Zeal vs Perkstar: wallet card loyalty or loyalty on the card machine

Perkstar gives small businesses branded loyalty cards in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet: customers add the card from a QR code or link, then staff scan it, the customer taps to collect, or a connected POS rewards the purchase. Zeal runs on supported card machines from your payment provider, so customers are recognised from the card they pay with, and their progress shows on the card machine screen and receipt, with nothing to add or scan.

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How customers join and earn with Perkstar and with Zeal

With Perkstar, a customer scans your QR code or opens a link you share by email or SMS, adds your card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, and then shows it on each visit so staff can scan it with the Perkstar Scanner app on a phone or tablet. Perkstar can also let customers tap to collect stamps or points themselves, and on its Scale plan it can connect to POS systems including Square, Clover, SumUp, Epos Now, Lightspeed, Loyverse and Shopify POS so purchases count towards rewards. With Zeal there is nothing to add or show: customers are recognised from the card they pay with, a new customer joins in a couple of taps on the card machine screen, and their stamps or points show on the card machine screen and receipt.

Zeal and Perkstar at a glance

Feature	Zeal	Perkstar
How customers join	A couple of taps on the card machine screen during a card payment. No app to download and no email address.	Scan a QR code or open a link (also sent by email or SMS) and add the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
What the customer does when paying	Pays by card as usual. Customers are recognised from the card they pay with, and their progress shows on the card machine screen and receipt.	Shows the wallet card for staff to scan with the Perkstar Scanner app, or taps to collect. On the Scale plan, a connected POS can reward the purchase automatically.
Works with which card machines or POS	Supported card machines from Worldpay, Elavon, Lloyds Cardnet, NMI, Adyen, DNA Payments and Viva Wallet (availability depends on the model). Join the Waitlist for Barclaycard, Clover, Dojo, Global Payments, takepayments and Tyl by NatWest. Square, SumUp, Zettle, Stripe Terminal and Teya readers can't host Zeal.	The Perkstar Scanner on any phone or tablet. POS integrations on the Scale plan: Square, Clover, SumUp, Epos Now, Lightspeed, Loyverse and Shopify POS (your POS provider must give API access). Perkstar says its Square, Clover and Lightspeed integrations reward purchases automatically.
App needed	No app needed. Groups and multi-site brands can add their own branded app.	No Perkstar app for customers: the card lives in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Staff use the Perkstar Scanner app.
Price	Talk to us	Starter £15, Growth £30 and Scale £65 a month, each including one location; extra locations £10 a month each.
Free trial	Talk to us	7 days free, no payment card required.
Best for	Cafés, shops and restaurants that take most payments by card on a supported card machine and want customers who pay by card to be able to earn without a wallet card or a scan.	Small businesses that want a low-cost, self-serve wallet loyalty card with push and location-based messages.

Sources by row, numbered as in About this page. How customers join: Zeal 4, 5; Perkstar 1. What the customer does when paying: Zeal 4; Perkstar 1, 2, 3. Works with which card machines or POS: Zeal 4, 7; Perkstar 2, 3. App needed: Zeal 4, 6; Perkstar 1, 2. Price: Perkstar 2. Free trial: Perkstar 2. Best for: Zeal 4; Perkstar 1, 2.

Checked 22 October 2026 against Perkstar's own pages and listings.

When Perkstar is the better choice

You want a low published price, from £15 a month, and to launch yourself today with a 7-day free trial and no payment card.
You want wallet-card marketing (push and location-based messages, referrals, birthday rewards, memberships, gift cards or prepaid visit packs), or many of your customers pay in cash.
You take payments on Square, SumUp or Clover and want purchases linked to your loyalty card through Perkstar's Scale plan. Square and SumUp can't host Zeal, and Clover is on Zeal's Join the Waitlist list.

Recognise your regulars, then reward them

Zeal identifies the customer from the card, enrols new ones in a couple of taps on the terminal screen, and awards points, stamps or vouchers during the payment. Your customer database grows with every card payment, with nothing for the customer or your staff to remember.

Choosing between Zeal and Perkstar

Perkstar suits a business that wants a low published monthly price, a self-serve set-up it can launch today, and wallet-card marketing such as push and location messages. Zeal suits a business that takes card payments on a supported card machine from Worldpay, Elavon, Lloyds Cardnet, NMI, Adyen, DNA Payments or Viva Wallet and wants customers who pay by card to be able to earn without adding a card or scanning anything. Zeal recognises returning cards from the day it is switched on, and after its opening month suggests a loyalty programme built from your own card payments. It only reaches customers who pay by card, so a cash-heavy business will see a smaller audience.

Explore more features

Discover more ways Zeal can realise the full potential of your card machines and grow your business.

Effortless Loyalty

Make loyalty effortless for your customers

Run frictionless loyalty programmes on your card machines without the need for any extra steps, QR, or loyalty cards.

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Identify Customers

Your card machines can identify & segment your..

Zeal turns your card machines into powerful data sources, giving you actionable insights about your customers.

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Remarketing Tools

Your card machines as loyalty engines

With Zeal, your card machines can run hyper-personalised marketing campaigns for your customers.

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Powerful Analytics

Realise the full potential of your in-store data

With Zeal, you can gain deeper insights into your customers and utilize data to boost retention.

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FAQ

Zeal compared with Perkstar

Frequently asked questions

What is Perkstar?

Perkstar is a digital loyalty card platform for businesses. It creates branded stamp, points, membership, coupon, gift and prepaid visit cards that customers keep in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, with push messages, referrals and a Perkstar Scanner app for staff. Starter covers stamps and points; Growth and Scale add the other card types.

Do customers need an app for Perkstar or Zeal?

Neither needs a customer app. With Perkstar, customers add your card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet by scanning a QR code or opening a link, then show it to be scanned or tap to collect. With Zeal there is nothing to add: customers join on the card machine screen and are recognised from the card they pay with on later visits.

Does Perkstar work with my card machine?

Perkstar works through its scanner app on any phone or tablet, and on its Scale plan through POS integrations with Square, Clover, SumUp, Epos Now, Lightspeed, Loyverse and Shopify POS, where your POS provider must give API access. Zeal runs on supported card machines from Worldpay, Elavon, Lloyds Cardnet, NMI, Adyen, DNA Payments and Viva Wallet; availability depends on the model.

How much do Perkstar and Zeal cost?

Perkstar publishes Starter at £15, Growth at £30 and Scale at £65 a month, each with one location, plus £10 a month for each extra location and a 7-day free trial. Zeal quotes once we have checked your card machine and payment provider, so talk to us for a price.

When was this comparison checked?

We checked Perkstar's website on 22 October 2026. Products and prices change, so check with Perkstar for the latest. The Zeal details come from Zeal's own product information.

About this page

Written by the Zeal team, October 2026

Sources

Perkstar homepage: digital loyalty cards for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, checked 22 Oct 2026
Perkstar pricing, checked 22 Oct 2026
Perkstar integrations, checked 22 Oct 2026
Card machine loyalty for your business (Zeal), checked 22 Oct 2026
Make loyalty effortless for your customers (Zeal seamless loyalty), checked 22 Oct 2026
White-label loyalty app (Zeal), checked 22 Oct 2026
Loyalty for Square merchants (Zeal), checked 22 Oct 2026

Sources checked on 22 October 2026. Details of Zeal's own products come from Zeal.

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