The short answer
It's easiest when the store offers its loyalty card for Apple Wallet. Tap "Add to Apple Wallet" and the pass is in your Wallet. If there is no Wallet version, iOS 27 lets you create a pass yourself from the barcode on your plastic card. That pass only shows the code and gets no updates from the store.
1. Save the store's Wallet pass
Many retailers, gyms and clubs issue their loyalty card as a Wallet pass. You usually find it in one of these places.
- In the welcome email or a text message after you sign up
- As a QR code at the checkout, on a display or on your receipt
- In the store's app, under loyalty card or profile
- On the website, after you log in
Tap the button or scan the QR code with your camera, and your iPhone shows a preview of the pass. Tap "Add" in the top right corner. The pass is now in the Wallet app and, if you like, on your Apple Watch too.
The big advantage of this pass is that the store keeps it up to date. Points, coupons and new rewards appear on the pass automatically, often with a notification on your lock screen.
2. Create your own pass with iOS 27
Since iOS 27 you can create your own pass in the Wallet app. Apple calls the feature "Create a Pass".
- Open the Wallet app and tap the plus in the top right corner.
- Tap "Create a Pass".
- On iPhones with Apple Intelligence, tap "Continue" and scan your plastic card with the camera. Wallet reads the name, number and barcode. On other iPhones, pick a template such as "Membership", fill in the fields and scan the barcode with "Add Code".
- Check the fields, pick a background color and save the pass with the blue checkmark in the top right corner.
You need iOS 27 for this. Scanning with the camera works on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone Air and every iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 model.
This helps with cards that don't exist as a Wallet pass. Know the limits, though. The pass only shows what you enter. It gets no new points, no coupons and no notifications from the store. Whether the checkout can read the barcode from your screen also depends on the scanner.
3. Third-party apps
Before iOS 27, you needed a third-party app for this. These apps turn your barcode into a Wallet pass. To do that, they send your card number to their servers, because every Wallet pass has to be signed. With iOS 27 you rarely need them for simple loyalty cards.
Why can't I add my loyalty card to Apple Wallet?
- The store doesn't offer a Wallet pass. Ask at the checkout or create the pass yourself.
- The link opens inside an app instead of the browser. Open it in Safari and the preview appears.
- Your iPhone runs an older iOS version. Creating your own pass requires iOS 27.
Add a loyalty card to Google Wallet
On Android phones the first way works the same, with the "Add to Google Wallet" button. For cards without a Wallet version, Google Wallet has had its own feature for a while. Tap Add in Google Wallet, choose the option for everything else and take a photo of the card or its barcode.
For businesses. Offer your loyalty card in Apple Wallet
A pass your customers create themselves helps them at the checkout. It does little for you as a retailer. You can't see who uses it, and you can't reach anyone through it. That changes when you issue the loyalty card as a Wallet pass yourself.
- Points, status and coupons update on the pass automatically.
- You send notifications straight to the lock screen, for example about promotions or new rewards.
- The same pass works in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.
- You see how many customers have saved the pass.
Technically, every Apple Wallet pass is a PKPASS file. With Passcreator you don't have to deal with that. You design the pass in the editor, connect your POS or CRM and send it by link, QR code or email. Learn more about our digital loyalty cards and Apple Wallet passes.
