A digital loyalty card is a loyalty card stored in the phone's digital wallet — Apple Wallet on iPhone, Google Wallet on Android — that collects a customer's stamps or points without any app to install. It replaces the cardboard card, updates at every visit and lets the business send notifications. Here is why, in 2026, it has become the default choice for local businesses in Belgium.
Cardboard no longer matches how customers live
How many cardboard loyalty cards are lying at the bottom of your drawers? Your customers have the same problem: the card stays in the other jacket, goes through the wash with the jeans or ends up in the bin before the reward. The result: the programme costs printing money and retains nobody.
The phone, on the other hand, is always there. According to Statbel's 2025 ICT survey, Belgians spend an average of 3.7 hours a day online. And according to Eurostat (2025), almost 9 out of 10 Europeans connect to the internet from a mobile device. A card that lives in that phone has a far better chance of being seen than one that lives in a wallet.
The phone has already become the means of payment
Going digital is not only about loyalty cards. The Digital Payments Barometer 2026 (Febelfin, Bancontact, Mastercard, Visa and Worldline, an Ipsos–VUB survey published on 1 July 2026) shows that 59% of people living in Belgium have already paid with a smartphone or wearable, and that 84% prefer an electronic means of payment to cash.
In other words: at the moment of paying, the phone is already in the customer's hand. Asking them to pull out a cardboard card on top of it has become the least natural gesture of the whole transaction.
What a card in the Wallet actually changes
- Nothing to forget: the card sits in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, on the phone the customer is already holding.
- No app to download: the customer scans a QR code, taps "Add", done.
- Real-time updates: every stamp or point appears on the card immediately.
- Push notifications: remind customers of a reward that is close or announce something new, straight on the lock screen.
- Useful data: you finally see who comes back, how often, and who has dropped off.
To understand how the two wallets work technically, read our guide Apple Wallet and Google Wallet for your business.
Keeping a customer costs less than winning one
This is not a shopkeeper's hunch, it is documented. The Harvard Business Review (Amy Gallo, 29 October 2014) notes that acquiring a new customer is 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one, and cites Frederick Reichheld (Bain & Company): increasing retention by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%.
A digital loyalty card works precisely on that lever: it raises the odds that a customer you have already won comes back, without spending on advertising to find a new one.
How it works with Goodly
- You create your card online: logo, colours, number of stamps or points rule, reward.
- You display the QR code at the counter or on a stand.
- The customer scans it, leaves a first name and e-mail, and adds the card to their Wallet.
- At every visit, you validate the visit from your phone, your tablet or the staff cashier mode reserved for your team (team code and customer PIN, with no access to your account).
- When the reward is reached, you are notified and so is the customer.
Already have paper cards in circulation? Existing stamps can be carried over to the digital card after a check at the counter: our guide carrying over stamps from paper cards describes the method. Goodly can also automatically request a Google review after a visit and connect to your Shopify or Lightspeed till.
How much does it cost in 2026?
| Plan | Monthly price excl. VAT | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | €29 | One location, unlimited customers, push notifications |
| Business | €69 | Two cards, location-based notifications, gift cards, API |
| Multi-sites | €149 | Several locations, five cards included |
The 14-day free trial applies to the Pro plan. An annual commitment gives 15% off, a two-year commitment 20% off, and every subscription is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Compare the details on the pricing page, and set them against the recurring cost of printing cardboard cards that end up lost.
Which businesses is it for?
The digital card suits any business where customers come back: coffee shops, bakeries, hair salons, restaurants, florists, shops. The programme adapts: stamps for frequent low-priced purchases, points per euro when amounts vary.
Frequently asked questions
Do my customers need to install an app?
No. Apple Wallet is pre-installed on iPhone and Google Wallet on most Android phones. The customer adds the card from a link or QR code; no Goodly app is needed.
What about my older customers?
Adding a card to the Wallet takes two gestures: scan a QR code, tap "Add". For the rare customers without a smartphone, you can keep a paper option running alongside during the transition.
What happens to the paper cards I have already handed out?
You decide on a carry-over rule (for example, stamps shown at the counter are credited once to the digital card) and apply it to everyone. The method is detailed in our transition guide.
Where to start?
Read our plan launch a loyalty programme in one week, or the 5 reasons to drop the paper card if you are still hesitating. Then create your card: the 14-day Pro trial comes with no commitment.