Features
Everything you need to run wallet passes
Stow Cards covers the full life of a pass: design it, hand it out with a QR code, update it in real time, and scan it at the till.
The platform
Six features, one console
Pass Designer
A guided wizard builds your branded pass with a live preview for both wallets. No design skills needed.
QR enrollment
Every program gets a hosted signup page with a QR code. Customers scan, fill a short form, and add the pass in one tap.
Real-time updates
Change points, offers, or details and every installed pass updates in seconds, with a message on the lock screen.
Scanner app
Stow Cards Merchant turns any phone or tablet into a till scanner. Look up members, add points, and redeem rewards.
Console & analytics
Add or import members, adjust balances, run campaigns, and track sign-ups, retention, and redemptions from one place.
Multi-location & roles
Run one program across every location, with role-based access so staff see only what they need.
Pass Designer
Design a real pass, not a mockup
The designer walks you through template, branding, fields, barcode, and notifications. A live preview renders the pass exactly as it will appear in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.
- Guided steps, no design skills required
- Brand colors pulled from your logo
- QR, PDF417, Aztec, and Code 128 barcodes
- Anonymous trial that saves your draft as you go
Real-time updates
Reward now, they see it now
When staff add points or stamp a visit, Stow Cards rebuilds the pass and pushes the change to every registered device. On iPhone that is an APNs notification; on Android the Google Wallet pass updates in place.
- Lock-screen messages on point and tier changes
- One adjustment fans out to every registered device
- Location-aware offers can surface near your store on iPhone
Scanner app
Scan, reward, and enroll at the till
Stow Cards Merchant is an installable app for phones and tablets. Staff point the camera at a pass, see the member, and reward them in seconds. No training required.
- Scan the pass barcode or search by Member ID, name, email or phone number
- Add points or stamps with one tap
- Enroll walk-in customers on the spot
- Turn on the offline queue in Settings to save scans when the connection drops and send them once it is back (points and redemptions need a connection)
NFC tap-to-redeem
Let customers tap instead of scan
Passes can carry Apple Wallet’s Value Added Services (VAS) and Google Wallet’s Smart Tap fields. At the till, a customer holds their phone near an NFC reader on your counter instead of showing a barcode. Stow recognizes the member, and staff add points or redeem a reward as usual.
- Works with both ecosystems: Apple Wallet VAS and Google Wallet Smart Tap
- The tap payload is encrypted and carries an HMAC-tagged pass identifier, never a raw Member ID
- A tap identifies the member, and staff confirm every point and reward
- Enable it per platform. Passes already in wallets gain NFC when they are next rebuilt, so customers never re-enroll
NFC tap is on its way: Apple’s NFC entitlement and Google’s Smart Tap certification are in progress, and a tap needs a certified reader on your counter. Every pass works with QR and Member ID lookup today, regardless of NFC status.
- Hold near the reader iPhone brings up the pass on its own, no app to open.Unlock the Android phone, then hold it to the reader.
- Wallet sends an encrypted pass ID Apple VAS sends an encrypted token only your reader can decrypt.Smart Tap sends an encrypted token only your reader can decrypt.
- Staff confirm the visit Stow finds the member. Staff add points or redeem, and the pass updates.
And more
Built for the way real shops operate
Campaigns
Send a targeted update to all members, a program, or a segment, and see who received it.
API and webhooks
A REST API and signed webhooks sit behind the console, so your till, online shop, or CRM can add members, award points, and follow scans as they happen.
Security by default
Scoped tokens, signed service-to-service calls, and tenant-scoped data. Wallet signing credentials never leave the server.
Member IDs built for the till
Every member gets a short, scannable Member ID like 7K2Q9FMRDC. It is what the barcode encodes and what the till looks up.
Add members your way
Add a member by hand in the console, or import a CSV to bring an existing list across. Each one gets a Member ID and a pass, as with a QR sign-up.
CSV exports
Download the transactions ledger (points, stamp, and scan entries), a member’s activity timeline, or an import report as a CSV file.
Retention analytics
See how many of each month’s new members come back to scan, where sign-ups come from, how many passes were installed, and how many rewards were redeemed.
Console on any screen
The console runs in the browser on desktops, tablets, and phones. On a small screen the menu folds into a drawer.
Compare
Wallet passes vs. the old way.
| Feature | Paper cards | Loyalty app | Stow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing to download | Yes | No | Yes |
| Can’t be lost or left at home | No | Yes | Yes |
| Live balance updates on the phone | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works on iPhone and Android | Yes | Rarely, see the note below | Yes |
| Live in minutes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Built-in analytics | No | Yes | Yes |
*Most small businesses can’t justify building and maintaining native apps for both iPhone and Android.
Put every feature to work.
Try the designer without a credit card, or book a demo and see the console live.