Stamps
Café Sonnig
Name
Mara L.
Reward
Free coffee
#10472
GOOGLE WALLET
The loyalty card in Google Wallet.
One tap on “Add to Google Wallet” and your guest’s loyalty card sits on their Android phone. No trip to the Play Store, no sign-up, no storage space.
Android & Wear OS · no guest app · GDPR-compliant
Wallet
Example view for Apple Wallet, Google Wallet looks slightly different.
In short
- Google Wallet is part of the standard kit on virtually every Android device, so your guests download nothing.
- The card is created as a loyalty object through the Google Wallet API and saved via a signed link.
- Point balance and reward tier change server-side, so the wallet shows the new state immediately.
- The card is available on Wear OS watches as well.
HOW IT WORKS
How the card gets onto an Android phone.
From scan to saved card it is three moves.
Scan the QR code
The Google camera reads the code directly, and your guest needs no extra app for it.
camera is enoughA quick confirmation
A lightweight page previews your card. It asks for a name and an email; the birthday is voluntary.
name and email“Add to Google Wallet”
The button opens a signed save link. Google shows the card, one tap files it in the Wallet app.
signed linkDone, and there offline too
The card lives in Google Wallet and can be shown even when the signal drops. Your team scans, the balance grows.
no login
UNDER THE HOOD
What actually happens.
The short version for anyone who wants the detail.
- Interface
- Google Wallet API, object type “Loyalty”
- Model
- A loyalty class describes your programme, a loyalty object the individual guest’s card
- Saving
- A signed save link (JWT), which is what makes the card tamper-proof
- Updates
- Applied server-side to the object; the Wallet app shows the new state with no action from your guest
- Barcode on the card
- QR, Code 128, PDF417 or Aztec, matching the scanner you already own
- Devices
- Android with Google Wallet, plus Wear OS
NOTICES
Notifications, honestly explained.
Android handles notifications a little differently from iOS. Here is what that means for your loyalty programme, without the gloss.
- When the point balance changes, the card in the wallet is instantly current: your guest sees the right number when they open it.
- Google Wallet can surface a saved card when it happens to be useful.
- When a reward is reached, it says so on the card itself. That is the most reliable channel, because it does not depend on notification settings.
For context Worth being clear about: whether and how notices appear is decided by Android and your guest’s settings, not by us. We treat it as a pleasant bonus, not a schedulable ad channel.
POSSIBLE & NOT POSSIBLE
What Google Wallet can do.
And where the platform draws a line. Both are part of the truth.
Works
Your branding
Logo, colours and programme name come from you. Google sets the card structure so everything feels native.
Works
Points & tiers
Balance and reward tier sit right on the card, particularly tidy for points programmes.
Works
Wear OS
The card is available on the watch too. At the till that is sometimes the fastest route.
Works
Works without an account
No Play Store download for your guests, no tapja account, just a name, an email and one confirmation by mail.
Does not work
No free-form marketing pushes
Google Wallet is not a newsletter substitute. Notices follow the card state, not your campaign plan.
Does not work
No custom layout
Structure and typography come from Google. Full design freedom means building your own app, with the cost and upkeep that brings.
10 min until your program is live
2 wallets Apple & Google included
€0 to get started, no card needed
EU server location, privacy built in from day one
Common questions about Google Wallet.
Question not listed?
Write to us, a person will answer.
Do my guests have to install Google Wallet?
As a rule no: on virtually every current Android device Google Wallet is already there. In the rare case it is not, it is a free standard download from Google, not software from us.
Do I need a Google account as a business?
No. tapja handles the connection to the Google Wallet API. You design your card in the dashboard; certificates and interfaces are not your problem.
Does the card work without internet?
Showing and scanning work, because the barcode lives on the device. New points are booked as soon as there is a connection again, and nobody at the till notices.
What is the difference from Apple Wallet?
For your guests, barely anything: same card, same programme, same flow. Technically there are two different systems behind it, but you maintain one programme and tapja serves both.
Can I award points per euro spent?
Yes (from Home Base): amount-based points are awarded by managers behind a PIN. By default one scan per visit is enough, with no POS system and no integration required.
Do my customers need an app?
No. The card lives right in Apple or Google Wallet. Both are already on the phone. No download, no login for your customers.
How does the card get onto the phone?
Via the QR code on the counter stand: scan once, "Add to Wallet," done. The card is on the phone in seconds.
Is it GDPR-compliant?
Yes, GDPR by design: data minimisation, servers in the EU and a separate marketing consent. From your guests you need a name and an email, nothing more.