# How to add a loyalty card to Apple Wallet on your iPhone

> Add a loyalty card to Apple Wallet: the store's own button first, Wallet's Create a Pass on iOS 27, scanning the plastic card, and why barcodes may not scan.

Published 2026-11-03 · https://kardin.app/guides/add-loyalty-card-to-apple-wallet

**First, look for an "Add to Apple Wallet" button in the store's app, website or welcome email. On iOS 27 you can also use Wallet → Add Card → Create a Pass. If neither works, scan the plastic card with a pass-maker app. Then try the pass at the till before you throw the card away, because a converted barcode may not scan everywhere.**

If your wallet is full of plastic store cards, you can add a loyalty card to Apple Wallet. It will sit next to your boarding passes and you can show it at the till from your iPhone. This guide starts with the most reliable route, the store's own "Add to Apple Wallet" button. Then it covers Wallet's own Create a Pass feature in iOS 27 and scanning the plastic card with an app. It also explains the barcode on your card, because that decides whether the pass beeps at the checkout.

## Check first: does the store offer its own Wallet pass?

The best loyalty pass is one the store issues itself. It carries the exact barcode the store's tills expect, and some stores update it with your balance or status. Apple's advice is to look for "Add to Apple Wallet" in an app, email, message or web page.

**From the store's app:**

1. Open the store's app and sign in to your loyalty account.
2. Go to the screen that shows your loyalty or membership card. The Wallet button is often near the card's barcode or in the account settings.
3. Tap **Add to Apple Wallet**. Wallet shows a preview of the pass.
4. Tap **Add** if asked. The card now appears in Wallet.

**From an email or the store's website:**

1. Find the welcome email for your loyalty scheme, or sign in on the store's website in Safari.
2. Tap the **Add to Apple Wallet** button or the attached pass file (a `.pkpass` file).
3. Check the preview, then tap **Add**.

If you're curious what that file actually is, see [what a pkpass file is and how Wallet passes work](/blog/what-is-a-pkpass-file).

If you can't find a button anywhere, Apple suggests contacting the company that issued the card to ask whether it supports Wallet passes. Some schemes don't offer one, and some keep the card inside their app on purpose. If the card in the app has a code that changes every few seconds, keep using the app. A copy of a changing code won't work.

## Add a loyalty card to Apple Wallet with Create a Pass (iOS 27)

iOS 27 lets Wallet make passes itself. Apple says this is useful for "membership and loyalty cards that have a barcode or QR code but no digital pass, like a library card or gym membership." There are two ways to do it.

**Typing it in:**

1. Open **Wallet** and tap **Add Card**.
2. Tap **Create a Pass**, then **Create Pass Manually**.
3. Choose a template. Apple offers standard, membership and event passes. For a loyalty card, membership is usually the right fit.
4. Fill in the details the template asks for and add the pass.

**From a photo or screenshot:**

1. Take a photo of the card's barcode, or take a screenshot of it. You can also photograph the physical card with the Camera app.
2. In Photos, open the photo and tap the **Info** button or swipe up.
3. If Wallet detects the code, an **Add Pass to Wallet** button appears. Tap it. After a screenshot, the same button appears straight away.

Apple lists these requirements for the photo method: an iPhone 15 Pro or later that supports Apple Intelligence, the latest iOS, and Visual intelligence turned on. Apple Intelligence isn't available in every language or region and may have usage limits. Apple's two help pages present the requirements for typing a pass in differently. If you have an older iPhone, just check whether **Create a Pass** appears in Wallet.

You can change a pass you created this way: tap it in Wallet, tap the **More** button, then **Edit Pass**. From there you can change colours, add or remove fields, or fix details.

Apple doesn't say which barcode formats the photo method can detect. Whichever way you make the pass, test it at the till before you rely on it.

