Google Wallet · updated 18 October 2026
A Google Wallet loyalty card: how Android customers save it
With Iterum the loyalty card saves to Google Wallet on every plan: the customer scans the QR code, the card opens in the browser and they tap «Add to Google Wallet». Google Wallet needs Android 9 or later; on older phones the card stays in the browser, with the same stamps. Staff confirm every visit and the card in the Wallet updates.
Updated by Radman Sattari, Founder of Iterum
How do customers save the loyalty card to Google Wallet?
The customer scans your QR code with the phone camera: the card opens in the browser and is created straight away, with no app to download. Only when the link opens inside another app, such as Instagram, or on a computer does a short sign-up page come first, with no box to tick: by creating the card the customer accepts the card Terms and confirms they have read the privacy notice.
On the card the customer taps «Add to Google Wallet» and confirms the save: from then on they find it in the phone’s Wallet next to their other cards, and the card updates after every stamp. The Google Wallet pass is included on every plan, like the Apple Wallet loyalty card on iPhone; plans are compared on the pricing page.
Inside Instagram or another app, Wallet does not open: the card explains how to switch to Chrome. Customers who would rather not save it keep using it from the link, with the same stamps, as the guide to a loyalty card without an app explains.
Which Android phones support Google Wallet?
Google says so in its Help Center: «On June 10, 2024, Google Wallet requires Android 9 or higher on your phone». On a phone with an older version the customer keeps the card in the browser: they reopen it from the link and show the code at the counter.
Android is where most of the audience is: in Italy, in September 2026, 63.39% of smartphone page views came from Android and 36.6% from iOS, according to StatCounter; a year earlier the shares were 67.18% and 32.42%. These are shares of web traffic, not of people, but they show that a loyalty card has to work well on both systems.
| Phone or situation | What the customer sees | Where they find the card again |
|---|---|---|
| Android 9 or later, link opened in the browser | The card with the «Add to Google Wallet» button | In Google Wallet and from the link |
| Android older than version 9 | The card in the browser, with no Wallet save | From the card link |
| Link opened inside Instagram or another app | First a short sign-up page, with no box to tick; then the card explains how to switch to Chrome | In Google Wallet after switching to Chrome, or from the link |
| Computer | A short sign-up page with no box to tick, then the web card | From the card link |
| iPhone | The Apple Wallet button | In Apple Wallet and from the link |
What does the customer see after a visit?
At the counter the customer shows the card code, from the Wallet or the browser. Authorised staff open the «Al banco» app in the browser of a phone, tablet or computer, scan or type the code and confirm the stamp: it appears on the card, updates in Google Wallet and is recorded in the dashboard.
Google Wallet does not add stamps by itself and does not approve rewards: it displays the card and keeps it up to date once staff confirm.
Can I send messages to the card in Google Wallet?
Yes, to customers who asked for them. A message of up to 140 characters appears on the card in the Wallet and reaches only customers who saved the card to Google Wallet or Apple Wallet and chose «Yes, I want them» for extra rewards and offers, an optional choice they can switch off with one tap on the card. Customers who keep the card in the browser do not receive it.
You send it now or schedule it, never between 21:00 and 09:00, within 2, 4 or 8 messages a month per location depending on the plan, Base, Pro or Premium. To choose who to write to, the «Non vengono da un po’» (not seen for a while) filter in «Messaggi» selects customers missing for 7, 14, 30, 60, 90, 180 or 365 days; ideas and wording are in the guide on how to win back lost customers.
A worked example in euros: a 10-coffee card in Naples
Take a café in Naples with a 10-stamp card, one stamp per coffee, and a free coffee as the reward. In August 2026 an espresso at the bar cost 1.25 euros on average in Naples, according to the MIMIT Prices and Tariffs Observatory on Istat data (every province is on the price of coffee in Italy page): after 10 paid coffees, 12.50 euros, the customer gets a 1.25-euro coffee, a tenth of what they spent on coffee.
Google Wallet does not change that sum: it is the same programme, just always to hand. To try other targets and rewards, use the loyalty card calculator. The Observatory warns that these levels are not meant for comparing cities or months: use them as an order of magnitude.
Stamps and rewards stay in the programme
The owner sets the target and reward; staff record visits and redemptions under their own access. Google Wallet is a way to display the card while Iterum keeps the programme rules.
See how Iterum works for the owner, customer and staff steps.
How to test it on Android before offering it at the counter
Three steps show you what the customer will see. The Iterum trial lasts 7 days, with a payment card required at activation: the terms are on the free trial page.
Create the card and open the QR code on your own Android
Choose the design, target and reward, then scan the QR code with an Android 9 or later phone, in the browser rather than inside Instagram.
Tap «Add to Google Wallet»
Confirm the save and check that the card appears in the phone’s Wallet.
Have a visit confirmed
Ask a member of staff to record a stamp from the «Al banco» app and watch the card update in Google Wallet.
Sources
Sources read on 18 October 2026: Google, Wallet Help Center, «Your version of Android doesn’t support Google Wallet»; StatCounter Global Stats, mobile operating systems in Italy, September 2026 and September 2025, shares of page views; MIMIT, Prices and Tariffs Observatory, August 2026 survey on Istat data, as used on the price of coffee in Italy page. Iterum features come from the overview page with the plans, how it works and pricing.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Google Wallet included on every plan?
- Yes. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet are on every Iterum plan, on supported phones; plans differ in active cards, new customers a month and messages, as the pricing page shows.
- My customer has an old Android phone: can they use the card?
- Yes, in the browser: they open the card from the link and show the code at the counter, with the same stamps. Saving it to Google Wallet needs Android 9 or later, as Google has required since 10 June 2024.
- What are the advantages over a paper loyalty card?
- It lives on the phone, so it is not lost or left at home; staff confirm every stamp under their own access; you can write on the card to customers who gave consent; and the customer list shows each customer’s last visit date. The full comparison is in paper vs digital loyalty card.
- Is Google Wallet required?
- No. Customers can use the card from the link without saving it to the Wallet; in that case they do not receive messages on the card.
- Does the pass add stamps without staff?
- No. Authorised staff confirm every visit in Iterum, from the «Al banco» app.
- How can I test the add flow before offering it?
- Open a real card in Chrome on an Android 9 or later phone, tap «Add to Google Wallet» and check that the card appears in the Wallet; then have staff record a visit and watch the stamp arrive.