What is a digital membership card
It is used by sports and social clubs, associations, professional bodies, federations, gyms, coworkings and hotels or resorts with members (spa, beach club, residents).
Four ways to give your members a card
Four solutions coexist today. None is bad, but they solve different things:
- Plastic card. Everyone knows it, but it has to be printed and posted, it gets lost and it still looks valid when the fee hasn’t been paid.
- An organisation app (your own or the one from your membership software). It can do a lot, but every member has to download it and log in, and some never do.
- A members’ website (sometimes called a web app or PWA). Nothing to download from a store, but members have to log in every time they want to show the card.
- A card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Members save it with one button to the Wallet their phone already has, it is always at hand and it opens even with no signal.
| Wallet | App | Members’ website | Plastic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The member needs… | To save it once with one button | To download the app and log in | To log in | To carry it |
| Opens with no signal | Yes | Depends on the app | Usually not | Yes |
| Changes by itself on renewal or cancellation | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Set-up cost | Low | High (development and upkeep) | Medium | Printing and postage |
How to check that a member is active
This is the point most often forgotten. A card that is only looked at proves nothing: a screenshot or an expired card looks just like a valid one. What gives certainty is scanning it and having the system say, at that moment, whether the member is active, expired or cancelled.
There are two ways to do it:
- With a scanning app that staff install on their phone.
- With the camera and the browser, installing nothing: staff scan the code, the member’s record opens and they see the status. That is what CarnetCards does.
It is worth having every check logged (where, when and by whom). That way you know which members really use their benefits and where, data a plastic card never gave you.
What to ask of a digital membership card
- That it works on iPhone and Android without members installing anything.
- That it updates itself on renewal, category change or cancellation, and that a cancelled card stops being valid.
- That it carries your organisation’s branding: logo and colours.
- That it shows the category (Gold, Silver, Junior, Family…), so staff can apply each one’s benefits.
- That staff check it with their phone and every use is logged.
- That you can add all members at once, for example from a spreadsheet, and each one gets their card by email.
- A clear price: better per number of members than per card or per update, which is hard to predict.
- That data is handled under the GDPR, as your organisation’s data processor.
How it works with CarnetCards
- You add your members from the dashboard, one by one or from a spreadsheet: name, email, number, category and expiry date.
- Each member gets their card by email and saves it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet with one button.
- Your staff check it by scanning it with their phone camera, with their own login: they see the name, the category and whether the member is active, expired or cancelled, and log the use.
- You see every use in the dashboard (which member, where and when) and download it as a spreadsheet.
If a member cancels, their card shows as void in their Wallet. And if you also want to reward members for taking part, with RewardsCards the same card earns points.
How much a digital membership card costs
Pricing models vary a lot: some services charge a monthly fee for full membership software, others charge per card and per update, and many don’t publish prices. CarnetCards is priced per year, fixed, based only on active members:
- Club Plan: up to 100 active members, 99 € a year.
- Association Plan: up to 500 active members, 249 € a year.
- Organisation Plan: up to 2,000 active members, 499 € a year.
VAT not included, with 7 days free. Cancelled members don’t count, and if you grow you move up a plan from the dashboard. For more than 2,000 members, a custom proposal. The dashboard is in Spanish for now. See CarnetCards and its pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Wallet card better than a members’ app?
It depends on what you need. If what matters is that members identify themselves and staff check they are active, the Wallet is simpler: nothing to download, no passwords, and the card is always at hand. An app makes sense if you also want members to do things (bookings, payments, votes) from it.
Does the Wallet card work offline?
Yes: the card is stored on the phone and opens with no signal. Staff checks do need a connection, because they look up the member’s status at that moment.
What if a member shows a screenshot?
It doesn’t help them if staff scan the card: the scanner shows the real status at that moment, not what the image shows.
Can I have member categories?
Yes. The category shows on the card and in the scanner, so staff can apply each category’s benefits. You decide and give the benefits.
Can it be used for access control?
Staff can check the card at the entrance. It does not open turnstiles or doors automatically.
What member data does the card carry?
Whatever your organisation decides to include: usually name, number, category and expiry date. ID numbers do not appear on the card.
Updated: 13/10/2026 · businesscards.eco