How messages work

Messages in Passtastic are push notifications delivered through Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. They appear on your customer's lock screen — not as SMS or email.

Messages are plain text only (max 160 characters for best delivery). Links, images, and formatting are not supported by Apple/Google Wallet.

Sending a message from the dashboard

1. Go to your card on the dashboard.

2. Click Send Message from the card menu.

3. Write your message (max 160 characters recommended).

4. Send. The message is delivered to all customers who have this card installed.

Sending to a specific segment

You can target messages to groups of customers instead of everyone.

1. Open Customers from the sidebar.

2. Click Send Message to Group.

3. Choose your target audience:

All Customers — everyone with the selected card
Customer Segment — a specific group

4. If you chose a segment, select one from the list. You'll see a preview of how many customers will receive the message and the estimated delivery rate.

5. Write your message and click Send Message.

Smart segments (built-in)

Passtastic automatically creates these segments for you:

All Customers — everyone who installed the card
Inactive (7+ days) — haven't visited in a week
Inactive (30+ days) — haven't visited in a month
Frequent Visitors — 10+ visits
New Customers — joined recently
Ready to Redeem — completed their stamp/point card
Never Scanned — installed the card but never used it
High Value Customers — high purchase value
Low Engagement — minimal interaction

These are available on all plans.

Custom segments

On Multi-Location and Groups & Brands plans, you can build your own segments using combinations of criteria (visit count, inactivity period, card type, custom fields, etc.).

Create custom segments from Customers → Create custom segment.

Tips for effective messages

Keep it short. 160 characters or less delivers best. Think of it as a text message, not an email.

Be specific. "Free coffee this Friday" works better than "We have a special offer for you."

Create urgency. "Today only: double stamps on all drinks" drives immediate action.

Use for the right occasions:

New promotions or seasonal offers
Reminding inactive customers to come back
Announcing events or schedule changes
Rewarding loyal customers with exclusive deals

Don't over-send. Too many notifications and customers will delete the card. A good cadence is 1–2 messages per week at most.

Messages vs. automations

| | Manual messages | Automations | |---|---|---| | When | You send when you decide | Triggered automatically by rules | | Audience | All customers or a segment | Customers who match a condition | | Use for | Promotions, announcements | Birthday, win-back, welcome, milestones | | Plan | All plans | Birthday on all; others on Multi-Location+ |

See the Automated Notifications guide for setting up automations.

Common questions

Can I send a message to one specific customer?

Not directly from the messaging feature. You can create a segment that matches one customer, or contact them using their profile info from the Customers page.

Can I include a link in the message?

No. Wallet push notifications are plain text only — Apple and Google Wallet don't support clickable links in notifications. However, when a customer taps the notification, it opens the card in their wallet.

How do I know if my message was delivered?

After sending, you'll see the delivery stats — total customers, those with active notification tokens, and the delivery rate. Not all customers will receive every message (some may have turned off notifications on their device).

Is there a limit on how many messages I can send?

All plans include unlimited messages. There's no per-message fee.