How to Add a Membership Card to Apple Wallet: Members and Organisers

There are two ways to get a membership card into Apple Wallet. If the club, gym or business has issued a digital card, the member taps an "Add to Apple Wallet" button or opens a link or QR code on their iPhone and confirms. If the organisation has not, iPhones running iOS 27 on supported devices can build a basic membership pass from a photo of the physical card. This guide explains both, then shows how an organisation can issue a proper branded membership pass that members can add in two taps.

For members: add a card the organisation has issued

This is the route that gives you a card that looks right and stays current.

1. Find the organisation's signup page, email or app. Look for an Add to Apple Wallet button, or a QR code you can scan with the iPhone camera.
2. Open the link on your iPhone. If you started on a computer, scan the QR code the page shows.
3. Tap Add to Apple Wallet, check the preview and tap Add.
4. Open the Wallet app to find the card.

Apple notes that merchants distribute loyalty and membership passes through their app, App Clips, SMS, email, NFC tags and QR codes (Apple: Loyalty and membership passes). If the business has not offered a button anywhere, ask them, or use the iOS 27 option below.

For members: create a pass from a physical card (iOS 27)

Apple's support page describes a way to create a pass yourself when no digital version exists (Apple Support: Create a pass using Siri Mode in Apple Wallet). Apple lists these requirements:

• An iPhone 15 Pro or later that supports Apple Intelligence.
• The latest version of iOS.
• Visual intelligence turned on.

There are three methods:

• From a photo or screenshot. Open the photo in Photos, tap the Info button, and if Wallet detects a barcode or QR code, tap Add Pass to Wallet.
• From the Camera. Photograph the physical card and tap Add Pass to Wallet.
• Manually. In Wallet, tap the Add Card button, then Create a Pass, then Create Pass Manually. Choose a standard, membership or event template, customise it and tap the checkmark.

This is useful for cards with a plain barcode, but know its limits:

• It copies the code and a few details. It is not a pass from the organisation, so the organisation cannot update it, message it or change its balance.
• Apple warns that rotating codes, such as some tickets whose barcode changes, may expire and stop working.
• Apple Intelligence features are limited by device, language and region, so not everyone will see the option.
• Whether the scanner at the door or desk accepts the barcode is up to the organisation.

Use it as a stopgap. We cover the retailer's side of this change in scanning a loyalty card into Apple Wallet.

For organisations: why issue your own membership pass

A pass you issue yourself is signed by you or your platform, carries your branding and, unlike a photo copy, can change after it is installed. For a membership that matters, because memberships change: a renewal date, a tier, a status of active or lapsed.

A branded membership pass can:

• show the member's name, number, tier and expiry on the front;
• carry a barcode or QR code for door, desk or till scanning;
• update when the membership changes, without the member re-adding it;
• send a message to the lock screen, such as a renewal reminder.

See the membership cards use case, and for venues with a front desk, the gyms industry page.

For organisations: issue a membership card in six steps

The steps below use a platform. Apple's pass format and signing rules are the same whichever route you choose; the platform simply does the signing and delivery.

1. Create the card. In Shakewell Wallet, open Cards and choose Create card, then set the type of card to a membership card and name it.
2. Add branding. Upload your logo and choose colours. A logo is required to publish.
3. Choose the member details. Pick what members fill in when they join, such as name and email. These also appear on the card.
4. Publish and share. Publish the card, then open the share page to copy the signup link, download the QR code or print a counter poster. See how customers get their pass.
5. Test on your own iPhone. Join through your own link and add the pass.
6. Scan it. Check that your staff's scanner reads the barcode on the pass.

Passes are signed with Shakewell's own Apple certificate, so you do not need an Apple Developer account (Apple Wallet setup). Members on Android are offered Google Wallet from the same link.

If your members use NFC readers at gates or desks, that needs more set-up. Apple approves NFC for each Pass Type ID, so it needs your own Apple Developer account, and the approval can take several weeks. Start early if you need it.

Handling lapsed and cancelled memberships

Apple does not let an organisation remove a pass from a member's phone. Instead you change the pass. With Shakewell Wallet's API you can set a pass to active, inactive or expired, and Apple Wallet then shows it as void. Your door or desk system should also check that the barcode is still valid, because a member can still show an old pass on screen.

Frequently asked questions

Can I add a membership card to Apple Wallet without a button from the organisation? On an iPhone 15 Pro or later running iOS 27 with Apple Intelligence and visual intelligence on, you can create a pass from a photo of the card. Otherwise the organisation needs to issue the pass.

Will the card update when my membership renews? A card the organisation issued can update. A pass you created yourself from a photo cannot be updated by the organisation.

Do members need an app? No. Wallet is part of iPhone. Members only need the link or QR code.

Does the same membership card work on Android? Android uses Google Wallet. An organisation can issue a Google Wallet pass from the same design. See how to add a loyalty card to Google Wallet.

Can I test a membership pass before launch? Yes. Add it to your own phone and, if it will not add, check the file in the pkpass validator.