Loyalty scheme for small businesses, on the card machine you already use
Zeal is loyalty software for small businesses that runs on the card machine you already use. It spots returning customers by the card they pay with. After your first month, it suggests a loyalty programme built from your own card payments. Customers collect stamps or points as they pay, with no app or QR code.
Live on card machines from seven payment providers in the UK
Zeal runs on supported models from Worldpay, Elavon, Lloyds Cardnet, NMI, Adyen, DNA Payments and Viva Wallet. Whether yours can run it depends on the model, its software and your provider, so we check first.
Using Square, SumUp or Zettle? See what switching involves for Square, SumUp and Zettle businesses.
Small teams don't have time for complicated loyalty
In a small business, the person serving is often the one taking payment, restocking shelves and answering the phone. A scheme that needs staff to ask a question, find a stamp card or scan a code gets skipped on busy days. Busy days are the ones that count.
Regulars are the customers a small business can least afford to lose. A scheme that runs by itself keeps rewarding them on the days you are too busy to think about it.
Paper cards, apps and QR codes all ask the customer to remember one more thing, and plenty forget. Zeal works from a step every card-paying customer already takes: paying.
Card payments made up 64% of all UK payments in 2025, according to UK Finance. Debit cards were the most used way to pay.
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Customers sign up and collect while they pay
A new customer signs up on the screen with a couple of taps as they pay. On later visits, paying with the same card is enough: Zeal recognises it and adds stamps or points.
The screen shows each customer how close they are to their next reward. Their receipt can show it too, for example 8 of 10 stamps.
You decide whether customers collect stamps or points, and what it takes to earn a reward, such as one for every ten visits. Staff take payments exactly as they do now, with no extra step to remember.
Know who your regulars are, and who has stopped coming in
Your Zeal dashboard turns card payments into a list of regulars. You can see first-timers, repeat visitors, what each one spends and anyone who has gone quiet.
It also shows your busiest hours, which helps when you plan staff or time an offer. Run more than one shop? Reports cover each location.
Zeal starts recognising returning cards as soon as it is switched on. A month in, it puts forward a loyalty programme based on how often your customers come and what they spend. So you start from real habits, not a guess.
Offers printed on receipts, such as money off a next visit, are tracked too. You can see which ones bring people back, measured in real card payments rather than likes or opens.
Do you need a loyalty app for a small business?
Not with Zeal. Customers download nothing, because the scheme lives on your card machine and your receipts.
An app can still be the right choice. If customers expect to check rewards on their phone, a wallet-pass or stamp-card app may suit you better. Those apps also reach customers who pay in cash.
An app makes most sense when customers want to order ahead or book, or when you want to message them between visits. For groups and multi-site brands, Zeal can power a branded app connected to their card machines.
Loyalty that fits the way small businesses already take payments
30,000+ merchants activated
Explore more ways to run loyalty
Illustrative examples of where different businesses might start:
- Coffee shops: a stamp per visit suits a daily habit.
- Bakeries: stamps towards a loaf or a pastry.
- Salons and barbers: points, since one visit can be a trim and the next a full colour.
- Pubs and bars: points that build round by round.
- Takeaways: stamps for the regular Friday order.
- Convenience stores: points on small, frequent baskets.
Card machine loyalty
The full picture, from sign-up on the screen to the printed receipt. Learn more
Stamps or points
Choose the reward type and the rules that suit your shop. Learn more
No extra step
Loyalty that adds nothing to the customer's side of the payment. Learn more
Bring your existing scheme
Have a scheme already? Zeal can connect your existing loyalty programme to card payments after reviewing your set-up. Learn more
How to start a loyalty scheme with Zeal
There is no project to run. Here is what happens.
- Tell us what you use. Which card machine you have, who provides it and how many shops you run.
- We check it works. If your machine can't run Zeal, we explain your options before anything changes.
- See a demo. We show you Zeal on a machine like yours.
- Get a quote. You see the price for your set-up, then decide.
- Switch it on. Returning cards are recognised from day one, and your suggested programme follows after a month.
Choosing your first reward
- Make it reachable. A daily coffee customer can fill ten stamps in two weeks. A shop people visit monthly needs a shorter card or points.
- Pick something with a good margin. A drink or a pastry costs you less than money off a whole basket.
- Keep it to one line. If staff can't explain the reward in a sentence, customers won't remember it.
- Tell people about it. A small sign by your card machine does more than any staff script.
Loyalty for small businesses
Frequently asked questions
What is the best loyalty app for a small business?
It depends on how your customers pay. Wallet-pass and stamp-card apps can reach customers who pay in cash. If most customers pay by card on a supported card machine, Zeal runs the scheme there, so nobody downloads anything. Zeal can't run on Square, SumUp, Zettle, Stripe Terminal or Teya card machines. If you use one, weigh any loyalty tools it offers against switching to a supported provider.
Will my customers have to download an app?
No. Zeal needs nothing on the customer's phone. They sign up on the card machine screen, and Zeal then recognises the card they pay with.
How much does Zeal cost for a small business?
Zeal's price depends on your card machine provider and how many shops you have, so we quote for your set-up. Talk to us before you decide.
Which payment providers does Zeal work with in the UK?
In the UK, Zeal is live with Worldpay, Elavon, Lloyds Cardnet, NMI, Adyen, DNA Payments and Viva Wallet, on supported models. On Barclaycard, Clover, Dojo, Global Payments, Tyl by NatWest or takepayments, you can Join the Waitlist. Square, SumUp, Zettle, Stripe Terminal and Teya machines can't run Zeal, so switching to a supported provider is the route.
Do I need new hardware or staff training for Zeal?
No new hardware is needed on a supported card machine, because Zeal is software added to it. Training is light: staff take payments as usual, with nothing extra to do.
Can customers who pay in cash collect rewards?
No. Zeal works from card payments, so cash payments can't earn rewards. Cash made up 8% of all UK payments in 2025, according to UK Finance.
About this page
Written by the Zeal team, October 2026
Sources
- Digital payments continue to grow as mobile wallets become more popular across the UK, UK Finance, 19 August 2026
- 2026 winners, UK FinTech Awards, 2026
Sources checked on 22 October 2026.
Find out if your card machine is ready for loyalty
Tell us which machine you use and who provides it. We'll check whether it can run Zeal and explain what happens next.
Built by the UK FinTech Awards 2026 Team of the Year.