PIING
Reading Wallet passes and cardsPhysical NFC cards
Wallet passes and cards
- Apple Wallet passes
- Google Wallet passes
- Physical NFC cards
- Issue and manage passes
- Where to place Piing blocks in Shopify
- Wallet messages and optional web push
- Send a test push
- Claim links and QR codes
In this guide
- What Piing manages
- Cards come in batches
- Linking a card to a customer
- Cards and wallet passes side by side
- Tapping a card in store
- A quick note on testing
- Next steps
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Wallet passes and cards 3 / 8
Physical NFC cards
How physical NFC card tokens are generated, programmed, linked, tested, activated, and managed in Piing.
A physical NFC card carries a Piing tap token. Once programmed and linked to a Shopify customer, it can check that customer in on a Piing reader without Apple Wallet or an Apple VAS entitlement. Cards are useful for customers who prefer something physical and for tightly controlled member or VIP programmes.
What Piing manages
Under Hardware, then Physical cards, Piing can:
- Generate a batch of one to 500 unique card tokens.
- Export the batch as CSV for an NFC writer or production partner.
- Link an existing card UID or tap token to a Shopify customer.
- Import customer links from CSV.
- Send a test tap, activate or deactivate a card, unlink it, or remove its record.
Piing does not automatically manufacture a batch created in the app. The CSV contains the identifiers needed to programme cards through an NFC writer or bulk encoder. Branded PVC or metal production can be quoted separately through Piing Studio.
Cards come in batches
The batch view tracks generated identifiers and recent linked cards. Use a clear batch label for an event, store opening, or production run, then keep the exported CSV with the artwork and encoder job for that run.
Linking a card to a customer
A programmed card does not identify a customer until its UID or tap token is linked. Search Shopify customers by name or email, choose the record, and link the card. You can also arrive from an unclaimed first tap with the identifier prefilled, then choose the customer at the counter.
Once linked, the card behaves like any other pass: a tap resolves to that customer's profile and records a check-in.
Once linked, use Send test tap to verify that the identifier resolves to the expected customer before handing it out. A printed QR is optional and must encode a Piing-supported check-in value; adding an unrelated QR to the artwork does not make it a Piing pass.
Cards and wallet passes side by side
Cards and wallet passes are not either-or. A customer can have a wallet pass on their phone and a physical card, both pointing at the same profile. Many brands lead with wallet passes for convenience and offer cards for customers who want one or for VIP tiers. For the phone versions, see Apple Wallet passes and Google Wallet passes.
Tapping a card in store
A card works with both of Piing's in-store surfaces:
- On a Tap Box (reader). The customer taps the card on the reader and the check-in is recorded straight away. If a reader is mounted next to a kiosk, the kiosk screen also greets the member by name, the same welcome a wallet-pass scan shows. A reader on its own, with no kiosk, still works, it simply records the check-in and gives its own light and sound feedback. You can turn the screen greeting off per brand if you want a reader beside a kiosk to stay on its attract loop.
- At the kiosk camera. Where a card carries a printed QR, the customer can hold it up to the kiosk camera instead of tapping.
Both routes reach the same customer and check-in model. Any points award or visit action depends on the loyalty reward relay or event destination the merchant has explicitly enabled; the card does not create a second loyalty ledger.
A quick note on testing
When a batch arrives, link one card to a test customer and tap it on a reader to confirm the check-in lands. This is the fastest way to be sure a batch is ready before you hand cards out.
Next steps
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Issue and manage passes
How to choose the programme model, publish Apple and Google passes, distribute them through the right customer moments, and manage linked pass holders.
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