Scanning a Loyalty Card Into Apple Wallet: A Retailer's Guide
By Michael Chora · Published · Last updated
On iPhones running iOS 27, customers can scan a loyalty card with the camera, or open a photo or screenshot of its barcode, and save it to Apple Wallet without any help from you. The result is a copy of your card's barcode in Wallet. It will scan at your till if your scanner accepts that barcode, but it is not your pass: you cannot update it, send it messages, change its design or see that it exists. A branded pass you issue yourself does all of those things, which is why scanning is a useful safety net but not a replacement. This guide explains what customers can now do natively, where it falls short, and what retailers should do about it.
What customers can now do
Apple's support page describes creating a pass from an existing physical pass with a barcode or QR code (Apple Support: Create a pass using Siri Mode in Apple Wallet). There are three routes:
- From Photos. Open a photo or screenshot of the barcode, tap the Info button, and if the code is detected tap Add Pass to Wallet.
- From the Camera. Photograph the physical card and tap Add Pass to Wallet.
- Manually. In Wallet, tap Add Card, then Create a Pass, then Create Pass Manually. Choose a standard, membership or event template, customise it and tap the checkmark.
Press coverage describes the same feature as "Create a Pass" in Wallet's plus menu, using visual intelligence to scan the card (MacRumors: iOS 27 Wallet guide). iOS 27 launched for iPhone on 14 September 2026 (MacDailyNews).
Who can use it
Apple lists these requirements: an iPhone 15 Pro or later that supports Apple Intelligence, the latest version of iOS, and visual intelligence turned on. Apple adds that Apple Intelligence features are limited by device, language and region, and that Siri AI is in beta on iOS 27 and available in English to start.
So this is not every customer. It is customers with a recent, supported iPhone. Everyone else can still add a pass you issue, because that needs only a link or QR code.
Native scan versus a branded pass
| Scanned copy of your card | Branded pass you issue | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | The customer, on their phone | You or your platform |
| Design | A generic template the customer picks | Your logo, colours and fields |
| Issued by your business | No | Yes |
| Update after install | You cannot | You can |
| Send messages to the lock screen | No | Yes, with an update service |
| Show a live balance or stamp count | No | Yes |
| You know it exists | No | Yes, and whether it is installed |
| Works on iPhones without Apple Intelligence | No | Yes |
The rows about updates and messages follow from how Wallet passes work. A pass can be updated or messaged only by its issuer, through a web service registered in the pass (Apple: Adding a web service to update passes). A pass the customer made on their phone has no issuer service behind it. See how pass updates and push notifications work.
Limits to be aware of
- Rotating codes. Apple warns that a code that changes, such as some ticket barcodes, may expire and stop working. A static loyalty barcode is fine; a code that is regenerated will not be.
- Your scanner must read it. The copy is a barcode image. If your scanner reads the original card, it will usually read the copy, but test it.
- Duplicates. If the customer also joins through your pass, they may hold two cards for the same account. Decide which one your till treats as the master.
- Look-alikes. A customer-made pass is built from one of Wallet's templates, not your brand design.
What retailers should do
- Test your plastic card barcode. Scan a photo of your own card into Wallet on a supported iPhone and try it at your till. If it works, staff need to know it is legitimate. If it does not, find out why before customers do.
- Brief staff. Tell them customers may hold a card in Wallet that did not come from you, and show them what it looks like.
- Offer a real pass. Put a signup QR code at the counter and on receipts. A customer who joins gets a branded, updatable card on iPhone and Android alike. See replace plastic cards and how customers get their pass.
- Keep your barcode simple. Wallet reads QR, Aztec, PDF417 and Code 128, and in iOS 27 also EAN-13, Code 39, Codabar and ITF (Apple: What's new in Wallet). Use one your till already reads.
- Keep privacy rules in mind. If scanning is how someone first meets your programme, the usual Australian rules on privacy and spam still apply when you later collect details.
Why a branded pass still wins
A scanned card saves the customer from carrying plastic. A branded pass also helps you. You can show a live stamp count or points balance, change the offer, send a message when something changes and see how many cards are installed. Those are the reasons loyalty works, and none of them is available on a copy. If you already run a loyalty or stamp card, the loyalty card use case shows what one looks like, and the retail industry page covers shops.
Frequently asked questions
Can customers really scan my loyalty card into Apple Wallet? On supported iPhones running iOS 27, yes, if the card has a barcode or QR code. Apple's support page describes the steps.
Will the scanned card update when my offer changes? No. A pass the customer creates has no issuer behind it, so you cannot update it or message it.
Does this work for Australian customers? Apple says availability varies by device, language and region. We could not find a source stating that Australia is excluded or included, so test with real phones.
Does it replace building a loyalty pass? No. It copies a barcode. It does not give you branding, balances, updates or notifications.
What if the customer's phone does not support it? They can still add a pass you issue through a link or QR code.