## Understanding your card's barcode: EAN-13, UPC and Code 128

Most plastic loyalty cards don't use a QR code. They use a 1D barcode, a row of thin and thick vertical bars with a number printed underneath. The common types are:

- **EAN-13:** 13 digits. It's the same family of barcode as the one on products in the shop, and it's very common on European loyalty cards.
- **UPC-A:** 12 digits, common in North America.
- **Code 39 and Codabar:** often found on library and older membership cards.
- **Code 128:** a flexible format that many scanners read, used on all kinds of cards.

Not every format can be shown in Wallet:

| iOS version | Barcode formats a Wallet pass can show |
|---|---|
| Up to iOS 26 | QR, PDF417, Aztec, Code 128 |
| iOS 27 and later | The four above, plus Code 39, Codabar, EAN-13 and ITF |

UPC-A isn't in Apple's list for any version.

When a card's format can't be shown in Wallet, or an app doesn't use it, the app can **re-encode** the code. That means it keeps the same number but draws it in a different format, usually Code 128. The digits match, but the bars don't look the same. A till scanner reads the bars and works out the number from them. Many scanners accept Code 128 without trouble. Some shops, though, set their scanners to accept only certain formats, or their system expects the card's original format. In those shops, a re-encoded pass may not scan at all, even though the number is correct.

Some older scanners also struggle to read barcodes on phone screens. Turning the screen brightness up can help, but not always. Nobody can promise that a converted card will scan at every till, so test it.

## Scanning the plastic card with Kardin

If the store has no Wallet pass, a pass-maker app can turn your plastic card into one. Kardin is one example. It's an iPhone app (iOS 16.4 or later), so it also works on iPhones that can't use Wallet's photo method. It reads the card for you and makes a store card pass, the Wallet style meant for loyalty, gym, library and membership cards.

1. Open Kardin and choose **Scan**.
2. Point the camera at the card's barcode. Kardin locks on to the barcode and takes a photo at the same moment. It uses the photo for the pass's colours and to read the printed text.
3. On the review screen, check the kind of pass. Kardin picks it from the text, and you can change it to a card if it chose something else.
4. Check the fields: the card's name, your name and your member number. Compare the barcode value with the number printed on the card, digit by digit. Every field can be edited. Reading text is best-effort, and small or worn print can be missed or misread.
5. Watch the live preview, then add the pass. Apple's own **Add to Apple Wallet** screen opens, and you confirm in Wallet.

How Kardin handles the barcode:

- **QR, PDF417, Aztec and Code 128** stay in their original format.
- **EAN-13, UPC, Code 39 and other 1D codes** are currently re-encoded as Code 128 with the same number. Kardin doesn't yet use the extra formats that iOS 27's Wallet supports. As explained above, test the pass at the till.
- **No barcode on the card?** Kardin doesn't invent one. A printed member or card number goes on the pass as text, so you can show or read it out. If the shop can scan the number as a barcode, you can type it in as the code yourself. A card that's normally swiped or tapped may not accept a barcode at all, so ask at the counter.

You can also start from a photo or screenshot of the card, or share an image from Photos or Files to Kardin. If your membership card came as a PDF, Kardin reads the first page. See [how to add a PDF to Apple Wallet](/guides/add-pdf-to-apple-wallet) for that route.

Some things to know before you rely on it:

- **No live updates.** The pass is static. It won't show points, offers or changes to your account. If you make a mistake, use "Edit as new pass" in Kardin to make a corrected copy, because a signed pass can't be edited once it's in Wallet.
- **No brand logos.** The pass uses your card's own colours and Kardin's logo. The back of the pass shows "Created with Kardin".
- **Internet needed to create it.** Making the pass needs a connection, but once it's in Wallet it works offline.
- **Privacy.** The photo is read on your iPhone and never uploaded. Apple requires every Wallet pass to be signed, so only the pass's content is sent to Kardin's server to be signed: the field labels and values, the barcode value and format, and the colours. The server sends the pass straight back and doesn't store it. More detail is on the [security page](/security).

