The short answer: re-invite the list yourself, one message at a time
There's no automatic way to pull a closed WhatsApp group's phone numbers into Waya, because Waya requires each customer to actively scan a QR code, fill a short form, and tap Add to Wallet — there's no account or password, but also no silent backend enrollment. The practical recovery path is to personally re-share the enroll link or QR with everyone from the old group, either individually or through whatever channel replaced it, and let each person complete the short sign-up themselves.
This is slower than a true migration, but it's honest about how wallet passes work: a card has to be actively added by the customer, not pushed to them.
Where this fits the Free plan's 100-customer pilot
If the old WhatsApp group had under 100 active members, the entire recovery fits comfortably inside Waya's Free plan — 0 SAR forever, up to 100 customers, 1 stamp card, 100 messages a month. Groups larger than that should plan to move to Growth (85 SAR/month, unlimited customers) partway through the recovery, since re-enrolling more than 100 people will hit the Free ceiling before the list is fully recovered.
The recovery steps
Seven steps take the recovery from a stalled WhatsApp group to a running wallet-card program, in roughly the order most washes work through them.
- Export or copy the phone number list
Pull whatever contact list WhatsApp still gives you access to — exported contacts, saved numbers, or a manual copy from group members.
- Set up the stamp card first
Build the card, logo, and stamp threshold in the dashboard before reaching out to anyone, so the enroll link is ready to share.
- Print or screenshot the QR code
Get the enroll QR/link from the dashboard's card screen, ready to paste into individual messages.
- Message the list personally or in small batches
Send the enroll link directly, explaining briefly that the shop moved off the group and onto a wallet card.
- Ask them to tap Add to Wallet
Each customer scans, fills a first name and mobile number, and adds the card — about ten seconds per person.
- Resend to stragglers after a few days
There's no bulk import to fall back on — just a shorter second message to whoever hasn't tapped Add to Wallet yet.
- Track re-enrollment on the dashboard
Watch enrolled-customer count climb and compare it against your original group size to see how much of the list came back.
A screenshot-style checklist for the dashboard
Four dashboard screens are all that need attention during a WhatsApp-to-Waya recovery, in the order a first-time user would naturally hit them.
- Card screen: logo, colors, and stamp threshold set before sharing anything
- Branches screen: address (and geofence, if on Growth+) added
- Customers screen: watch enrolled count rise as the old group re-signs up
- Notifications screen: welcome-on-enrollment message turned on to confirm each sign-up landed correctly
Why some of the old list won't come back, and that's fine
Expect a meaningful drop-off between the old group's size and the number who actually complete enrollment — some numbers will be inactive, some people won't bother tapping a new link, and that's a normal part of any list migration, not a sign anything went wrong. Treat the recovered number as your real, engaged base going forward rather than chasing 100% of the old list.
| Old group size | Realistic re-enrollment | Recovery rate |
|---|---|---|
| 50 members | ~30 enrolled | ~60% |
| 100 members | ~55 enrolled | ~55% |
| 200 members | ~100 enrolled | ~50% |
What Waya adds once the list is back on a card
Once re-enrolled, wallet-based messaging replaces the old group entirely — welcome, stamp, reward, and 14-day win-back triggers all fire automatically, and scheduled campaigns respect working hours. Unlike a WhatsApp group, individual customers can't see each other or reply into a shared thread, which avoids the exact clutter that likely made the old group unmanageable in the first place. This is the same mechanism behind planning a launch around the 100-customer cap, just applied to a re-enrollment instead of a first-time launch.
A limit worth knowing before you start
Waya has no POS or till integration, so once customers are back on cards, stamps still need a staff member to scan them on an ordinary phone — nothing about the migration changes that. There's also no SMS channel for the outreach itself; sharing the enroll link happens through whatever messaging app or in-person conversation you already have, since Waya doesn't send bulk invites on your behalf.
Frequently asked questions
Can Waya automatically import a WhatsApp group's phone numbers as enrolled customers?
No. Every customer has to actively scan a QR code, fill a short form, and tap Add to Wallet — there's no silent backend enrollment, so the phone numbers have to be re-invited and each person has to complete sign-up themselves.
Will my whole WhatsApp group come back once I share the enroll link?
Expect a drop-off. A closed group's member count usually overstates how many people are actually engaged, so treat whoever actually taps Add to Wallet as your real, re-engaged base.
Does this recovery fit the Free plan?
Yes, for groups under 100 active members. Larger groups will hit the Free plan's 100-customer ceiling partway through and should plan to move to Growth for unlimited customers.
Can I bulk-import the phone list instead of messaging everyone individually?
No — Waya has no bulk or Excel import on any plan. Messaging the list yourself, individually or in small batches, is the only way in, and each customer still needs to tap Add to Wallet themselves to receive an actual wallet card.
What should I do once customers are re-enrolled?
Turn on the welcome-on-enrollment message to confirm sign-ups landed correctly, then let the automatic stamp, reward, and 14-day win-back triggers take over from the old group's manual messaging.