← BeTeam for bars · Guide for bar and pub owners · 6 min read

Bar loyalty program ideas: keep regulars coming back without a card or an app

Most bar loyalty schemes reward spending. The ones that work reward coming back. Here is how the usual options compare for a bar or pub, what makes a regular a regular, and a loyalty scheme that costs nothing and runs itself on every matchday.

The short answer

• Stamp cards are cheap but get lost, and reward volume, not visits.
• Points apps need a download and a discount big enough to matter.
• A prediction league ties a regular's name to your screen, so they come back to defend it. Free, no staff time.
• Keep rewards non-alcoholic: a meal, a voucher, a shirt, a reserved table.

Bar loyalty programs compared

Scheme	Cost to the bar	What it rewards	Brings people back on a set night
Stamp card	Printing and the free item	Spending	No
Points app or POS loyalty	A monthly fee, plus discounts	Spending	No
Happy hour	Margin on every drink	Coming early	Every day, at a cost
Quiz night	A host and prizes	Coming on quiz night	One night a week
Prediction league	Nothing, or a small weekly prize	Coming back	Every matchday

What actually makes a regular

Regulars are not made by discounts. They come back because they are known there, because something of theirs is there, and because there is a reason to come tonight rather than another night. A good loyalty scheme gives all three: a name, a stake, and a date.

• A name. Staff who know you, a table you sit at, your name on a board.
• A stake. Something you would lose by not coming: a place in the table, a streak, a seat for the derby.
• A date. A reason this night matters: the match, the quiz, the final round.

A loyalty scheme that runs on your matchdays

If your bar shows sport, you already have the dates. A prediction league adds the name and the stake. Customers scan a QR code on your wall, guess the scores of the matches you show before kick-off, and a live table on one of your screens ranks them all season. Points update by themselves from the real results.

• No card, no app of your own. Customers use the free BeTeam app; you print one sign.
• It rewards coming back, not drinking more. Picks lock at kick-off, so the match is the reason to be there.
• A direct line to your regulars. The league has a group chat: tell everyone the derby is on tonight.
• A weekly ritual. Crown the week's winner at half-time with a small prize from the bar.

Rewards that work, and stay legal

Drinks as prizes are banned or restricted in several places: Scotland allows alcohol as a prize only in a sealed container to take away, several US states ban drinks as prizes outright, and in England a prize must not reward drinking more. Some countries, including Italy, Brazil and Spain, also regulate any prize a business gives. Safe rewards that regulars value:

• A meal or a sharing platter for the week's winner.
• A reserved table for the next big match.
• A team shirt or a scarf at the end of the month.
• Their name on the "champions" board by the bar.

Make the poster do the work

Put this week's fixtures on your wall with the league's QR code on the same sheet. Our free fixture poster maker fills in the matches, kick-off times and crests for you.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best loyalty program for a bar or pub?

The one regulars actually use. Stamp cards get lost, points apps need a download for a 10% discount, and both reward spending rather than coming back. For a bar that shows sport, a season-long prediction league works as a loyalty scheme: customers join from a QR code, their name sits on a table on your screen, and they come back every matchday to defend their place. It is free and needs no staff time.

How do I get repeat customers in my bar?

Give people a reason to come back on a specific night, a reason to come back to you rather than anywhere else, and a way for you to reach them. A prediction league does all three: picks lock at kick-off, the table only ranks your regulars, and the league's group chat lets you tell everyone what's on tonight.

Do bar loyalty programs need an app?

Not one of your own. A loyalty card needs nothing but a stamp, and a prediction league runs in the BeTeam app your customers download for free when they scan your sign. You do not install, build or pay for anything.

Can the loyalty reward be a free drink?

Keep it non-alcoholic. Drinks as prizes are banned or restricted in several places, including Scotland and several US states, and in England a prize must not reward drinking more. A meal, a voucher, a team shirt or a reserved table for the next big match works everywhere.

How much does a prediction league cost a bar?

Nothing. There is no fee, no contract and no software to run. The only optional cost is a small prize for the weekly winner.