What Apple Wallet Custom Passes Are and Why They Matter
Apple Wallet custom passes are user-created digital cards that store barcodes and key details from physical tickets, loyalty cards, and membership cards so they can be scanned directly from an iPhone. In iOS 27, this feature appears as “Create a Pass” when you tap the plus button in Wallet, and it brings membership card digitization into the main app without needing third-party tools. Previously, you had to rely on individual merchant apps or intermediaries to create digital passes, which left many small gyms, clubs, and local venues unsupported. Now, Apple Wallet custom passes give you a single, organized place to create digital passes on iPhone, keep barcodes handy at the checkout, and integrate them with existing Wallet behaviors such as sorting, notifications, and quick access from the lock screen.
Check Requirements and Start the Create a Pass Flow
Before you create digital passes on iPhone, make sure you are running the iOS 27 developer or public beta and using the updated Wallet app. The new Create a Pass feature appears after you tap the plus symbol at the top of the main Wallet screen under “Add to Wallet.” From there, you see an explanation that you can build passes using Visual Intelligence or enter everything manually. According to AppleInsider, this option is subtitled “Tickets, membership cards and more,” signaling that it is designed for a wide range of everyday cards. Visual Intelligence relies on the new Siri mode and Apple Intelligence; Pocket-lint notes that this scanning path needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. If you do not have access to those tools yet, you can still proceed with the manual option and convert physical barcodes into custom passes by typing details yourself.
Use Visual Intelligence to Scan a Card into Apple Wallet
When Apple Intelligence and the new Siri mode are available on your device, you can point your iPhone camera at a physical membership card or even a screenshot to start membership card digitization. In the Create a Pass flow, choose the Visual Intelligence option, then frame the card so its barcode and text are clearly visible. Your iPhone reads the barcode, extracts key fields, and assembles a draft custom pass. Pocket-lint explains that “your iPhone uses a new Siri mode in the camera app, which uses Visual Intelligence to scan the card, including its barcode, and generate a digital version you can save to Apple Wallet.” You can then confirm the membership number, cardholder name, or loyalty ID, tweak any field that was misread, choose a template style if prompted, and tap Add to place the new pass alongside your existing Wallet cards.
Create a Custom Pass Manually from a Physical Membership Card
If Visual Intelligence is unavailable or your device is not supported, you can still create digital passes on iPhone manually. After tapping Create a Pass, pick one of three templates: Membership for gym or workplace access, Event for concerts and theater visits, or Standard for flexible layouts. Each template includes fields you can tap to edit, such as Member Status, membership number, admission type, or seat details. There is also a dedicated barcode or QR section; use your iPhone camera to scan the code from your physical card so the pass can be scanned in stores or at the front desk. AppleInsider notes that you can customize fields by renaming, deleting, or replacing them via the Add/Remove Fields button, which opens a list of premade options. Once you have filled in the information, review the preview, then tap Add to Wallet to save it.
Customize and Use Your New Membership Pass in Everyday Life
After you add a custom pass, it behaves much like other Apple Wallet passes. You can reorder it in the Wallet stack so your most-used memberships, loyalty cards, or event tickets stay near the top for quick access. Custom passes display the barcode in a large, scannable area, and they inherit familiar Wallet interactions such as tapping a pass to expand it, turning the device to show the code, and using it from the lock screen. In the current iOS 27 beta, there is no automatic pass creation for every scenario yet, but AppleInsider reports that the manual process “already works well” for common membership barcodes. Combined with other iOS 27 Wallet features, like improved order tracking and bill-splitting via Siri mode, Apple Wallet custom passes help consolidate more of your daily cards into one, organized digital hub on your iPhone.
