Loonine vs Square Loyalty

The short version

If you already run Square as your till, Square Loyalty is the path of least resistance: it is native, it needs no extra app, and it ties loyalty to the transaction automatically. Loonine is the better fit if you do not use Square, if you want a branded wallet card rather than a POS lookup, or if you want to reach customers with push marketing afterwards.

What is the real difference between Square Loyalty and Loonine?

Square Loyalty is a feature of a point-of-sale system and Loonine is a wallet-card platform, which makes them different kinds of product rather than competing versions of the same one. Square identifies the customer by phone number at the till and accrues points from the transaction; Loonine issues a branded card that lives on the customer's phone.

The consequence is that the customer ends up with something in one case and nothing in the other. With Square Loyalty the programme exists inside your till: real, automatic, and invisible to the customer between visits. With a wallet card the customer carries your card, sees their progress on their lock screen, and can be reached afterwards.

Should I just use Square Loyalty if I already have Square?

If you already run Square and want loyalty tied directly to payment with nothing extra for staff to learn, Square Loyalty is the path of least resistance and there is a strong case for taking it. Native integration is a real advantage and adding a second system has a real cost.

The case for adding a wallet card anyway comes down to two things Square Loyalty does not give you: a branded card the customer holds, and a channel to reach them between visits. If your retention problem is customers quietly drifting away, the ability to notice and message them is the capability you are missing, and it is not one a POS lookup provides.

What about automatic point accrual?

Square Loyalty's accrual is better in one respect: because it reads the transaction, points reflect what the customer spent with no staff action at all. Loonine's stamp is added manually, which is one tap but still a tap.

For a business with widely varying ticket sizes this is a real advantage, and it is the strongest argument in Square Loyalty's favour. For a café where every purchase is worth roughly the same, the difference is largely theoretical: a stamp and a transaction-weighted point arrive at the same place.

Can I run both?

Yes, and for some businesses it is the right answer. Square Loyalty handles accrual at the till while a wallet card gives the customer something to hold and gives you a channel to reach them. The cost is two systems to keep in step, which is only worth it if the messaging channel is valuable to you.

If you do run both, pick one as the authority for the customer's balance and treat the other as a display. Two systems that both think they are correct will eventually disagree in front of a customer.

What if I do not use Square?

Then Square Loyalty is not really an option, because it requires the Square point of sale. Adopting a till system to get its loyalty feature is a large change driven by a small requirement, and it is rarely the right way round.

Coverage is the other constraint. Square operates in a defined set of markets which excludes most of the Middle East, so a business in the UAE or the wider Gulf cannot choose Square Loyalty regardless of preference. Loonine operates across 35 countries including the GCC and the Levant.

Which should I choose?

Choose Square Loyalty if Square is already your till, your ticket sizes vary, and you want loyalty to require nothing from staff. Choose Loonine if you do not use Square, if you want a branded card in the customer's wallet rather than a lookup at the till, if you want to message customers between visits, or if you operate outside Square's markets.

The two are not mutually exclusive, and the question that usually settles it is whether you want to be able to reach a customer who has stopped coming. Only one of these products can do that.