Guide · till, POS and loyalty card
Loyalty card POS integration: three routes and how to choose
Loyalty card POS integration can be done in three ways: the loyalty module of your till software, an external platform linked by API, or a card alongside the till, with staff recording visits or points. The card terminal takes the payment but doesn’t know the customer: the link goes through the till software. Iterum takes the third route and works alongside any till.
Updated by Radman Sattari, Founder of Iterum
How do you integrate a loyalty programme with your till? The three routes
Integrating a loyalty programme with your till means deciding who records the purchase on the customer’s card: the till software itself, an external platform that receives data from the till, or a member of staff using a separate app. For the customer the result looks similar, a card that moves towards the reward; for the business the cost, the time to get started and the dependence on the till supplier are very different.
Some till software includes a loyalty module: Tilby, for example, describes on its customer features page points campaigns per purchase, per euro or per product, awarded automatically or by hand, with the points balance printed at the bottom of the receipt. Other loyalty platforms connect to the till from outside: PassFacile explains that with its integration the till sends the amount and the platform calculates the points, and that each connection is assessed case by case. These are examples read on 11 October 2026, not a ranking.
| Route | Who records the purchase | What you need | Benefits | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loyalty module in the till software | The till, automatically or at the press of a key | Till software that offers it, sometimes with a dedicated licence | No extra step at the counter; points calculated from the receipt | Tied to that software: if you change tills, the programme must be rebuilt or migrated |
| External platform linked by API | The till sends the data to the platform | An API or webhook from the till software and technical set-up | You choose the loyalty platform; points calculated automatically | Integration time and cost; two suppliers to coordinate |
| Card alongside the till | Staff, with an app on a phone or computer | A connection and a device at the counter | No changes to the till; works with any payment system | One extra step at the counter; points are typed by hand |
What do you need to link a loyalty card to your till?
An automatic link needs three things: till software that makes sales data available, for example through an API or webhook; a way to recognise the customer at the till, such as scanning the card or searching by name or phone number; and someone to set up and maintain the connection. On the same page PassFacile warns that Italy’s certified fiscal cash registers (registratori telematici) do not integrate on their own: the link goes through the management software that drives them.
Before you sign, find out what happens when you update or change your till software, who steps in if points stop arriving, and where customer data ends up. If two suppliers exchange personal data, roles and data protection agreements should be put in writing: the guide to loyalty card GDPR explains the difference between controller and processor.
Check your till software
Ask whether it has its own loyalty module or a documented API for sales data.
Decide which data needs to flow
Often the amount and the card code are enough; individual products matter only if you want different points per product or category.
Test how customers are recognised
The till scanner must read the card’s code, or staff must be able to find the customer within a few seconds.
Get support and costs in writing
Set-up, subscription, updates and who responds if the connection drops on your busiest day.
Can a loyalty card connect to the card terminal or the fiscal cash register?
Not directly, in most cases. The card terminal takes the card payment; the fiscal cash register stores and sends the day’s takings. To award points automatically, something has to match the amount to the right customer, and that is the job of the till or management software that runs those devices: PassFacile makes this point about certified fiscal registers on the page cited above.
If your card terminal can install apps, ask your supplier whether a compatible loyalty app exists and how it recognises the customer at the till. With a card alongside the till the question does not come up: the terminal and the register stay as they are, and the card is updated from a staff phone or computer. It is also the quickest way to try a loyalty programme before paying for an integration.
Questions to ask your till supplier before integrating
Integrating a till with a loyalty card is a small technical project, not a setting you switch on with one click. The questions in the table help you understand time, cost and risk in advance; it is worth getting written answers from both the till supplier and the loyalty card supplier.
| Question | Why it matters | Answer to get in writing |
|---|---|---|
| Does the till software have a loyalty module or an API for sales data? | Without outgoing data there is no automatic link | Name of the feature or a link to the API documentation |
| Is a particular licence or plan required? | Integrations sometimes need a higher version of the software | One-off cost and subscription |
| Who sets up the connection, and how long does it take? | Set-up may need a technician | Contact person, timescale and set-up cost |
| What happens if I change tills or update the software? | A programme tied to the till may have to be rebuilt | How customers and balances are exported, and in what format |
| Does it work on every till and at every branch? | With several tills the link has to be repeated | List of tills and branches included in the price |
| How are mistakes, voids and returns corrected? | A void at the till should be reflected in the points | The points correction procedure |
| Where is customer data held and who is responsible for it? | Two suppliers process personal data | Data protection roles and the data processing agreement |
When integrating a loyalty card with your till pays off, and when it doesn’t
Integration pays off when the card has to do sums that a person at the counter would get wrong or do too slowly: many products earning different points, many tills, sales online as well. For a café, a hair salon or a small independent shop, where the rule is «one stamp per visit» or «1 point per euro», a card alongside the till does the same job without a technical project.
