Loyalty and gift cards

A regular who comes back twice a month is worth more than any single big check. Loyalty, gift cards and feedback are the three tools a POS gives you for regulars. This guide covers how to set each up, the rules that apply to gift cards, and how to tell whether they're working.

Choosing a loyalty model

A café gives one point per visit and a free drink at ten points. If a drink costs $1.20 to make and sells for $5, the reward costs about 12 cents of ingredient cost per visit spread across the ten visits, or $0.50 per visit in menu price given away.

What the POS should do for loyalty

• Sign-in by phone number at the counter, on the card reader, at kiosks and online.
• Earning and redeeming everywhere, including online orders. Marketplace app orders usually can't earn your points, which is a reason for guests to order direct.
• Rewards shown as discounts in reports, so you know what the program costs.
• Opt-in for marketing messages, kept separate from loyalty sign-up.

Gift cards: physical and digital

• Physical cards sold at the counter, often around holidays.
• Digital gift cards sold on your website and sent by email or text.
• One balance that works at the counter, at the table and online.
• Balance lookups for staff and guests.
• Reports of cards sold, redeemed and outstanding, which is money you still owe in food.

What vendors charge

Checked October 1, 2026:

• SpotOn: loyalty is an add-on at $65 a month; e-gift cards carry a 2.5% load fee, and physical cards are sold in packs (75 for $85.50).
• Shift4 Dine: lists marketing and loyalty as free with its POS.
• Square: plan features differ by tier; check its restaurant pricing page for which plan includes loyalty.
• KwickPOS: its website describes a loyalty program with "Multi-Tier Membership" and "Digital & Physical Cards"; prices are by quote.

Gift-card rules

Federal rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Regulation E limit expiry dates and fees on gift cards:

• Expiry: a gift card's funds can't expire sooner than "five years after the date the gift certificate was initially issued, or the date on which funds were last loaded".
• Inactivity fees: a dormancy or inactivity fee can only be charged if there has been "no activity with respect to the certificate or card, in the one-year period ending on the date on which the fee is imposed", no more than one such fee a month, and only if it's disclosed on the card.

State laws may be stricter than the federal rules, including on unclaimed balances. Check your state's rules; the simplest path is often no expiry and no fees.

Guest feedback and reviews

Feedback tells you why regulars stop coming. A POS can help in a few ways:

• A short survey link on receipts or in the email or text receipt.
• Feedback tied to the order, so you can see what the guest ate and who served them.
• Alerts to a manager for low scores, so someone can follow up the same day.

Reply to public reviews politely and specifically, and never offer rewards in exchange for positive reviews.

Is it working?

• Return rate: how many members come back within 30 or 60 days.
• Visit frequency: visits per member per month, before and after joining.
• Cost: rewards redeemed as a share of member sales.
• Gift-card breakage: the balance never redeemed. Ask your accountant how to treat it in your books.

What to ask in a demo

1. Is loyalty included in the plan, or an add-on, and at what price?
2. Do online orders earn and redeem points?
3. Do physical and digital gift cards share one balance?
4. Can I export gift-card balances if I leave?

Gift-card balances are the data you most need to take with you if you switch systems; see switching POS systems.