## Test it before you need it

Do a trial run on your next small shop, when there's no queue behind you.

1. Open the pass in Wallet before you reach the till and turn the brightness up.
2. Hold the screen flat and steady under the scanner.
3. If it doesn't scan, show the plastic card or the store's app instead, or ask the cashier to type in your member number.

Keep the plastic card until the pass has worked at least once in the shop you use most. A pass that scans in one branch may still fail in another with different scanners.

## Comparing the ways

| Method | What you need | Barcode | Updates and edits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store's app, website or email | The store must offer a Wallet pass | The store's own | Can update if the store sends updates | The most reliable option when it exists |
| Wallet: Create Pass Manually (iOS 27) | iOS 27 | You enter it | Editable in Wallet | Standard, membership and event templates |
| Wallet: from a photo or screenshot (iOS 27) | iPhone 15 Pro or later with Apple Intelligence, Visual intelligence on | Detected from the image; formats not listed by Apple | Editable in Wallet | Not available in all languages or regions |
| Kardin | iPhone with iOS 16.4 or later; internet to create | QR, PDF417, Aztec, Code 128 kept; other 1D codes become Code 128 | Static; corrections are made as a new pass | Reads the card's details and colours for you |

## Mistakes to avoid

- **Putting payment details in a pass.** Some store cards are also credit or payment cards. Never put a bank or payment card number, PIN, password or bank security code card into a pass made by any third-party app. Wallet passes can be viewed without Face ID and sync through iCloud.
- **Throwing the card away too soon.** Wait until the pass has worked at the till, ideally more than once.
- **Not checking the number.** One wrong digit and the store won't find your account. Compare the pass with the printed card.
- **Screenshotting a changing code.** If the store's app shows a code that refreshes, a screenshot or photo of it won't work. Keep using the app.
- **Expecting your balance to appear.** Only a store's own pass can show points or offers. A pass you make yourself is just your card and barcode.
- **Using someone else's card.** Some schemes are tied to one person or household. Check the scheme's rules before sharing a card.

## The short version

- Look for **Add to Apple Wallet** in the store's app, website or welcome email first. It's the most reliable pass.
- On iOS 27, try **Wallet → Add Card → Create a Pass**, typed in or (on iPhone 15 Pro or later with Apple Intelligence) from a photo.
- With no official pass, scan the plastic card with an app such as Kardin and check every digit on the review screen.
- EAN-13 and UPC cards may be re-encoded as Code 128. The number is the same, but some tills won't accept it, so test before you rely on it.
- Never put payment cards, PINs or passwords into a pass you make yourself.

## FAQ

### Will my loyalty card in Apple Wallet work without signal?

Yes. A pass is saved on your iPhone, so Wallet can show it with no signal, which helps in shops with poor reception. What you can't do offline is make a new pass with an app that has to sign it online, or get balance updates from a store's own pass.

### Does a loyalty card in Apple Wallet show my points balance?

Only if the store's own pass includes it. A pass you make yourself shows the card's details and barcode, but no live balance or offers. For points and personalised vouchers you'll usually still need the store's app or website.

### Will my loyalty card pass show up on my Apple Watch?

Apple says that when you add a ticket or pass to Wallet on your iPhone, it's added automatically to Wallet on your paired Apple Watch. That means you can show the barcode from your wrist at the till. As with the phone, try it once to check the store's scanner reads it.

### Is it safe to keep a loyalty card in Apple Wallet?

A plain loyalty number is low-risk. Keep in mind that Wallet passes can be viewed without Face ID and sync through iCloud. So never put bank card numbers, PINs, passwords or the number of a store credit or payment card into a pass you make yourself.

### Can I add a library or gym card the same way?

Yes. Library, gym and membership cards work like loyalty cards: check for the issuer's own Wallet pass first, then use Create a Pass on iOS 27 or scan the card with an app. Library cards often use Code 39 or Codabar barcodes, so test the pass at the desk or turnstile.