Think about the future too: if you plan to change till software in the coming months, a loyalty programme that is independent of the till does not need rebuilding. For a stamp or points card in a retail shop, the guide to the loyalty card for shops shows how to write the rule for purchases, returns and sales; the choice between the two mechanics is covered in stamps vs points loyalty card.
| Situation | Card integrated with the till | Card alongside the till |
|---|---|---|
| One stamp per visit (café, hair salon, barber’s) | Possible, but rarely necessary | Suitable: staff confirm the visit |
| Points per euro with simple receipts | Convenient: points calculated automatically | Suitable: staff type the points from the receipt |
| Different points for each product or category | Better suited: the till knows the products | Only possible with simple rules |
| Many tills and long queues at peak times | Better suited: no extra step | Worth testing: one extra step at every payment |
| Online sales as well | Necessary if you want to award points online | Covers counter purchases only |
| You plan to change tills soon | Risky: the link has to be rebuilt | Independent of the till |
| You want to try before investing | Needs set-up time | Starts without touching the till |
How a loyalty card alongside the till works, without integration
With a card alongside the till, payment stays exactly as it is: the customer pays in cash, by card or contactless, and the loyalty card lives in a separate app. The customer shows the card on their phone or in their Wallet, the assistant scans it in the programme’s app and records the visit or types the points; the receipt and the loyalty card remain two separate steps.
The drawback is one extra step at every payment, with the risk of the odd typing mistake. The checks in the next section keep those low without connecting anything to the till.
The customer pays as usual
No changes to the till, the card terminal or the fiscal cash register.
They show the loyalty card
On their phone or in their Wallet; if the QR code will not scan, staff type the card’s code.
Staff record it
On a stamp card they confirm the visit; on a points card they type the points according to the rule, for example 1 point for every euro on the receipt.
The reward is applied at the till
The discount or free item is handled at the till as your accountant advises; on the card, staff record the redemption.
Without integration, how do you avoid mistakes and misuse at the counter?
When stamps and points are recorded by hand, the typical mistakes are three: a wrong amount, a stamp given twice for the same visit and a stamp given to someone who did not buy anything. They are prevented with a few written rules and with the card’s settings, without touching the till.
| Risk | What to do | Tool in Iterum |
|---|---|---|
| Too many points typed | Set a cap per transaction | «Maximum points per operation», from 1 to 1,000,000 |
| Wrong amount | Correct it straight away | Undo the addition at the counter within 10 minutes |
| Two stamps for the same visit | Require a pause between two stamps | «Minimum interval» between two stamps on the same card, from 1 minute to 24 hours |
| The rule read in different ways | Write down what a stamp or a point is worth | «What a visit is worth» and «What a point is worth» fields, read by staff and customers |
| Stamps for people who did not buy | Personal staff accounts and regular checks | One login per person, with the Owner or Staff role; the «Activity» page shows every confirmed visit |
| Reward handed over twice | Always record the redemption | The reward stays on the «Activity» page, under «Rewards given» |
Iterum and your till: what it does and what it doesn’t
Iterum is a digital loyalty card that sits alongside the till: it does not connect to the card terminal, the fiscal cash register, scales or management software, and it does not read the receipt. Staff use the counter app («Al banco») on a phone or computer, scan the card’s QR code or type its code, and confirm the visit or type the points. Every plan lets you choose stamp or points cards; a connection is needed, because Iterum does not record offline.
If you need points calculated automatically from the receipt, or the balance printed at the bottom of the receipt, Iterum is not the right fit today, and the loyalty module of your till software or an integrated platform is worth considering. If instead you want to start without touching the till, prepare the card in the designer and start the 7-day free trial: you pay €0 today, a payment card is required and the selected plan continues after the trial unless you cancel. The full process is in how Iterum works.
Sources and method
The descriptions of integrated solutions come from two public pages read on 11 October 2026: Tilby’s customer features page and PassFacile’s till integrations page, both in Italian. Features and plans may change, so always check with the supplier. We have not tested their integrations.
The comparison tables are general guidance, not data collected from real shops or tills. This guide does not cover the tax rules for tills and receipts: for discounts, free items and fiscal cash registers, ask your accountant. The information about Iterum describes the product as of 17 October 2026, as shown on its public pages and in the panel.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Iterum connect to my till or card terminal?
- No. Iterum works alongside the till: it does not connect to the card terminal, the fiscal cash register or management software, and it does not read the receipt. Staff record the visit or the points in the counter app, on a phone or computer.
- Can I give points based on the receipt total without integration?
- Yes, with a points card: you decide what a point is worth, for example 1 point per euro, and staff type the points after payment. A cap on points per transaction and the 10-minute undo keep mistakes in check.
- Do I need a new till to have a digital loyalty card?
- Not with a card alongside the till: you keep the till you have. For an integrated card it depends on your till software, so ask the supplier whether it has a loyalty module or an API for sales data.
- Can the points balance appear on the receipt?
- Only with integrated solutions that offer it, such as the loyalty module of some till software. With a card alongside the till, like Iterum, the customer sees stamps or points on their digital card, on their phone.
- Can I connect the loyalty card straight to my card terminal?
- Usually the link goes through the till or management software, not through the payment terminal alone. If your terminal accepts installable apps, ask your supplier whether there is one for loyalty. With Iterum you don’t need it: staff record the visit or the points in the counter app.
- Does Iterum work with several tills and several locations?
- Yes. Each member of staff opens the counter app on their own phone or computer, so there are no tills to connect one by one. Locations are added from the panel: only the owner can open a new one, and sees its price before confirming.
- How much does it cost to integrate a loyalty card with a till?
- It depends on the till software and the platform: some integrations need dedicated licences or plans and technical set-up. A card alongside the till has no integration cost; Iterum’s plans are on the pricing page and the trial lasts 7 days.