The Loyalty Club vs Square Loyalty
Built into Square POS. $49/mo (Plus). No NFC stamps. Phone number at checkout. The "good enough" default for Square merchants.
Quick Verdict
TLC is better if...
Any business that wants maximum customer adoption — no app, no signup, just tap and go
- +NFC tap-to-stamp (no phone number needed)
- +NTAG 424 DNA anti-clone
- +More stamp card customization
- +UK-focused support
Square Loyalty is better if...
Square POS merchants wanting zero-effort loyalty built into their existing POS
- +Already built into Square
- +Zero extra setup
- +Partial card-linked
Feature Comparison
| Feature | The Loyalty Club | Square Loyalty |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Engagement | ||
| NFC Tap-to-Stamp | NFC — impossible to clone, unlike standard NFC | No |
| NFC Anti-Fraud | Bank-grade cryptographic verification on every tap | No |
| QR Code Stamps | Yes | No |
| Bluetooth Beacon | No | No |
| Capacitive Touch Device | No | No |
| WiFi Captive Portal | No | No |
| Customer Experience | ||
| App Download Required | No | No |
| Apple Wallet Passes | Native passes with geofencing — auto-appears near the store | No |
| Google Wallet Passes | Coming soon | No |
| Account Creation Required | No | No |
| Personal Info Required | No | No |
| Push Notifications | Via Apple Wallet passes and location triggers | No |
| POS Integration | ||
| Square POS | Fully automatic card-linked stamping | IS the POS — built-in |
| Stripe POS | Planned | No |
| Clover POS | Planned | No |
| Lightspeed POS | Planned | No |
| Toast POS | No | No |
| Dojo | Planned | No |
| SumUp | Planned | No |
| Epos Now | No | No |
| Other POS Systems | Planned | No |
| Card-Linked Auto-Stamp | Pay with the same card and stamps land automatically | Auto when phone linked to payment |
| E-Commerce | ||
| Shopify Integration | Planned | No |
| WooCommerce Integration | Planned | No |
| Security | ||
| Anti-Fraud Measures | NFC anti-fraud + rate limiting + device fingerprinting | No |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes | No |
| Marketing | ||
| Email Campaigns | No | Via Square Marketing |
| SMS Campaigns | No | No |
| Automated Marketing | No | No |
| Referral Program | Planned | No |
| Cross-Merchant Network | No | No |
| Business Features | ||
| Multi-Location Support | Manage all locations from one dashboard | No |
| White Label / Branded | Your brand, your colours, your logo throughout | No |
| Developer API | Planned | No |
| Analytics Dashboard | See who visits, how often, and who stopped coming back | Square Dashboard |
How Stamp Collection Actually Works
Fewer steps = less friction = more stamps collected = more repeat visits
First Visit (Cash)
Customer pays cash, collects first stamp
First Visit (Card)
Customer pays by card, collects first stamp
Returning Visit (Cash)
Known customer pays cash, collects stamp
Returning Visit (Card)
Known customer pays by card, collects stamp
Pricing Comparison
The Loyalty Club
Unlimited customers, per-location pricing, 3 staff cards. No commission. Hardware sold separately.
Square Loyalty
Included in some Square plans
First Year Total Cost (cheapest plan)
£348.00
TLC
$588.00
Square Loyalty
TLC saves you £240.00 per year — with anti-fraud NFC and Apple Wallet included.
What Real Users Say
G2
App Store
Google Play
Review Summary
Square Loyalty gets high marks for seamless POS integration — it "just works" if you already use Square. However, it lacks NFC stamps, wallet passes, and physical engagement. The loyalty program is points-based only, no stamp cards. Included in Square Plus plan or available as add-on.
Common Complaints from Square Loyalty Users
Only works with Square POS — locked into Square ecosystem
No NFC, QR, or physical stamp collection method
Points-based only — no visual stamp/punch card experience
Requires customers to provide phone number or create Square account
Limited customization — can't design your own loyalty cards
No wallet passes — loyalty tracked in Square app only
Choose Square Loyalty if you...
- You only want loyalty built into your Square POS — no extra hardware or setup
- You're on Square Plus plan and want "free" loyalty included
- You don't need physical stamp cards — just automatic points on payment
- Simplicity of a single vendor (POS + loyalty) is most important
Choose TLC if you...
- You want physical NFC tap-to-stamp that customers can see and feel
- You want anti-clone NFC security (NTAG 424 DNA)
- You don't want to force customers to share phone numbers
- You want beautiful, custom-branded stamp cards
- You want TLC's Square integration PLUS NFC engagement
- You want a free tier to start with — Square Loyalty requires Square Plus (£69/mo)
Switching from Square Loyalty to TLC
TLC works alongside Square — in fact, TLC integrates directly with Square POS for automatic card-linked stamps. You can keep Square for payments and add TLC for NFC stamp cards. There's nothing to migrate — just add the TLC NFC tag to your counter.
Under 30 minutes
Full setup from scratch
Zero downtime
Run both in parallel
No data loss
Customers start fresh on NFC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Loyalty Club really better than Square Loyalty?
+
It depends on your needs. TLC is better if you want NFC tap-to-stamp with anti-fraud security and no app downloads. Square Loyalty may be better if: Square POS merchants wanting zero-effort loyalty built into their existing POS. We believe in honest comparisons -the best platform is the one that fits YOUR business.
Can I switch from Square Loyalty to TLC?
+
Yes. TLC is designed for quick setup -you can be running in under 30 minutes. Your customers don't need to download anything; they just tap the NFC tag on their next visit. There's no complex data migration needed since TLC starts fresh with your customers.
What does Square Loyalty do that TLC doesn't?
+
Square Loyalty's advantages include: Already built into Square; Zero extra setup; Partial card-linked; Huge install base; Good enough default. TLC is focused on the core stamp card experience with maximum simplicity and security.
The research is clear: retailers with poorly-implemented loyalty programmes grew at just 2.28% — while those with no programme at all grew at 4.26%. McKinsey
Choosing the cheapest option can cost more than having no loyalty at all. See the full breakdown
Related Resources
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