How to Switch Loyalty Apps Without Losing Your Members

By Alva Chew · Updated 2026-11-06

In short To switch loyalty program provider without losing members, export your member list and balances, convert every balance to the new program at the same reward value, and run both systems for a fixed four to eight weeks. Honour all old points, and ask your old vendor in writing to return or delete your data. Members rejoin by scanning a QR code, so the switch costs them one scan.

How do you switch loyalty program provider without losing members?

You move three things: the member list, the points balances and the habit of showing the card. The first two are data work you can finish in an afternoon. The third is what decides how many members you keep, so most of this page is about it.

The safe order is simple.

Get your data out of the old system before you cancel anything.
Decide how old points convert to new points.
Open the new program, stop enrolling people in the old one and convert balances as members arrive.
Set a cut-off date, then close the old program.

Cancel the old plan last. Many vendors delete the account soon after cancellation, and a member list you no longer have cannot be recovered.

Why do owners switch in the first place?

The reasons are practical. Fees climb when you open a second outlet. Customers will not download the vendor’s app. Staff find the system slow at the counter. Or the program has grown rules, such as tiers or stamp variants, that members never learned. Our guides on per-location fees and what a loyalty program costs cover the price side. A 2019 KPMG survey of over 18,000 consumers in 20 countries found that 60% agree programs are too hard to join or earn in, and 55% of enrolled members use them a few times a month or less.

Figure	Scope	Year
60% say programs are too hard to join and/or earn in	18,000+ consumers, 20 countries	2019
55% of enrolled members use them a few times a month or less	Same survey	2019

Source: KPMG via PR Newswire, 26 November 2019.

If your members already use the card rarely, the switch is a chance to make it simpler, not only to move it.

Can you take your member data with you?

Often you can, but nobody hands it over unprompted. Look in your vendor’s terms and dashboard for an export button or a data return clause, and if neither exists, email support and ask for a file.

Ask for these fields at a minimum:

Member email (and name or phone if you collected them)
Current points balance
Join date
Last visit or last earn date
Lifetime points earned and redeemed, if available

In the EU and UK the law backs you up. Article 28(3)(g) of the GDPR requires a processor, at your choice as controller, to delete or return all personal data after the service ends, and to delete existing copies unless the law requires storage. Article 20 gives individual members a separate right to receive the data they provided in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Singapore’s PDPA has no equivalent of Article 20 that we could confirm in force, so there you rely on your contract and the vendor’s goodwill.

Provision	What it says
GDPR Article 28(3)(g)	At the controller’s choice, the processor deletes or returns all personal data after the service ends
GDPR Article 20(1)	Members may receive data they provided in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format
GDPR Article 5(1)(b)	Data is collected for specified purposes and not further processed in an incompatible way

Source: Regulation (EU) 2016/679, text as reproduced at gdpr-info.eu, Articles 28, 20 and 5, read 6 November 2026. The official EUR-Lex copy would not load in our check.

Put the request in writing, keep the reply, and ask the vendor to confirm deletion after you have checked the export. This is general information, not legal advice.

Can you reuse the old email list for the new program?

Only for a purpose that fits what members were told when they joined. Article 5(1)(b) of the GDPR bars processing that is incompatible with the original purposes. Singapore’s PDPA has a purpose limitation obligation in section 18, which allows only purposes a reasonable person would consider appropriate. Read the sign-up wording your old provider showed members. If it says the data is used to run your loyalty program, moving it to a new loyalty provider is the same purpose. Using it for something else is not.

The cleaner route is to let members opt in again. A short sign at the counter, and a prompt from staff, gets the scan done in person. Our glossary entry on first-party data explains why a list you collected yourself is worth protecting, and our PDPA guide for Singapore covers the notice and consent rules there.

How do you convert old points to new points fairly?

Match reward value, not point counts. Different programs use different scales, so a member with 500 points in one app may be worth as much as a member with 50 in another. Work it out in three steps.

Find what one old point was worth in rewards. If 500 old points bought a US$5 reward, one point was worth 1 cent.
Find what one new point is worth. If 50 new points buy the same US$5 reward, one new point is worth 10 cents.
Divide each old balance by the ratio, here 10, and round up.

Member	Old balance	New balance (÷10, rounded up)	Reward value
A	340 points	34 points	US$3.40
B	505 points	51 points	US$5.10
C	1,260 points	126 points	US$12.60

Source: Gimify worked example. Prices in US$ for illustration.

Round up every time. A member who sees a lower number than they had will assume you took something. Our guide to setting a points earn rate shows how to choose the new reward size so the reward costs a share of spend you can afford.

