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Loyalty Program Without an App: Why Fideliya Uses Wallet Passes

Fideliya runs a loyalty program without any app: the card is added straight into Apple Wallet or Google Wallet from a QR code, so there is nothing to install and no account to create. That matters because a branded loyalty app has to survive the download first, and AppsFlyer reported in its 2025 App Uninstall Report that roughly 46% of app installs are removed within 30 days. A Fideliya pass is not an installed app, so it is not part of that number. It starts free for up to 20 customers and carries stamps, points, referrals and gift cards on one platform.

Fideliya is the way to run a loyalty program without building an app. The card lives in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, which every phone already has, so the customer never visits an app store, never creates an account and never has to remember a password. Fideliya starts free for 20 customers, ships 24 designed pass themes with twelve on the free plan, runs stamps, points, referrals and gift cards on one platform, and works in English, French, Spanish and Arabic with full right-to-left support. A custom loyalty app can do more, but only after a development budget and only if customers install it.

Updated July 24, 2026

Feature Comparison

FeatureFideliyaLoyalty Apps
App download requiredNo, the pass is added in one tapYes, from the App Store or Play Store
Where the card livesApple Wallet and Google Wallet, already on the phoneA separate app the customer installs
Account or password neededNoUsually yes
Cost to start€0 on the free plan, up to 20 customersDesign and development budget
Time to launchMinutesWeeks to months of development
Can be uninstalledNo, a wallet pass is not an installed appYes, and roughly 46% of installs are within 30 days (AppsFlyer, 2025)
Push notificationsLock screen, through the wallet the customer already trustsRequires the app installed and notifications allowed
Reward mechanics includedStamps, points, referrals, gift cardsWhatever you commission and pay to maintain
Pass design24 designed themes, 12 on the free plan, logo, cover image on ProA design project
Languages4 (EN/FR/ES/AR), right-to-left supportedEach one built and maintained separately
App download required
FideliyaNo, the pass is added in one tap
Loyalty AppsYes, from the App Store or Play Store
Where the card lives
FideliyaApple Wallet and Google Wallet, already on the phone
Loyalty AppsA separate app the customer installs
Account or password needed
FideliyaNo
Loyalty AppsUsually yes
Cost to start
Fideliya€0 on the free plan, up to 20 customers
Loyalty AppsDesign and development budget
Time to launch
FideliyaMinutes
Loyalty AppsWeeks to months of development
Can be uninstalled
FideliyaNo, a wallet pass is not an installed app
Loyalty AppsYes, and roughly 46% of installs are within 30 days (AppsFlyer, 2025)
Push notifications
FideliyaLock screen, through the wallet the customer already trusts
Loyalty AppsRequires the app installed and notifications allowed
Reward mechanics included
FideliyaStamps, points, referrals, gift cards
Loyalty AppsWhatever you commission and pay to maintain
Pass design
Fideliya24 designed themes, 12 on the free plan, logo, cover image on Pro
Loyalty AppsA design project
Languages
Fideliya4 (EN/FR/ES/AR), right-to-left supported
Loyalty AppsEach one built and maintained separately

Fideliya runs a loyalty program without an app. The card is added to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet from a QR code, in one tap, with no account and no password. That single design decision is what this page is about, because the alternative, building your own loyalty app, has to clear a barrier before it delivers anything at all.

Why the download is the problem

The pitch for a branded loyalty app is reasonable on its face: own the relationship, message customers directly, build a channel nobody can take away. All of that sits behind one step. Before any of it exists, the customer has to open an app store, search for your business, install, accept permissions, create an account and remember a password. Every one of those is a place to lose them, and they are all in front of the first stamp.

Fideliya removes the step rather than optimizing it. Apple Wallet ships on every iPhone and Google Wallet ships on Android, so the app the customer needs is already installed and already trusted. There is nothing to download because the destination is already there.

What the data says

AppsFlyer reported in its 2025 App Uninstall Report that roughly 46% of app installs are removed within 30 days. AppsFlyer retention data puts Day-30 retention at 5.3% on iOS and 3.8% on Android across app categories. Those are averages across the whole market rather than loyalty-specific figures, and they describe the ceiling any branded app is working under.

