Digital loyalty card in Tulum: how to reward tourists and residents
In short: in Tulum two very different customers share the counter: the tourist who stays a few days and the resident who comes every day. One long card does not work for both. What works best is a short card, 5 or 6 stamps, that a visitor can finish during their stay, plus a reward the resident finds worth claiming every week. In Tulum, iPhone users and English speakers also weigh more than in the rest of the country.
This guide is for cafés, bakeries and counter businesses in Tulum. It starts with who the customers are and ends with concrete numbers for your card.
The local problem: the customer who leaves
In most cities, a stamp program relies on the customer who returns for months. In Tulum a large share of sales comes from people who leave within a week and may not return for years.
That leads to two common mistakes:
- A 10-stamp card for everyone. The tourist never reaches the reward, and the card feels useless.
- Forgetting the resident. People who live and work in Tulum, including many foreigners who stayed, are the ones who buy every day and keep the business going in low season.
The way out is to design for the resident and let the tourist also win something in a few visits.
High and low season
Traffic in Tulum rises and falls with tourism. In high season the counter is full of new faces. In low season it is mostly residents.
| Moment | Who buys | What to do with the card |
|---|---|---|
| High season | Tourist staying a few days | Short card, welcome stamps |
| Low season | Residents and local workers | Double stamps, weekly reward |
| All year | Nomads staying weeks or months | Regular card, a reminder if they stop coming |
These are general observations to guide the design, not measurements. The exact dates of each season vary; look at your own sales month by month.
iPhone and English
In Mexico 28% of phones run iOS (StatCounter, September 2026). In a tourist area with many visitors from the United States, Canada and Europe, your counter may see a higher share. There is no public figure for Tulum, so count it yourself: for one week, note how many customers pay with an iPhone.
With Club Card, Android customers save the card in Google Wallet. iPhone customers use it in the browser with their code, because it cannot be saved in Apple Wallet yet. If more than half of your customers use iPhone, compare before deciding: several local apps do offer Apple Wallet, as we explain in best stamp card apps.
Language is the other point. Club Card is in Spanish. If most of your customers speak English, give the team a short English line, for example: "Scan this to get a free coffee after 6 visits".
Three business examples (hypothetical)
All three are made-up examples to show decisions, not real businesses.
A specialty café in the hotel zone. Almost all its customers are tourists. A 5-stamp card, 2 free on sign-up, and a coffee as the reward. With three visits in their week, the visitor leaves with a free coffee and in a mood to write a review.
A bakery in town that sells to residents and restaurants. The daily customer matters more than the tourist. An 8-stamp card with bread as the reward, and double stamps in the quiet months. The dashboard shows who stopped coming when a work contract ends or someone moves.
A juice stand near the beach. Low ticket and high turnover. A 6-stamp card and a small juice as the reward. The juice bars guide has more ideas for this category.
Reviews: what the tourist can give
The tourist may not come back, but they can leave a review, and the next tourist chooses by reviews. Club Card lets you set stamps for reviews: 5 for a Google Maps review and 2 for TripAdvisor, once each.
In Tulum both platforms count. Many foreign visitors plan the trip with TripAdvisor and then search Google Maps once they are on the street. Asking for the review on the last visit, when the customer claims the reward, is the most natural moment.
How to launch it in Tulum
- Choose the short card: 5 or 6 stamps and a clear reward.
- Put the QR at the register and on the tables, with an English line next to it.
- Teach the team the sentence in both languages.
- Give 2 stamps on sign-up: a card with a head start gets completed more often (Nunes and Drèze, 2006).
- In low season, check the dashboard for residents who did not return and offer them double stamps.
Club Card in Tulum
Club Card is a digital stamp card with your business's brand, for cafés, bakeries and counter businesses in Mexico and Argentina. Our team sets it up, and it includes a CRM with each member's data, an owner dashboard, a QR per location and the rule of one stamp per member per day. Your club lives at an address inside getclubcard.com.
It costs USD 39 a month, with no setup fee and no lock-in. The first 20 cafés pay USD 29 a month for 12 months, and if it does not work for you within 30 days we refund the month. The amount in pesos depends on the exchange rate. See the pricing, the Mexico guide, the Playa del Carmen guide if you also have customers there, or sign up.
Frequently asked questions
Does a stamp card work if almost all my customers are tourists?
Yes, if it is short. With 5 or 6 stamps and 2 welcome stamps, a one-week visitor can finish it.
Is the card in English?
No. Club Card is in Spanish. For English-speaking customers, a short line next to the QR and a set sentence from the team help.
Can my iPhone customers save it?
They use it in the browser with their code. Today Club Card cannot be saved in Apple Wallet.
How do I keep residents coming in low season?
With double stamps for a while and by checking the dashboard for who stopped coming.
Sources
Want a club for your business?
A stamp card in Google Wallet with your brand, a dashboard and a CRM for USD 39 a month.