Apple Wallet loyalty card or NFC tag: which to choose?
Compared with an Apple Wallet loyalty card, Lecy replaces the digital card to add and then present with an NFC tag placed on the counter: the customer adds nothing to their phone and there is no scanner to install on the shop side.
Both solutions do away with the physical card. They differ on who makes the effort, and when.
The comparison, point by point
| Criterion | Lecy (NFC tag) | Apple / Google Wallet card |
|---|---|---|
| What the customer does the first time | Holds up their phone | Scans a code, then confirms adding to the Wallet |
| What they do the following times | Holds up their phone | Opens the Wallet, picks the card, presents it |
| Hardware on the shop side | A tag placed on the counter | A barcode reader or a tablet |
| Who triggers the point | The customer | The shop, by scanning the card |
| Proof the customer was there | Yes, the chip signs every visit | Partial: the card can be presented from a screenshot |
| Compatibility | iPhone and Android via NFC | iPhone and Android, two card formats to generate |
| Notifications to the customer | Yes, from the browser for those who accept them, and by text for those who ask | Yes, from the card |
| Card visible at all times | No, nothing to add or find | Yes, in the Wallet |
Where the Wallet stumbles: the first add
A loyalty card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet is pleasant once it is there. The problem is getting it there. The customer has to scan a code, land on a page, understand that they are being offered to add something to their phone, accept, then wait for the confirmation. All of that happens at the counter, with a queue behind them.
It is the same hurdle as an app, only slightly shorter. And as with an app, some customers never clear it: they say they will do it later, and never do.
And the everyday gesture
On the following visits, the customer has to remember they have the card, open their Wallet, find it among the others, and present it to a reader. On the shop side, that means a scanner or a tablet, so hardware to install, power and replace.
With an NFC tag there is no card to find and no scanner to install: the customer holds their phone to the counter, as they have just done to pay.
The underlying difference: who proves what
A Wallet card is an identification medium: it says who the customer is. It does not prove they are there; a screenshot of the code presents just as well from a distance.
An NTAG 424 tag does the opposite: at every read, the chip computes a signature that is valid only once. The point can only be earned by actually holding the phone to the tag, in the shop. For a programme built on footfall, that difference is structural.
When the Wallet card remains the better choice
If you want the card to be visible at all times in the phone, next to the bank cards, the Wallet offers that and Lecy does not: Lecy adds nothing to the phone, that is the principle. For reminders, both do the job: Lecy sends notifications from the browser to customers who accept them, and a text to those who ask, with no app and no card to add.
If you sell high amounts infrequently, where repeated physical presence is not the issue, and you already have scanners at the till, the Wallet card makes sense. The two approaches are not exclusive either: some brands use NFC for counting and the Wallet for reminders.
Frequently asked questions
Does Lecy generate an Apple Wallet card?
No. Lecy does not go through a digital card: the counter is tied to the customer’s phone and shown on the page opened by the tag.
Do I need a scanner at the till with Lecy?
No. There is no hardware to install on the shop side apart from the tag itself, which is passive and needs no power.
Can a customer use their Wallet card from home?
A Wallet card can be presented as a screenshot, which makes it usable remotely. An NFC tag does not allow that: the signature changes at every read.
Can I send reminders to a customer with Lecy?
Yes, to customers who accepted it: notifications from the browser, with no app, and a text to those who left their number. A customer who stayed anonymous cannot be contacted; that is the flip side of asking nothing of them.
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