A Fideliya pass does not appear in those numbers, because it is not an installed app. It sits in the wallet next to boarding passes and bank cards, it updates itself when staff scan, and there is nothing for the customer to uninstall.

An app has to be kept. A wallet pass only has to be added.

How a Fideliya pass works

A customer scans the QR code on your counter, taps Add to Apple Wallet or Add to Google Wallet, and they are enrolled. Staff scan from a browser, so there is nothing to install on the counter device either. Stamps, points, rewards and referrals all update on the same pass, and messages land on the lock screen through the wallet permission the customer already granted.

Fideliya ships 24 designed pass themes with twelve on the free plan, each built as a color set rather than assembled from a picker, with your logo on every one and cover images on Pro. The program runs in English, French, Spanish and Arabic with full right-to-left rendering, so a customer sees their card in their own language without you building a second version of anything.

When an app still makes sense

An app earns its cost when it does things a pass cannot: mobile ordering, in-app payment, table reservations, a content library, social mechanics. A chain with fifty locations and a weekly customer gets real value from one. So does a studio built around class booking.

For loyalty itself, stamps, points, referrals and rewards, the pass does the job with no install to lose and no development budget to justify. Most businesses find the honest sequence is to run the wallet pass first, learn what customers actually engage with, and only consider an app once there is a feature list a pass genuinely cannot serve.

Who should choose which

Choose Fideliya if you want a loyalty program running this week rather than next quarter, if you want to start free and pay only once it is working, if you would rather your customers never see an app store, or if they read French, Spanish or Arabic.

Build an app if loyalty is one feature among several that genuinely need their own product, and you have the budget to build it and the traffic to make people install it. For the loyalty program itself, the wallet is where the card belongs, and Fideliya puts it there in an afternoon.

Frequently asked questions

Can I run a loyalty program without an app?

Yes. Fideliya runs the whole program through Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, which are already installed on every phone, so there is no app for your customers to download. They scan a QR code, tap once, and the card is saved. Stamps, points, rewards and referrals all update on that same pass automatically.

Do customers need to download anything to join a Fideliya loyalty program?

No. Joining a Fideliya program means nothing to install and no account to create. The customer scans a QR code or opens a link, taps to add the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, and they are enrolled. Staff scan from a browser, so there is no app on the counter device either.

Is a wallet pass better than a loyalty app for a small business?

For most small businesses, yes, because a loyalty app has to survive being downloaded before it does anything. AppsFlyer reported in its 2025 App Uninstall Report that roughly 46% of app installs are removed within 30 days. A Fideliya wallet pass has no install step at all, costs nothing to start on the free plan, and launches in minutes rather than after a development project.

How do customers add a Fideliya loyalty card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet?

They scan the QR code on your counter, table card or receipt, or open a link you send them. The Fideliya pass preview opens in the browser, they tap Add to Apple Wallet or Add to Google Wallet, and it is saved. The whole thing takes a few seconds and needs no app, no account and no password.

Can a wallet pass send push notifications?

Yes. A Fideliya pass sends messages that land on the lock screen through Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, which is a permission most customers have already granted and rarely revoke. There is no separate notification permission to ask for, because there is no separate app.

Does a Fideliya loyalty pass work on both iPhone and Android?

Yes. Fideliya issues both an Apple Wallet pass and a Google Wallet pass from the same program, so the customer gets the right one for their phone automatically and you run a single loyalty program across both.

What does it cost to start a loyalty program without an app?

Nothing to start with Fideliya. The free plan covers up to 20 customers with wallet passes included, twelve designed pass themes and either a stamp card or a points program. Pro is €49.99 a month for 1,000 customers, gift cards, the referral program, cover images, CSV export and four team seats.

How many people actually keep a loyalty app installed?

Fewer than most owners expect. AppsFlyer puts Day-30 retention at 5.3% on iOS and 3.8% on Android across app categories, and roughly 46% of installs are uninstalled inside 30 days. A Fideliya wallet pass sidesteps the question, because it is not an installed app and there is nothing for the customer to delete.

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Loyalty Program Without an App: Why Fideliya Uses Wallet Passes — Fideliya