Digital loyalty card, credit or Café Pass?
Three ways to reward regulars, with different effects on prices and cash flow. Compare how each works before choosing.
Three models at a glance
Loyalty card
A stamp with each coffee and a reward after a set number of purchases. A digital card may run in an app or a web page. Guests pay on every visit. With “buy nine, get one free”, the reward is equivalent to a 10% discount across ten drinks.
Prepaid credit with an optional bonus
The guest buys credit for your café, for example €25, and spends it across visits. You set any bonus, or sell at face value. Payment comes before the visits.
Café Pass
A defined product for a fixed period, paid once: for example an Americano a day for 30 days. The guest has a reason to return and you know the price in advance.
Compare the models
| Question | Loyalty card | Credit with a bonus | Café Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| When does the guest pay? | On every visit | In advance | In advance for the term |
| Cost of the reward | The free drink: a discount | The bonus, if offered | Servings redeemed against the prepaid price |
| Cash flow | Payment on each visit | Money arrives earlier | Money arrives earlier |
| Reason to return | The next reward | The remaining balance | The pass term |
| Counter task | Stamp or scan | Scan and enter the amount | Scan and confirm |
Purchase, redemption and renewal
A loyalty card rewards guests after repeat purchases. A pass is bought before visits and gives a defined entitlement for a fixed period. JustBack offers passes and credit, not a stamp card.
| Step | Loyalty card in general | JustBack Café Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | The guest pays for each drink as usual. | The guest pays once at your counter using a payment method your café accepts. Your team scans their code to activate the pass. |
| Redemption | A stamp with each purchase; a reward after the required number. | Staff scan the guest’s code and see whether the pass can be redeemed now. You define the product and the minimum interval between redemptions. |
| Renewal | A new card after the reward. | The pass ends after its term and does not renew automatically. To continue, the guest pays again at your café and staff activate another term. |
| Cost to the café | The free drink, a discount on purchases. | The included drinks redeemed, compared with the prepaid price. |
Three situations in a café
Regulars order the same thing every morning
A pass fits their routine and you are paid in advance. Your most frequent guests also redeem the most: price it using realistic usage and purchases it may replace.
Guests visit occasionally and order different things
A loyalty card or credit may fit better than a pass for one product. A free loyalty drink can discount visits that would have happened anyway.
You want cash before a quiet season
A pass or prepaid credit brings payment forward. You still owe the later drinks, so keep track of outstanding obligations.
Digital loyalty without installing an app
Many guests do not want a separate app for one café. Look for an option that works in a browser. JustBack’s credit and passes work this way: each guest gets a personal code. JustBack does not offer a stamp card.
Which model fits?
- Loyalty card: when counting visits and giving a discount fits your offer.
- Prepaid credit: when you want earlier payment and a reason to return, including gifts for friends.
- Café Pass: when regulars have a usual drink and you can price it for a fixed term.
You can combine models. In JustBack, credit, gifts and a pass sit in one account and use the same redemption code.