Badge can effectively increase member engagement and renewals—while saving you time and money—through issuing digital membership cards with powerful native wallet functionality.
Key Badge Features for Membership Cards
Customizing the design of a membership card, so your end users can see their status and easily access their benefits
Updating the design of a membership card if any data needs to be changed or you simply want to change up the look and feel.
Providing a unique Pass Download Link for each membership card (used to easily install the membership card), which can be added to any website or email campaign
Increasing engagement and renewals
Consolidating membership benefits with the card as the user-friendly interface
Making membership card benefits “top of mind” with campaigns
Activating members in specific locations with geolocation-based contextual messaging
Key User Journeys
Before getting into the Badge Platform, it may be helpful for you to have a view of the following end user journeys—when digital membership cards are added to your ecosystem.
A. Membership sign-up
When a member signs up for a membership, a digital card is made available for the end user to install it.
Step | 1. Sign up for a membership | 2. Install card | 3. Receive notifications |
What is your end user doing? | Signing up to be a member on your website. | Installing a membership card by clicking on a Pass Download Link (unique per user). | Opening a push notification and therefore, their card (campaign or geomarketing). |
Badge product touchpoints | Badge can automatically issue a card when a member signs up (using userPassUpsert API endpoint) or a custom integration.
If you want Badge to be your CRM, you can use the Badge Sign-up Page. | Badge provides a unique Pass Download Link, which can be used in your product touchpoints.
Badge also provides a an easy way to bulk email each user their Pass Download Link. | Push notifications can be sent using the Badge campaign tool.
Event-triggered push notifications can be sent using the Push Notification API endpoint (coming soon). |
Your product touchpoints | Your membership sign-up flow | Your membership sign-up completion page
Your sign-up confirmation email | Any specific milestone in the customer journey that you want to trigger a push notification |
B. Existing user
Inviting existing members to install their digital membership card.
Step | 1. Discover digital card | 2. Install card | 3. Receive notifications |
What is your end user doing? | Learn about how to get a digital card for their existing membership. | Installing a membership card by clicking on a Pass Download Link (unique per user). | Opening a push notification and therefore, their card (campaign or geomarketing). |
Badge product touchpoints | Badge can automatically issue cards for existing users (using userPassUpsert API endpoint) or a custom integration.
You can also import a CSV of existing users to bulk issue cards as a low-tech alternative. | Badge provides a unique Pass Download Link, which can be used in your product touchpoints.
Badge also provides a an easy way to bulk email each user their Pass Download Link. | Push notifications can be sent using the Badge campaign tool.
Event-triggered push notifications can be sent using the Push Notification API endpoint (coming soon) |
Your product touchpoints | Your CRM or whatever you use to manage your users | You website and/or marketing emails to inform users about the digital card's availability | Any specific milestone in the customer journey that you want to trigger a push notification |
Key Workflows in the Badge Platform
1. Creating a Pass Template for Membership Cards
Before issuing passes for membership cards, you have to create a pass template. The Badge API and integrations will require you to pass a Pass Template ID. A typical pass template for a membership card looks like this:
Example | Suggested Elements |
 | The following can be set in the Pass Template Editor. Use Custom Attributes when a field is unique per cardholder. Custom Attributes will be updated by your connected data source.
|
In addition to the suggest elements above, you can use the Pass Template Editor to add any relevant information or links on the back of the pass. And just like the front of the pass, you can use Custom Attributes for more dynamic content.
2. Making Use of Native Wallet Features
Please note that none of the following are required for membership cards, but they may enhance the experience for your end users.
Expiration
When a pass is expired, the barcode will be grayed out and the pass moves to the "expired" section of Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Set an expiration date for membership cards by going to the Features Tab of the Pass Template Editor. Since the expiration date is likely going to be different per pass, use a ⚡️ Custom Attribute for the date field. And when using a ⚡️ Custom Attribute, make sure that it is included when you Connect Your Data.
Geolocation
Geolocation allows you to trigger a pass to appear on an end user's phone lockscreen with contextual messaging when they are near one of the specified locations added to Geolocation in the Features Tab of the Pass Template Editor. You can add up to ten different locations with corresponding messaging to each pass template.
In the membership use case, we suggest adding the locations of physical events. Since the pass appears on a user's phone lockscreen, checking into an event could not be any easier.
Geolocation is currently available for iOS users only.
Groups
All passes issued by you will be grouped in your users' mobile wallets by default—meaning they will displayed within the same swipe-able row for easy access. In the case that an end user has multiple cards issued to them (e.g. a membership card and an offer card) and wants to install all of them at once, you can provide a Multiple Pass Download Link. You can include a Multiple Pass Download Link in your website or email campaigns by using the passGroups endpoint or a custom integration.
3. Connecting Your Data
When using Custom Attributes, it's crucial to connect your data source to ensure that each issued membership card has the correct data. When testing, you can use CSV Import to assign different values for each Custom Attribute you have added in your pass template.
For high volume, real-time issuing and updating of passes, use the Badge API. Specifically, you will want to use the userPassUpsert endpoint to:
Issue a pass when a member is created in your system with the correct information (the Suggested Elements in Creating a Pass Template for Membership Cards)
And retrieve a Pass Download Link for display in your
Membership sign-up confirmation page
Emails that contain membership card information
Update a pass when a change is made (e.g., status change when a member pays for higher membership tier)
If you're an enterprise client, you are eligible for a custom integration that handles the steps listed above. Contact your Account Manager or Badge Support for more information.
4. Creating Strong Install CTAs
For your product touchpoints (as seen in Key User Journeys), make sure that include the Add to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet buttons, and have the Pass Download Link linked for both buttons. Please note the official design guidelines:
When an end user clicks opens this link, Badge will provide the best options for adding their digital membership card to their mobile wallet—displaying a QR code on desktop and buttons for mobile.
5. Sending Push Notifications
Push notification campaigns are effective in reminding end users about their membership cards and engaging end users with new benefits. Push notification opt-in rates are extremely high with mobile wallet passes because they are opt-in by default when end users install them.
When a pass template is published, you are free to send push notification campaigns to end users who have a pass (associated with the published pass template) installed. When creating a campaign, you can:
Target all users or a segment of users by ⚡️ Custom Attributes
Remember, it's up to you to add ⚡️ Custom Attributes to a pass template and ensure that they are populated by Connecting Your Data
Send it immediately or schedule it at a future time
📣 COMING SOON: Automated push notifications that are triggered by specific events in your system.
A Few Last Words On Membership Cards
Remember, these are guidelines on how you can use Badge to create and manage your digital membership cards. You are free to use our No Code Pass Editor, Marketing Automation, and API in whatever ways suit your needs. Get creative with it!
The beauty of the digital membership card is that you can also dynamically change its content and continue to send push notification campaigns to it. Unlike a plastic card or static email, there's life beyond it to the doorman.