Setting up a nail salon loyalty program in Australia (2026)

Published 27 September 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026 · Reviewed quarterly

For a nail salon, run a digital stamp card in Apple or Google Wallet: one stamp per appointment and a reward after 5 to 9 paid visits, like free nail art or a free manicure. Clients join and collect by scanning one QR at reception with their phone camera. On Rewardtree it's 60 days free.

The steps#

1. Pick the reward. Choose one reward clients will want: free nail art after 5 paid visits, or the 10th manicure free (9 paid). An add-on costs you little and feels like a treat.
2. Set the number of visits. Regulars often book every few weeks, so keep the card short enough to finish: 5 paid visits for an add-on, or 9 for a full free service.
3. Put the QR at reception. Print your free QR poster and stand it at reception, where clients wait and pay. Clients scan it with their phone camera, type their first name, mobile and the code we text them, and add the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
4. Make scanning part of checkout. When a client pays, they scan the same QR for their stamp. Nobody scans their phone, and staff type nothing. The card on the client's phone updates to show the new stamp.
5. Let paper regulars finish their old card. Put your Rewardtree QR by the till. Let regulars finish their old card; from today they collect on Rewardtree.

Why nail salons suit stamp cards#

A nail salon runs on regulars. Many clients book on a rhythm, every few weeks for a gel refresh or an infill, and each of those visits is one appointment. That makes the stamp card a natural fit: one appointment, one stamp, and a reward the client can see getting closer.

The trouble has always been the paper card. It's in another handbag, it gets tossed out with the receipts, and a card you can't find doesn't bring anyone back. A digital stamp card lives in the client's Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, on the phone they're holding while they wait for their nails to dry.

It also gives you something paper never did: a list of your clients, with their visits, on your Rewardtree page.

Rewards that work#

Pick one of these as your reward:

• Free nail art after 5 paid visits. Costs you a few minutes and a little product, and it feels like a treat.
• 10th manicure free. The classic, easy to understand: 9 paid, the 10th free.
• $20 off your 6th visit. A clear dollar amount suits a higher-priced menu.

Keep the reward something from your own menu. A free service is worth the full menu price to the client and costs you less than that to give. And keep it to one reward: clients should be able to explain it to a friend in one sentence. On Rewardtree you write it that way at sign-up: "Customers pay for 9 visits. Their 10th visit gets a free manicure."

How many visits to set#

Work it out from how often your regulars come:

• A client who comes every three weeks reaches 5 visits in about three months, and 9 visits in about six months.
• A client who comes every two weeks reaches 5 visits in about two months, and 9 visits in about four months.

A good rule of thumb is that a regular should be able to picture reaching the reward. So:

• For an add-on or a smaller reward, 5 paid visits.
• For a full free service, 8 or 9 paid visits.

Staying on their phone between appointments#

The weeks between appointments are where clients drift. The card helps:

• The card is always there. It sits in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, with your salon's name and their progress.
• It updates every visit. After each stamp, the card on their phone shows the new count, so they can see the reward getting closer.

The simplest rebooking reminder is still free: ask at checkout, while they scan for their stamp, "Shall we book you in for three weeks' time?"

At reception: stamps and rewards#

Every client scans the same QR at reception, so it works the same whoever is on the desk. Each visit earns one stamp, checked against where your salon is. A stamp from far away is still given, so nobody is embarrassed at the counter, but it shows as "Needs a look" on your page, and you can see and undo every stamp. Set your opening hours and a stamp collected more than 30 minutes outside them doesn't count.

When a card is full, the visit that filled it is paid as normal. On the client's next visit their phone asks "Use it now?". At reception they tap once and show you a live screen with the reward, their first name and a moving clock. Nobody types a thing.

Moving paper regulars#

Put your Rewardtree QR by the till. Let regulars finish their old paper card; from today they collect on Rewardtree. Tell each paper-card regular once, "Finish that one, and scan this for your next card", and within a few weeks the paper is gone for good.

Going live in a morning#

1. Set up your salon: your salon's name and mobile, your reward in one sentence, and your address. It takes a few minutes.
2. Go live and print your free QR poster. Put it at reception.
3. Tell the next client: "Scan this and your loyalty card goes in your phone's wallet."

It's 60 days free with no credit card, then A$9.99 a month per salon. That's our end-of-year special for businesses that sign up by 31 December 2026: you keep it for every shop, including shops you add later, for as long as you stay. From 1 January 2027, businesses that sign up pay A$19.99 a month or A$199 a year. The shop page works in eight languages, including Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese and Arabic, so clients can join in the language their phone uses. For the full plan, read how to set up a loyalty program in Australia, and for the counter details, the digital stamp card guide. If your salon does hair too, the hair salon guide covers rewards for a mixed menu.

Questions, answered#

Run a nail salon? See Rewardtree for nail salons.