My wallet got lighter. But I've created a point card holder inside my smartphone.

Recently, I was looking at my iPhone and suddenly realized something.
There is a folder on my home screen called "point card".

Inside, there are apps for cafes, restaurants, apparel stores, thrift shops, electronics retailers, and more.

Things that used to be in the card slots of my wallet have now moved directly into my smartphone.

The contents of my wallet have certainly decreased.

But perhaps I've just created a "point card holder" inside my smartphone.

It's quite convenient not to forget cards anymore.

I think the best thing about digital membership cards is that you don't forget them.
I don't forget to move them when I change wallets, and I rarely have to give up on points because I left a card at home.

As long as I have my smartphone, I can usually get by just by opening the app and showing the barcode.
Not having to carry around a bunch of physical cards is genuinely comfortable.

For those accustomed to cashless payments or mobile Suica, the trend of consolidating membership cards into a smartphone feels quite natural.

However, I've just created a card holder inside my smartphone.

On the other hand, digital membership cards come with their own set of hassles.

You need to log in.
You get notifications.
You can't open them without updating.
You find yourself thinking, "Wait, which app was it?" at the checkout counter.

This becomes a subtle source of stress.
I thought apps were meant to eliminate user hassle.
But in reality, there are times when organizing my wallet has simply been replaced by organizing my smartphone.

My wallet got lighter.
But the inside of my smartphone got a little heavier.

Companies want you to look at their apps. Users just want to show their membership cards.

Working at an IT company, I sort of understand why companies want to have their own apps.

They can manage member information.
They can send coupons.
They can get you to look at campaigns.
They can use usage history to lead to the next visit.

From the perspective of those running the service, I think apps are animportant touchpointto keep connecting with users.

But as a user standing at the checkout counter, the desire to "just show my membership card quickly" outweighs those circumstances.
Even though I just want to show my card, the moment I open the app, there are tons of campaigns and announcements lined up.

It's hard to tell where the essential barcode is.
When it gets to this point, it feels a bit counterproductive.

Before showing me information they want me to use, I want them to let me finish what I want to do in the shortest time possible.

Convenience isn't about "being in an app," it's about "being able to show it immediately."

Personally, I am in favor of digital membership cards themselves.
However, I think whether something is convenient or not is determined not by "whether it's on your smartphone," but bywhether you can show it immediately when you need it.If it takes time to find the app, it's not much different from a paper card.

If you're logged out and get stuck at the register, it actually feels inconvenient.
The ideal is to be able to pull up membership cards, tickets, and payments from a more consolidated place.
If things become centralized in places like Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, it will be much easier for the user.

To put it like an IT professional, I think having a short user flow is more important than just having the functionality.

After lightening my wallet, I want to lighten the inside of my smartphone next.

Thanks to digital membership cards, my wallet has definitely become lighter.
I'm grateful for this.

I don't have to carry around multiple physical cards, and I've missed out on fewer points due to forgetting cards.

But that doesn't mean every service needs to be an app.
I want to resolve the daily stress caused by app overload, and
after lightening my wallet, I want tolighten the inside of my smartphoneas well.

Last updated: 2026/06/19