Any UK retailer or brand running a mobile wallet programme eventually hits the same question. When it’s time to hand a wallet pass to a customer in the shop, on a receipt, at an event, in an email how do you actually deliver it?
The two dominant answers are NFC tap and barcode/QR code. Both work. Both have quiet advantages the other doesn’t. Most brands running wallet passes at any scale end up using both but for different jobs.
How each one actually works
NFC tap. A small chip or sticker in a physical object, a poster, a shelf tag, a table stand, product packaging. The customer taps their phone against it. The phone opens the pass save link directly. One gesture, no scanning, no camera.
Barcode or QR code. A printed or displayed square of code. The customer opens their camera, points at the code, and taps the URL banner that appears. Two or three gestures, but the barcode/QR code itself can live anywhere a camera can see email, receipt, screen, poster, print ad, digital billboard.
Where NFC wins
NFC works best in physical, high-traffic touchpoints where the customer is already in front of the object.
In-store shelf edges: tap-to-add a loyalty pass or promo voucher while shopping
Point of sale receipts: an NFC sticker or wallet pass moment at checkout
Hospitality tables: tap-to-join a loyalty programme while waiting for a table
Event wristbands and entry gates: tap-to-add tickets and access passes
Product packaging: tap the box to activate a warranty pass or claim a reward
The single-gesture UX matters more than most brands assume. Wallet pass save rates from NFC touchpoints run meaningfully higher than barcodes/QR codes at the same touchpoint, because the friction from phone-in-hand to pass-in-wallet is one action, not three.
Where Barcodes / QR Codes win
QR codes and barcodes win everywhere the customer isn’t already at a physical object.
Email signatures and body copy a QR the reader can scan with a second phone or send to another device
Order confirmations and printed receipts cheap, universal, works on any till printer
Digital signage and TV displays QR reads from screens, NFC can’t
Print ads, posters, magazines, billboards no infrastructure required beyond the printed image
Website product pages QR displayed on the page for save-to-phone flows
QR codes/barcodes also wins on cost at scale. There is no per-unit cost to a barcode/QR code; you print it and forget it. NFC requires the procurement of chips or stickers (readers for PoS too).
It’s important to note that for NFC/RFID mobile wallet passes, you will also often have a barcode or QR code as a backup within the same pass. The QR code/barcode value is usually the same as the NFC/RFID value, just encrypted in a different way.
Cost and infrastructure
The numbers cut differently at different scales.
- NFC tags cost £0.20-£2 per unit depending on volume, chip type, and durability. Deploying NFC across 200 stores is a real capex line.
- Barcodes / QR codes are effectively free. Print anywhere, scale anywhere.
- NFC needs physical installation and maintenance. Someone applies the tag, checks it, and replaces it if it fails.
- Barcodes / QR codes have no maintenance overhead beyond keeping the destination URL live.
For a single-site business, NFC in-store makes sense. For a 500-site retailer, most brands run NFC at the highest-traffic touchpoints (till, entry) and rely on QR for everything else.
What most UK retailers actually do
The answer is nearly always both, but for different jobs.
In-store, at the till, on high-frequency shelf tags: NFC. The gesture is smoother, the save rate is higher, and the customer is already at the object. Most times for NFC/RFID passes, customers might not even need to unlock their phones or navigate to their wallet.
Everywhere else emails, receipts, digital signage, print, product packaging: QR. Universal, free at scale, no infrastructure.
Distribution to the customer’s Apple Wallet or Google Wallet is the same on the platform side the wallet pass itself doesn’t care how the customer got to it. The choice is about which UX suits which moment.
Whichever combination you use, the pass on the phone works the same way as a loyalty card, voucher, or membership sitting on the lock screen. See how Litecard UK handles distribution across both channels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. iPhone and modern Android phones both handle NFC natively; the customer just brings the phone close to the tag. The gesture is the same one they use for contactless payment, so UK consumers are already trained on it.
NFC tends to have higher completion rates at the physical touchpoint because it’s a single gesture, whereas barcodes / QR codes require opening the camera, aligning, and tapping the URL. That said, barcodes and QR codes are often the only option for non-physical distribution (email, print, digital), so drop-off comparisons only matter within the same use case.
Yes, and many UK retailers do. A printed poster or shelf tag can carry both an NFC chip and a QR code/barcode, letting customers use whichever they prefer. Save rates from combined touchpoints tend to be higher than either alone.