If your old program used stamps, tiers or vouchers, convert each to its cash value first, then to points. The paper stamp card conversion uses the same method. Do not carry over tier status. A points balance is the one thing every member understands, and a status level you cannot display gives members an argument to make at the counter.

What happens to the points you owe?

Outstanding points are a promise to your members, and the promise does not change because the software does. Total the old points outstanding, multiply by the value of one point, and make sure the converted balances add up to the same figure.

Step	Example
Old points outstanding	400,000
Value of one old point	US$0.01
Liability at reward value	US$4,000
Converted to new points (÷10)	40,000 points worth US$4,000

Source: Gimify worked example, not a reported figure.

Accounting rules for loyalty points differ by country and by size of business, and the changeover is the moment an auditor or accountant will ask about it. Our guide to points liability for a small business explains how the liability is booked.

How do you move the card itself?

Members cannot transfer a card from one issuer to another. A digital card is issued by a specific business account, so the new provider issues a new card and the old one stops being updated. Google describes a pass issuer as “any person or company that uses the Google Wallet API to issue” passes, and a pass is created under that issuer’s ID. We read this to mean a card saved from the old provider stays tied to the old provider’s account, so plan for each member to save the new card once. This is our reading of the documentation, not a statement Google makes in those words.

Source: Google for Developers, Set up an Issuer account, read 6 November 2026.

That one extra step is where members drop off, so remove every other step. Gimify members scan a QR code, enter an email and get a one-tap sign-in link, then save the card to Google Wallet. See a loyalty card with no app to download for why skipping an app matters.

What does a sensible switch plan look like?

Week 0: export data, confirm the export is complete, and choose the conversion ratio. Test it on five real balances.
Week 1: set up the new program, brief staff, put a sign at the till and stop enrolling anyone in the old program. Existing members keep earning on the old card.
Weeks 2 to 6: each time a member visits, staff scan the QR code with them, look up the old balance on your export and add the converted points.
Cut-off date: stop honouring the old card and tell anyone left in person. Keep your export for at least the retention period your local law allows.
After the cut-off: cancel the old plan, ask in writing for deletion, and check that the converted points and the first redemptions match your plan.

Staff need one rule: look up the old balance, divide by the ratio, add the points. Write the ratio on a card by the till.

How do you tell members, and what should you say?

Say what changes, what does not and by when. A short sign works.

We are moving our loyalty program. Your points come with you. Scan this code before 15 January and we will add them to your new card.

Add it to receipts or table cards if you have them. Do not apologise at length or promise bonus points you have not costed. A one-time bonus on rejoining is fine if you set a limit on it. Our guide to sign-up bonuses covers how to size one.

What about multiple outlets?

Switch them on the same day. A member who earns in one branch on the old card and redeems in another on the new one will end up with two balances and two arguments. If you run more than one outlet, a single points balance across all of them avoids this. See running a loyalty program across multiple outlets.

Where does Gimify fit?

Gimify is a hosted, points-only program. Your first outlet is free with unlimited members and no time limit, so you can run the new program next to the old one during the changeover at no cost. Unlimited outlets are US$99 a month with one points balance across all of them.

Questions owners ask

Can I take my members' data with me when I leave a loyalty app?

Usually yes, but you have to ask. Check your vendor's terms for an export or a data return clause. Under the GDPR, a processor must delete or return all personal data to you at your choice when the service ends. Ask for a CSV with each member's email and points balance.

Do my members have to sign up again?

With most providers, yes, because the card lives under the old provider's account. Plan for one scan and an email entry per member. On Gimify, members join by scanning a QR code and entering an email, with no app download and no password.

How do I convert old points to new points fairly?

Match reward value, not point counts. If 500 old points bought a US$5 reward and 50 new points buy the same reward, divide every old balance by 10. Round up in the member's favour so nobody ends below what they had.

How long should I run the old and new programs together?

Four to eight weeks is enough for most shops to see every regular once. Stop enrolling new members in the old program on day one, convert balances as people arrive, then set a clear cut-off date and tell stragglers in person.

What happens to the points liability when I switch?

It moves with the balances. Total the old points outstanding, multiply by the value of one point, and make sure the new program carries at least that. Your accountant should confirm how your jurisdiction treats the liability during the changeover.

Can I use my old member emails to invite people to the new program?

Only if the purpose fits what members were told when they joined. The GDPR and Singapore's PDPA both limit using data for new purposes. Check your original sign-up wording, and when in doubt ask members to rejoin themselves at the counter.