Zia ArsalanHome›Loyalty Cost Calculator
Free tool
What is your loyalty platform really costing you?
Subscription pricing is easy to underestimate, because the bill grows exactly as the program succeeds. Put your numbers in and see the total — and the build price at which owning your own Apple & Google Wallet program becomes the cheaper option.
Your numbers
Subscription over 36 months
$2,124
$59 a month across 1 location
Break-even build price
$1,395
If building your own costs less than $1,395, you are better off owning it over 3 years. Above that, stay on the subscription.
Running your own, same period
$729
Hosting plus Apple's $99 a year. No per-pass or per-location fees — the figure does not move when the program grows.
What this does not include
Your own time. Owning software means someone renews a certificate once a year and notices when something breaks. It also ignores the value of launching this afternoon, which a subscription can do and a build cannot. Treat the number as a starting point for a decision, not the decision itself.
Common questions
What counts as the "build cost"?+
A one-off payment to design and build a loyalty program you own outright — the pass, the issuing flow, staff scanning and an admin dashboard. After that you pay hosting and the Apple Developer fee, and nothing per customer.
What are the ongoing costs if I own it?+
Hosting, typically $5 to $20 a month for a small to mid-sized program, plus $99 a year for the Apple Developer Program. Google Wallet issuance is free. Those are the figures this calculator uses, and you can change them.
Does this include my time?+
No, and that matters. Owning software means someone renews a certificate once a year and notices if something breaks. If nobody on your side will do that, add the cost of paying someone who will.
Is the cheapest option always right?+
No. If you are still testing whether a loyalty program works at all, a subscription is the sensible choice even when the three-year maths favours building. Cheap only matters once you know you want to keep it.