Regulr vs Square Loyalty: When to Add a Retention Layer (2026)

Overview

Square Loyalty is the points engine bundled into Square POS, and for what it does, it's genuinely good: points accrue automatically at checkout, redemption is clean, and it costs nothing extra to try. Most coffee shops and quick-serve spots on Square should keep it running. The gap shows up 3 or 4 months in, when owners realize it can't reach a customer between visits. It won't notice a daily regular who's missed 3 days, won't send a follow-up naming the drink they ordered on their first visit, and lives in Square's branded app rather than the customer's own Apple or Google Wallet. Regulr isn't a rip-and-replace: it's the retention layer that runs on top of your existing Square setup and fills exactly those gaps.

Built-in points program for Square POS users

Feature-by-feature comparison

Green checkmarks mean the feature is included. Dashes mean it's not available or requires a workaround.

Feature	Regulr	Square Loyalty
Points accrual at the POS	✓	✓
Digital loyalty program	✓	✓
Square POS integration	✓	✓
Apple/Google Wallet pass (no app download)	✓	—
Drifting-regular detection (3 missed days)	✓	—
Named-drink first-visit follow-up	✓	—
Behavior-triggered win-back campaigns	✓	—
Customer segmentation by visit pattern	✓	—
SMS & wallet push campaigns included	✓	—
Expiring-progress recovery messages	✓	—

Pricing

Regulr

$99/mo

Per location. All features included.

Square Loyalty

Square Loyalty starts at $45/mo per location as a Square add-on. Regulr is $249/mo for a single-location coffee shop ($199 per location for 2+), layered on top of the Square account you already have. Most shops keep Square Loyalty running and add Regulr for the retention mechanics it can't do.

Where Square Loyalty works well

Square Loyalty is the right starting point for a brand-new shop on Square that wants a simple points program with zero setup. It handles accrual and redemption well. Shops typically outgrow it once they want to actually reach customers between visits.

Where Square Loyalty falls short

Customers live in the Square branded app, not their own wallet (under 20% of coffee customers will download a shop app per SCA 2023)

No detection when a daily regular starts drifting

No first-visit follow-up referencing what the customer ordered

Campaigns are blast-style, not segmented by visit behavior

No loss-aversion reminder when a customer's earned progress is about to expire

Where Regulr does better

Apple & Google Wallet passes saved in one tap at the counter, 3 to 5x the adoption of app-based programs (Square 2025 Loyalty Report)

Catches a drifting regular at 3 missed days and sends a free-drink recovery text (25 to 35% come back, Bloom Intelligence 2025)

48-hour first-visit follow-up naming the customer's exact drink (22 to 28% return conversion)

Runs on top of your existing Square account: nothing changes at the counter

Free-item rewards, which drive 2.3x the repeat visits of equivalent discounts (Square 2024 Coffee Report)

The bottom line

Square Loyalty is a solid choice if you need square loyalty is the right starting point for a brand-new shop on square that wants a simple points. But if your main goal is reducing customer churn with campaigns triggered by each customer's actual visit pattern, Regulr is built specifically for that.

Regulr wins on 7 features that Square Loyalty doesn't offer, while Square Loyalty has 0 features Regulr doesn't. They share 3 features in common.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Should I replace Square Loyalty or add Regulr on top?

Add on top. Square Loyalty handles points accrual at the POS reliably and costs you nothing extra to keep. Regulr reads your Square transaction data and adds the layer Square Loyalty doesn't have: wallet passes, drifting-regular detection, named-drink follow-ups, and segmented campaigns. Most coffee shops run both.

Does Regulr work with my existing Square setup?

Yes. Regulr connects to Square in about two minutes through Square's official integration. Your baristas keep ringing orders exactly as they do now. Regulr reads the transaction stream in the background and triggers the right message at the right moment.

Can I migrate my Square Loyalty members to Regulr?

Yes. Your existing loyalty member data (phone numbers, points, visit history) syncs through the Square integration. Most shops run both programs in parallel for 60 to 90 days while wallet-pass enrollment ramps at the counter, then decide whether to keep or retire Square Loyalty.

Is Regulr worth $249/mo for a single coffee shop?

The math: a daily regular is worth $1,100 to $1,400 per year (Square 2024 Coffee Report), and Regulr's drifting-regular recovery brings back 25 to 35% of at-risk regulars (Bloom Intelligence 2025). Recovering 3 to 4 drifting regulars per week covers the subscription. Most shops hit that inside the first 30 days.

Why do wallet passes beat the Square app for coffee loyalty?

Under 20% of customers will download a coffee shop's app (SCA, 2023), and most delete it within 60 days. An Apple or Google Wallet pass saves with one tap at the counter, lives in the wallet the customer already opens every morning, and receives push notifications without an app install. Adoption runs 3 to 5x higher.