QR codes and POS authentication
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Every wallet pass can carry a QR code. It can hold the customer's refer-a-friend link, so friends scan it to claim the referral offer, or a personal code that identifies the customer. Either way, your staff can scan the pass at Shopify POS to pull up the customer's points, rewards, and perks — no email or customer lookup needed.
Choose the QR code type
- Open Wallet Passes. Click New for a new pass, or Edit on an existing one.
- Scroll to the QR Code section and pick an option in the QR Code dropdown.
- Click Save in the bar at the top.
| Option | What the code holds | Who scans it |
|---|---|---|
| None | No QR code on the pass. | — |
| Referral | The customer's refer-a-friend link. | Friends, to claim the referral offer. Your staff at Shopify POS, once you allow referral codes at POS. |
| Personal | A private code that identifies this customer. | Your staff at Shopify POS. |
The QR code appears on both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes. Each pass has its own QR code setting, so a tier-specific pass can use a different type than your default pass.
The Referral QR code
Choose Referral and each customer's pass shows a QR code with their own refer-a-friend link — the same link they would otherwise copy and send by hand. A friend scans it to open your store through that link. See Referral rewards for how the offer and the reward work.
The referral QR code needs an active refer-a-friend reward. With a single refer-a-friend reward, Toki uses it automatically. If you run more than one, a Referral Activity dropdown appears in the QR Code section — pick the reward this pass should use. The same dropdown appears when a pass field is set to Referral, and one choice covers both the field and the QR code. See Pass fields.
The Personal QR code
Choose Personal and each pass carries a code unique to that customer. It is not meant for sharing. Its one job is to identify the customer when your staff scan the pass at Shopify POS, in the Toki: Redemption or Toki: Paid Memberships tile. This works on its own — you don't need to turn on any extra setting.
The code doesn't expire and doesn't change: it stays the same when the pass updates, and it is the same on the customer's Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes.
Text under the QR code
You can show a short line of text under the code on both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes.
- In the QR Code section, check QR Code Alt Text.
- In the Alt Text box, type the line you want, for example "Give $5 Get $5".
- Click Save in the bar at the top.
Leave the Alt Text box empty with Referral selected, and Toki writes the line for you from the referral offer: what a friend gets and what the customer gets, for example "GIVE $5" and "GET $5".
Let staff scan referral codes at Shopify POS
A referral QR code can double as the customer's in-store ID. This is off until you allow it:
- Open Wallet Passes.
- Scroll to the Additional Settings card at the bottom of the page. It appears once you have at least one pass.
- Check Allow POS authentication with referral code.
- Click Save in the bar at the top.
This setting applies to all your passes.
At the register:
- In Shopify POS, tap the Toki: Redemption tile. The Toki: Paid Memberships tile scans the same way.
- Tap Show Scanner and scan the QR code on the customer's wallet pass. With a connected hardware scanner, scan the code directly.
- Toki reads the referral code from the link, finds the customer it belongs to, and loads their loyalty account — points, rewards, and perks — so staff can use them on the sale.
The scanner is offered while the sale has no customer attached. If a customer is already on the sale, Toki loads that customer's account by itself.
Until you turn the setting on, scanning a referral code at POS shows the message "Referral code authentication is not allowed for POS". Staff can still identify the customer another way, for example by adding them as the customer on the sale.
Keep in mind that referral codes are public. Customers share them with friends, so this way of identifying a customer is less secure than the others. If you want a code that only the customer holds, use the Personal QR code instead.