Running a loyalty club: every setting a business owner should know
Gal Sasson · Updated 20.10.2026 · 7 min read
The short answer
Running a loyalty club starts with one decision: a punch card with a reward, or a package paid in advance that counts down. After that come a few settings you make once: the card design, a join bonus, a birthday treat and, if you need them, a second program and branches. From then on, day to day management takes a few minutes a week.
The first decision: which kind of card
Shortip has two kinds of program. They look alike in the customer's wallet, but they work in opposite directions.
| Punch card with a reward | Prepaid package | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Every visit counts, and there is a reward at the end | The customer pays in advance for a number of units, and each visit takes one off |
| What the customer sees | "2 more visits to your reward" | "4 classes left in your package" |
| Good for | Coffee, pastries, falafel, ice cream | Classes, treatments, car washes |
| What you decide | How many visits, and what the reward is | How many units in the package |
A rule of thumb: if the customer pays at every visit, use a punch card. If they buy a series in advance, use a package. A Pilates studio that sells a ten class pass will choose a package. A cafe will choose a punch card.
A package opens only after payment
A prepaid package has one rule that never changes: a package opens only when you confirm that the customer paid. Joining the club does not open a package, and neither does a visit. This way no package opens by mistake, and nobody gets a class that was not paid for.
The payment itself does not go through Shortip. The customer pays you the way they pay today, in cash, by card or by bank transfer, and you mark the package as paid.
Packages that are about to run out
In the portal you see who is about to finish a package, and you remind them. For example only: at a fictional studio called "Galil Studio", on Tuesday they see that three customers have one class left. The instructor tells them at the end of class: "You have one class left. Want to renew now?" No messages, and no pressure.
Two programs on one card
By default there is one program. If you need it, you can add a second: two punch cards, for example coffee and pastries, on one card. The customer swipes between them, and each one counts separately.
When is it worth it? When you have two products that people buy at a different pace. A cafe that also sells whole cakes can keep a coffee card with a close goal, and a cake card with a farther goal. If there is no clear reason, one program is simpler for the customer and for your staff.
Branches and branch managers
A business with several branches can set up the branches in the club and appoint a manager for each one. Each manager has their own link, so you never need to hand over your own link.
For example only: a fictional bakery chain has a branch on the Carmel and a branch in the Lower City. Each has a manager, and each manager logs in from her own link.
Card design
The card in the wallet carries your business's colors, logo and stamp. The stamp is what lands on the card after a staff member records a visit, so it should be easy to recognize as yours: a cup, scissors, an ice cream scoop.
- Color: one that people connect with your business, with enough contrast so the text can be read in the sun.
- Logo: the simple version, with no slogan underneath.
- Stamp: one clear shape. Small details disappear at the size of a card on a phone.
You build the design together at the setup meeting, and you can change it later from the portal.
Join bonus and birthday treat
Two small settings that make a big difference. The first: you can give a few visits as a gift right when a customer joins. A card that starts at two visits out of ten invites people to continue more than an empty card does.
The second: in the customer's birthday month, the card reminds them of the treat you chose. For example only: "Happy birthday! Dessert is on us this month." In the portal you see whose birthday it is, and your staff can wish them well at the counter.
A service notice: "Closed today"
Sometimes you need to tell every club member something: a power failure, closing early, holiday hours. In the portal you write a service notice, and it reaches the card in the wallet, once a day.
A counter sign and an image for social media
A club that nobody knows about stays empty. So from the portal you download a counter sign to print, and an image ready to post on Instagram, on Facebook or as a WhatsApp status. The sign has a code that the customer scans to join.
The order of the settings, step by step
- Choose a kind: a punch card with a reward, or a prepaid package.
- Set a goal and a reward, or the number of units in the package.
- Design the card: color, logo and stamp.
- Set a join bonus and a birthday treat.
- Add a second program or branches, only if you need them.
- Print the counter sign, and post the image.
- Connect your staff's phones to the scanner.
You do all of this together with Gal at the setup meeting at your business. After that, day to day management is a look at the portal once a week: who is waiting for a reward, who is finishing a package, and who has not come back.
Day to day: what you do in a normal week
After setup, most of the work happens at the counter, with your staff. You open the portal to see what happened and to handle what is waiting for you. A few things worth knowing:
- What happened today, by staff member: how many visits were recorded, and who recorded them.
- "Worth a look": many visits for one customer in one day, or cancellations by one staff member, are flagged for you.
- A visit recorded by mistake is cancelled with a reason, and you see who cancelled it.
- A customer with a paper punch card? You move their visits over, with your approval.
- A shift manager can add a staff member or replace their phone when you are not there.
- You can send a message to your staff's phones, and you see who read it.
- You can stamp from your own phone too, with one tap from the home screen.
For example only: on Sunday morning you see under "Worth a look" that one customer got four visits within one hour on Friday. You ask the staff member, and it turns out the customer bought for the whole office. Sometimes that is fine, and sometimes it is a mistake that you cancel with a reason. What matters is that you know.
How much it costs
The price is set in one price list, and this is today's price:
Frequently asked questions
Can I have both a punch card and a package?
You can have two programs at most. Add a second program only when there is a clear reason for it, because one is simpler for the customer and for your staff.
Who opens a prepaid package for a customer?
A package opens only when you confirm that the customer paid. Joining or a visit does not open a package, and the payment itself does not go through Shortip.
How often can I send a service notice?
Once a day for the whole business. A service notice says something the customer needs to know, like "Closed today", and it has no offer or discount.
Can I change the card design after setup?
Yes. The colors, logo and stamp are in the portal, and you can update them whenever you like.
Want to set up a loyalty club with someone who makes the settings with you? Order on the site, and Gal will arrange the setup with you.