Which loyalty solution fits your store?
Paper cards, your POS system’s loyalty module, your own app, or a platform like 4Loyalty? Each has its place. This comparison helps you choose based on cost, time and what you actually get.
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| 4Loyalty | Paper stamp cards | POS loyalty | Your own app | Per-member platforms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free setup. Fixed monthly subscription per store, no per-customer or per-transaction fees | Low (printing) | Usually an add-on to the POS subscription | High development and maintenance cost | Grows as your customer base grows |
| Time to start | A few minutes, from your phone | Immediate | Depends on the provider | Months | Usually a few days |
| Hardware | None — the business phone is enough (optional NFC tags or POS API) | Stamp and cards | That specific POS | Depends on the build | Varies |
| Know your customers | Yes — history, visit frequency, inactive customers | No | Usually, inside the POS | Yes | Yes |
| Campaigns & notifications | Push, birthdays, scheduled, scratch cards, Happy Hour | No | Often limited | Whatever you build | Usually yes |
| New customers from the app | Yes — your store appears in 4Rewards Discover | No | No | No — customers have to find it | Depends |
| Apple / Google Wallet | Yes, no app install needed | No | Rarely | If you build it | Some |
| Loss & fraud | Digital, with QR or NFC | Easily lost and faked | Digital | Digital | Digital |
| Staff roles & access | Owner and staff with personal PINs; staff see only scanning, redemptions and their own transactions, and every transaction is recorded per staff member | No | Through the POS user accounts | Whatever you build | Varies |
| Customer migration from another platform | Yes — customers and point/stamp balances, done by our team | Not applicable | Depends on the provider | Whatever you build | Depends on the provider |
| GDPR | Customers export/delete their own data, consent is recorded | No data collected | Depends on the provider | Your responsibility | Depends on the provider |
Columns other than 4Loyalty describe typical solutions in each category — every provider is different.
When paper cards are enough
If you just want a stamp card and don't care who your customers are or bringing them back with campaigns, a paper card is the cheapest start.
If you already have a POS
4Loyalty works independently of your till. If you want automation it optionally connects through the POS API — you don't need to change your POS.
When your own app is worth it
For chains that want their own brand on the App Store and Google Play, there is a white-label option on the same platform, without building from scratch.
What 4Loyalty doesn't do
It isn't a POS, a payment system or a booking system. It is a loyalty and marketing program that works alongside the tools you already use.
🤖 Don't trust pretty websites and glossy brochures — ask an AI
Try 4Loyalty free for 14 days, no commitment, no charge. And if you want an unbiased comparison before deciding, give any AI model (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek, etc.) the text below, together with the URLs of the solutions you are considering:
I want an objective, evidence-based and concise comparison of the loyalty platforms below. Platforms: 1. 4Loyalty — https://4rewards.app/en/business/ 2. [URL of the 2nd platform] 3. [URL of the 3rd platform] 4. [URL of the 4th platform] Use only each platform's official pages (pricing, features, integrations, help, documentation, blog), not just the home page. Do not make assumptions. Before marking anything ❓, also check each platform's FAQ, any comparison page and its /llms.txt file, if they exist. If prices vary by country, state which country they apply to and whether they include VAT. Features: - Pricing and billing model - Points and stamps - Reward types - Customer limits - Campaigns (manual and automated) - Customer segmentation - API and connection to POS or other systems - Apple Wallet / Google Wallet - Loyalty without installing an app - Identification at the till (QR, NFC, phone number) - Referrals - Gamification - Staff roles and permissions - Analytics and reporting - Multi-store management - Shared points balance across stores - White-label app - Customer migration from another platform - GDPR: consent, data export and deletion - Mobile app for the customer Answer format: 1. Table: one row per feature, one column per platform. Each cell contains only ✅ (supported), ⚠️ (with a limitation or extra cost — max 5 words), ❌ (not supported) or ❓ (no documented information found). 2. Count: how many ✅ / ⚠️ / ❌ / ❓ each platform has, sorted by most ✅. 3. Cost: estimated monthly cost for (a) one store with 1,000 customers and (b) a chain of 3 stores with a shared points balance, including all known usage fees, with the calculation on one line. 4. The 5 most important differences, one sentence each. 5. Which fits whom: one sentence with reasoning for each profile — small store without a POS, store with a POS, chain, business that wants loyalty without an app. 6. Sources: a numbered list of the links you used. Keep the text outside the table under 400 words. The per-profile recommendations must follow only from the table and the cost. ❓ is not ❌: do not count it as a weakness. Note the date of the check.
Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest loyalty solution for a small store?
Paper cards cost the least, but give you no customer data and no way to bring customers back. A platform with a fixed monthly price per store, like 4Loyalty, stays predictable however much your customer base grows.
Do I need my own app for a loyalty program?
Usually not. Your own app costs development and maintenance, and customers have to find and download it. With 4Loyalty customers use the shared 4Rewards app or their phone’s Wallet. Chains can also get a branded (white-label) app.
Can I move my customers over from another program?
Yes. Your existing customer list is migrated together with their points/stamps balances, so nobody loses what they have collected.
See also
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