and the line keeps moving.
Quiet afternoons
Pick your slow weekdays and the slow day boost message goes out to bring people back after lunch.
Students and remote workers
They come often and stay long. A points card can reward each visit and let them save up for a pastry or a bag of beans.
Two or three locations
One card works at every shop. A customer who stamps downtown can claim the reward at your other cafe.
What rewards work best on a coffee card?
The best coffee rewards are simple and easy to reach before the customer forgets about the card. Here are a few that fit a cafe. For more ideas, read our post on the best coffee shop rewards.
Not sure how many stamps to use? Our guide on how many stamps a punch card should have walks through it.
What can a coffee shop send to a customer's lock screen?
You can send short messages that show on the card and can pop up on the lock screen. Six automatic ones are on from day one: welcome, almost there, reward ready, we miss you, birthday and slow day boost. You can also write your own. Here are some samples from a made-up cafe.
Customers can turn messages off anytime, so keep them short and useful. Our post on lock screen messages has more tips.
How do I set up a coffee shop loyalty card?
You can have a card ready in an afternoon. Here is how it goes.
- Make your card. Add your logo and colours, pick stamps or points, and set your reward.
- Print your poster. Regulars makes a counter poster with your QR code. Put it by the till where people wait.
- Stamp from any phone. Your baristas sign in with a PIN and scan cards. That is the whole training.
Plans start at $49 a month. See pricing, or start your 30-day free trial. No contract, cancel anytime. Right on. ✌️
Questions people ask
How does a digital coffee punch card work?
Your customer scans the QR code at your counter, types a first name, and adds the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Each time they buy a drink, your barista scans the card with any phone or tablet and the stamp shows up on their phone.
How many stamps should a coffee card have?
Buy 9, get the 10th free is a good start, because it matches the paper cards people already know. You pick the stamp target, and you can change it later.
Can a customer get two stamps for one coffee by scanning twice?
No. You set a cooldown between stamps and a daily cap per customer, so a double scan at a busy counter does not count twice.
Do my baristas need a special scanner or tablet?
No. Staff sign in with a 4 to 6 digit PIN and scan with the camera on any phone or tablet you already have.
Can I use one coffee card at more than one cafe?
Yes. One card works across all your locations. The Growth plan covers unlimited locations at $99 a month plus $49 for each extra location.
