BIG4 brings Perks+ membership into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet
BIG4 Holiday Parks is one of Australia’s most recognizable tourism and accommodation networks, with more than 300 holiday parks bookable across the country. BIG4 operates as a marketing cooperative made up of independently operated parks, making a consistent national membership experience especially important.
The BIG4 Holiday Perks+ program provides members with accommodation savings, in-park benefits, exclusive offers, partner deals and early access to holiday promotions. BIG4 has built a subscribing membership audience of more than 500,000 people, giving the program significant reach across the Australian travel sector.
Working with Litecard and Iterable, BIG4 digitized its Perks+ membership card and delivered it directly to members through Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.
The challenge
BIG4’s physical membership card gave members a way to identify themselves and access their benefits, but it was not always available when they needed it.
Members could leave the card at home, lose it, or struggle to locate their membership details while traveling. Reissuing plastic cards also created unnecessary cost and administration across a large, nationally distributed membership base.
BIG4 needed to digitise the membership card without introducing another app or creating a separate communications process for its marketing team.
The solution also needed to accommodate:
- Existing Perks+ members migrating from physical cards
- New members joining through BIG4’s digital channels
- Personalized member numbers and expiry dates
- Apple and Android devices
- Desktop and mobile email recipients
- Communication preferences and membership privacy requirements
- Consistent delivery across a network of independently operated parks
The Litecard solution
Litecard created a personalized BIG4 Perks+ membership card for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. Sent via email, SMS or delivered via web portals.
Each digital card contains the member’s individual membership information, including their name, member number and expiry date. Members can save the card directly to the native wallet already installed on their phone, removing the need to download and maintain another application.
The digital pass provides a persistent membership touchpoint that stays accessible throughout the customer journey, from booking and pre-arrival communications through to check-in and future travel planning.
Delivering digital membership cards through Iterable
BIG4 used Iterable as the customer engagement platform responsible for delivering personalized Litecard links within its existing member journeys.
Iterable enabled BIG4 to incorporate the digital membership card into communications already being sent to members rather than launching a disconnected adoption campaign.
Members accessing the email on a mobile device could select the download button and add the card directly to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Desktop users could scan a QR code with their phone and complete the same process.
This connected Iterable’s customer data and campaign orchestration with Litecard’s mobile wallet infrastructure, allowing BIG4 to issue individual membership cards at enterprise scale.
Iterable is designed to coordinate personalized customer engagement across multiple channels using behavioural and customer data. Connecting it with Litecard extends these journeys into the mobile wallet.
Supporting existing and newly acquired members
BIG4 developed separate communications for different stages of the membership lifecycle.
Existing Perks+ members received a dedicated announcement explaining that their membership card was now digital. The communication outlined how to download the card, where it would be stored and how members could manage notifications through their existing communication preferences.
New members received the digital card as part of the broader welcome journey. The welcome email combined several important onboarding actions:
- Download the Perks+ digital membership card
- Confirm or update account information
- Set travel interests and communication preferences
This made the mobile wallet card part of a complete member onboarding experience rather than treating it as an isolated technology feature.
An owned mobile membership channel
The BIG4 digital membership card is more than a replacement for plastic.
Once the pass is added, BIG4 has a direct presence inside the member’s native mobile wallet. The card remains available without requiring the member to search through an inbox, remember a password or open a third-party loyalty application.
It also gives BIG4 greater control over the membership experience, including the branding, information and actions available through the pass.
With appropriate member permissions, the mobile wallet can support relevant membership notifications and updates while continuing to respect the communication preferences managed through the member’s BIG4 account.
Technology stack
- Iterable customer engagement platform
- Litecard mobile wallet infrastructure
- Apple Wallet
- Google Wallet
- BIG4 online membership accounts
- Personalized email and QR-code delivery
What BIG4 did well
BIG4 supported the rollout with clear, member-focused education rather than relying on customers to understand mobile wallets without guidance.
Its communications explained:
- Why the membership card was becoming digital
- How to add the card from a phone or desktop computer
- The difference between clicking a mobile link and scanning a QR code
- Where the card would be stored
- How notification preferences could be managed
- Which mobile devices supported the experience
BIG4 also updated its privacy documentation, collection statement and membership terms to specifically address digital membership cards. This created a more considered enterprise rollout across customer experience, marketing and governance.
Why mobile wallet membership matters in travel
Travel loyalty programs operate differently from high-frequency retail programs. Members may only transact several times each year, but the membership card becomes particularly important during booking, arrival and check-in.
A mobile wallet membership card keeps the program accessible during those moments without expecting customers to regularly engage with a dedicated app.
For a distributed holiday park network, it also creates a more consistent experience across hundreds of independently operated locations. Members arrive with the same recognizable digital credential regardless of which BIG4 park they visit.
BIG4’s Perks+ program currently provides benefits including 10% savings on eligible stays, in-park perks, exclusive member offers and partner benefits. Bringing the card into the mobile wallet makes these benefits easier to access and keeps the membership visible between holidays.
The result
Litecard gave BIG4 a scalable way to transition a major national membership program from plastic cards to mobile wallets.
The implementation:
- Made membership information easier for customers to access
- Removed the requirement for another mobile application
- Used BIG4’s existing Iterable journeys to drive adoption
- Supported personalized cards for existing and new members
- Created a consistent digital experience across more than 300 parks
- Extended BIG4’s customer engagement ecosystem into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet
- Established an owned mobile channel for future membership communication
For BIG4, the digital card provides a more convenient membership experience. For Litecard, the implementation demonstrates how mobile wallet infrastructure can be deployed through an enterprise customer engagement platform to support a large, nationally distributed loyalty program.
