# Messages and the nearby alert

Send a short message that lands on your customers’ lock screens, and on Premium have your card pop up when they are near the shop. Both reach everyone with your loyalty card in their wallet, with no app.

## Plans

- Free: Not included
- Pro: 2 messages a week
- Premium: 1 message a day and the nearby alert

In the dashboard: Loyalty → Messages, and Loyalty → Nearby

## Set it up

1. Open Loyalty → Messages, write your message and pick a day and time.
2. On Premium, open Loyalty → Nearby, set where the shop is and switch it on.

## Every option

| Option | What it does | Default | Plans |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Message | Up to 120 characters, shown as a notification and kept on the back of the card. | — | Pro and Premium |
| Usual time | When messages go out, in your shop’s time zone. | 8:00 | Pro and Premium |
| Shop location | Set with your phone’s location in the shop, or by looking up the address. | Not set | Premium |
| When | Any time, or only between the hours you choose. | Any time | Premium |
| Lock-screen line | What the card says when it pops up. iPhone only; Google writes its own. | From your card | Premium |

Each option has its own anchor, such as https://thetap.shop/docs/feature/messages#message.

## What customers see

A notification on their lock screen, and their card appearing when they are near. Their location never reaches us.

## Limits and downgrades

Only customers with your loyalty card in their wallet get them.

## Questions

- [How do I send a message to my customers’ phones?](https://thetap.shop/docs/wallet-messages.md): On Pro and Premium, open Loyalty → Messages, write a short message such as “Half-price cake today”, and pick a day and time. Everyone with your loyalty card in their wallet gets it as a notification on their phone’s lock screen, on iPhone and Android.
- [How does the nearby alert work?](https://thetap.shop/docs/nearby-alert.md): On Premium, your loyalty card can pop up on a customer’s lock screen when they are near your shop. Turn it on in Loyalty → Nearby, set where the shop is, and choose any time or only your busy hours.

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Source: https://thetap.shop/docs/feature/messages
Updated: 2026-10-24