What Apple Wallet Custom Passes Are and What You Need
Apple Wallet custom passes are digital cards you create inside the Wallet app by scanning or manually entering details from physical membership, loyalty, or event cards so you can store and use their barcodes, QR codes, and key information directly on your iPhone instead of carrying the original plastic or paper versions. With iOS 27, the new Create a Pass option appears when you tap the plus button in Wallet, bringing tickets, membership cards, and more under one roof. You can build passes in two ways: using Visual Intelligence with Siri’s new camera mode, or by entering everything yourself. According to AppleInsider, this feature “takes a little work, but it already works well.” Note that Visual Intelligence requires the updated Siri experience and compatible hardware, while manual creation works on devices running the iOS 27 Wallet app.
How to Scan a Physical Membership Card into Apple Wallet
To create digital passes in iOS 27 from a physical card, open Apple Wallet, tap the plus icon, and choose Create a Pass. Pick the scan option, then point your iPhone camera at the front of your loyalty or membership card so the barcode and key text are visible. iOS 27 uses a new Siri mode in the camera, with Visual Intelligence, to read the card details and barcode and build a Wallet-ready pass. Pocket-lint notes that this works from either a physical card or “a screenshot of one.” When the scan completes, you can review the name, membership number, and barcode, then save it. This scan-based membership card digitization is the fastest route, but it needs Apple Intelligence and an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, so older devices must rely on manual entry.
Building a Custom Pass Manually with Templates
If scanning is unavailable or your card does not scan cleanly, you can still create Apple Wallet custom passes manually. After choosing Create a Pass, select Continue without Visual Intelligence to see three templates: Membership, Event, and Standard. Membership suits gym, workplace, or club access, with fields such as Member Status and membership number. Event is tuned for concerts or theatre visits, with admission type and seat details, while Standard gives a more generic layout. Tap any field to change its label or content; date pickers and text inputs appear as needed. If a field does not match your use case, use Add/Remove Fields to delete it and choose a different premade option. You can also tap the large barcode area to add a barcode or QR code from your physical card, ensuring it will scan at the door or checkout counter.
Customizing and Organizing Passes for Everyday Use
Once the structure is set, you can refine each pass so it is easy to find and use during daily life. Give every pass a clear name that matches how you think of it, such as “Gym Membership” or “Grocery Points,” and choose the template whose labels need the least editing. Color and background options help you visually separate work, travel, and shopping passes at a glance, while carefully filling in fields like expiration dates and membership tiers keeps everything accurate. Try grouping similar passes, such as stacking all loyalty cards together in Wallet, to streamline loyalty card management when you are standing at a register. Because custom passes sit alongside payment cards and transit tickets, they benefit from the same quick access gestures you already use, making membership card digitization feel like a natural extension of your existing Wallet habits.
Extra Perks: Events, Loyalty Cards, and Bill-Splitting
Beyond converting plastic cards, Apple Wallet’s Create a Pass feature helps you manage a wider mix of credentials in one place. Event templates work well for offline concert tickets or small venue passes that lack an app, while Standard templates are handy for one-off access barcodes or visitor badges. Pocket-lint explains that iOS 27 also adds a Split Bill feature: when you point your iPhone at a receipt using Siri mode and select Split Bill, Wallet can identify items and calculate each person’s share, including tax and tip, then send payment requests with Apple Cash. This ties nicely into having your loyalty and membership passes in Wallet, since you can redeem rewards and settle group payments from the same app. Together, these changes turn Apple Wallet into a central hub for everyday passes, payments, and shared expenses.
