Waya vs Square

Waya vs Square Loyalty: bundled into a POS, or POS-agnostic

Square Loyalty is bundled into Square's own POS from $49/mo/location, no Google Wallet. Waya is POS-agnostic, SAR-priced, with native Apple and Google Wallet.

Waya TeamUpdated 6 September 20267 min read
comparisonsquare-loyalty

The short version

Square Loyalty isn't a standalone product — it's a module bundled into Square's own point-of-sale ecosystem, starting at the Square Plus tier ($49/mo/location, ≈184 SAR) as of September 2026. Square's Free tier explicitly excludes Loyalty.

Waya is POS-agnostic by design: no till integration, priced in SAR, working the same whether your checkout is a cash drawer or any POS system, because a Waya visit is counted by a staff scan, not a payment.

If you already run Square for payments in a market where Square operates, bundling loyalty in is convenient. If you want a loyalty layer independent of whatever POS you use, see more Square Loyalty alternatives — or if you're in Saudi Arabia, where Square's card-present model isn't built for local rails, Waya is the more natural fit.

Notifications, side by side

Notifications are where a loyalty card either earns its keep or sits unused in a wallet. Here is exactly what Square Loyalty publishes about its own notification stack, compared field by field against what Waya publishes about ours, as of September 2026.

Prices, features, and limits change — verify anything that matters to your decision on the vendor's own site before you commit.

Notifications, side by side: Waya vs Square Loyalty
Notification featureWayaSquare Loyalty
Lock-screen pushApple Wallet (APNs) and Google Wallet, native, no extra appApple Wallet confirmed; Google Wallet confirmed not supported
GeofenceApple Wallet only, up to 10 branches, 50–500 m radius, zero message quotaNot found — Square doesn't claim location-triggered messaging as a Loyalty feature
Automatic triggersWelcome, stamp added, reward redeemed, 14-day win-back — each editable, on/offTransactional earn/redeem confirmations only, no lifecycle automation
Scheduled campaignsRespect the shop's working hours — a send outside opening hours moves to the next open slotNot found
Audience targetingEveryone, a lifecycle segment, a program, or hand-picked customersOnly via the separately-sold Square Marketing module
Message pricingFree 100/mo, Growth 5,000/mo, Premium unlimited; top-up 500 messages for 5 SARLoyalty bundled from $49/mo/location (Plus tier); not sold standalone
SMS / WhatsAppNone — wallet lock-screen only, no SMS, no WhatsAppSMS yes, native transactional texts; no WhatsApp

Pricing, side by side

Square Loyalty's published tiers, compared against Waya's three plans. Where Square Loyalty prices outside SAR, the SAR figure is our own approximate conversion for comparison only, not a number Square Loyalty publishes.

Waya vs Square Loyalty: published tiers
TierWayaSquare
Entry with loyaltyFree — 0 SAR forever, up to 100 customersSquare Free excludes Loyalty entirely
Cheapest with loyaltyGrowth — 85 SAR/mo, unlimited customersSquare Plus — $49/mo/location, ≈184 SAR, Loyalty included
Top tierPremium — 149 SAR/mo, everything unlimitedSquare Premium — $149/mo/location, ≈559 SAR

Where Square Loyalty is the better pick

We'd rather tell you honestly where the other product wins than pretend Waya is the right fit for every shop.

  • You already run Square as your point-of-sale system and want loyalty billed into the same subscription
  • Native SMS matters to you — Square sends transactional texts automatically on earn/redeem, something Waya doesn't do
  • You're comfortable with per-location USD pricing and operate in a market where Square is fully supported
  • You want loyalty tied to actual transaction data automatically rather than a manual staff scan

Where Waya wins

Square Loyalty has no free tier at all — its own Free plan for payments explicitly excludes Loyalty, so a merchant pays $49/mo/location (≈184 SAR) from day one just to turn it on. Waya is free forever up to 100 customers.

Square Loyalty also doesn't support Google Wallet, confirmed directly by Square, and doesn't publish any geofence or lifecycle-automation feature — only transactional earn/redeem confirmations. Waya supports both major wallets natively and ships welcome, stamp, reward, and win-back triggers plus a published geofence radius.

Most importantly for a Saudi merchant: Square Loyalty only works if you're already running Square as your POS, in a market where Square operates. Waya works beside any till, anywhere in Saudi Arabia, priced in SAR from the start.

Waya's limits, plainly

State our limits plainly, once: Waya has no POS or till integration, so a staff member scans the customer's card on an ordinary phone; there's no SMS channel, only wallet lock-screen messages; the Android merchant app is still in closed testing, so Android staff use the web dashboard; and the Free plan stops adding new customers and messages at 100 of each, though everyone already enrolled keeps their card.

See more Square Loyalty alternatives for Saudi shops if a POS-agnostic option matters to you.

Switch to Waya in a week

None of this needs a long rollout or a signed contract to test. A single-branch shop can go from nothing to a working, free program in five to seven working days.

  1. Day 1: build the card

    Pick stamp, points, balance, or discount, add your logo and colors, and choose the Free plan to launch at 0 SAR.

  2. Day 2: print the QR poster

    Print the poster from the dashboard and put it where staff already hand the customer something — a receipt, keys, a bag.

  3. Day 3: set your branch and geofence

    Add your branch address, and on Growth or above set the geofence radius separately from the address text.

  4. Day 4: turn on the triggers

    Turn on welcome, stamp, reward, and the 14-day win-back message, writing each one before you go live.

  5. Days 5–7: watch enrollments

    Track signups and returning customers on the dashboard, and decide whether to upgrade before you hit the 100-customer ceiling.

Frequently asked questions

Is Waya cheaper than Square Loyalty?

Yes, decisively. Waya is free forever up to 100 customers; Square Loyalty has no free tier and costs at least $49/mo/location (≈184 SAR) just to activate, on top of running Square as your POS.

Do customers need an app?

No. A Waya card is an Apple Wallet or Google Wallet pass added in three taps — scan a QR code, type a first name and mobile number, tap once to add the pass. A device with neither wallet gets a web card at the same link instead.

What happens after 100 customers on Free?

New enrollments and new messages pause once a shop passes 100 customers or 100 messages in a month on the Free plan. Everyone already enrolled keeps their card and keeps collecting stamps or points — nothing already running breaks. Growth at 85 SAR/mo removes both ceilings.

Does Waya connect to my POS?

No. Waya has no point-of-sale or till integration — a staff member scans the customer's card on an ordinary phone, in the web dashboard or the Waya iOS app, and that scan is what counts as a visit.

Does Square Loyalty work with Foodics or other Saudi POS systems?

No — Square Loyalty is bundled exclusively into Square's own point-of-sale ecosystem and doesn't integrate with third-party POS systems like Foodics. Waya also does not connect to Foodics, but unlike Square, Waya doesn't require any POS at all — a staff member scans the customer's card by hand.

Put Waya on your counter — free forever up to 100 customersStart free at 0 SAR
Start free at 0 SAR