New: Free plan, $0, no time limit. No credit card needed.
The best Square Loyalty alternative for a business that does not run on Square, or does not want to pay from day one, is FaveCard: it is free and works with any point-of-sale, or none at all. Square Loyalty is a strong choice if you already use Square POS, but it is paid and only works inside the Square ecosystem.
Last verified: July 2026
| FaveCard | Square Loyalty | |
|---|---|---|
| Free-forever plan | $0, no time limit | 30-day trial, then paid |
| Entry price | Free (paid plans available) | From ~$45/mo per location, or Square Plus $49/mo |
| Works without Square (any POS, or none) | Any register, or no POS at all | Requires Square POS |
| How customers use it | A card on their phone (Apple & Google Wallet on Pro) | Points tied to a phone number or card at checkout |
| Card in Apple & Google Wallet | paid plan | Points at checkout, not a wallet card |
| Loyalty type | Stamps & flexible rewards | Points (spend-based) |
| In-person self-serve / kiosk stamping | paid plan | At the Square register |
| One-tap Google review requests | paid plan | Not built in (Square Marketing is separate) |
| Set up without hardware | About 5 minutes | Runs on Square POS hardware/app |
| On the market since | 2025 | 2016 |
Square Loyalty is a points-based programme built into the Square ecosystem. Its real strength is integration: if you already run Square as your point-of-sale, loyalty points are earned automatically at checkout, tied to the customer's phone number or card, with nothing extra for staff to do. For a Square business, that seamlessness is genuinely hard to beat.
FaveCard is the better fit if you do not use Square, or you want to start for free. It is point-of-sale-agnostic (it works alongside any register, or none), sets up in minutes, and gives your customers a loyalty card they keep on their phone, with Apple and Google Wallet passes on a paid plan.
This is the biggest difference. Square Loyalty only works if Square is your POS, and it is paid: a standalone add-on from around $45/month per location, or bundled into Square Plus at $49/month per location, with a 30-day trial and no free tier (Square's pricing). FaveCard runs for free on any setup, or none, so you are not tied to one payment vendor. See the pricing page for current plans.
With Square, loyalty lives as points attached to a phone number or card at checkout. With FaveCard, each customer gets an actual loyalty card they keep on their phone, and on a paid plan it becomes a native Apple or Google Wallet pass, front and centre in their wallet, with no app to download.
On a paid plan, FaveCard adds one-tap Google review requests, automated birthday offers, and promotion campaigns pushed to the wallet card. Square's marketing (email and text campaigns) is a separate Square Marketing subscription on top of the loyalty cost.
FaveCard needs no terminal and no POS integration: create your card, share a QR code or link, and start stamping in about five minutes. Square Loyalty assumes you are already set up on Square POS.
An honest read, because for a Square business it is a strong option:
If you do not use Square, or you would rather start free and keep your loyalty independent of your till, FaveCard is the stronger choice.
How we verified this: Square Loyalty's pricing and model were checked on Square's loyalty page and pricing page in July 2026. Square prices vary by region and monthly loyalty visits, so check the source before relying on them.
No. Square Loyalty has a 30-day free trial, then it is paid: a standalone add-on from around $45/month per location (rising with your monthly loyalty visits), or bundled into Square Plus at $49/month per location (verified July 2026). There is no free tier. FaveCard offers a free-forever plan at $0.
No. FaveCard works with any point-of-sale, or none at all, and sets up in about five minutes with no hardware. Square Loyalty only works if Square is your point-of-sale system.
No. Square Loyalty tracks points against a customer's phone number or card at checkout, rather than a wallet pass. FaveCard gives customers a card on their phone, and adds a native Apple and Google Wallet pass on a paid plan.
Yes, especially if you do not use Square, or want to start free. Square Loyalty is the better fit if you are already on Square POS and want points earned automatically at checkout.
Deep Square POS integration (points earned automatically at the register), spend-based points and tiers, and the scale of the Square ecosystem, in business since 2016.
A beautiful loyalty card in Apple & Google Wallet. No app for your customers, no cost to start.
