Overview
The card issuing form is what customers fill in when they install your loyalty card. You control which fields appear on the form, which are required, and which field is used as the unique identifier for each customer. Getting this right is important — the form cannot be changed after the card is activated.
A simpler form means more signups. If customers feel the form asks for too much, they may abandon the signup process. We recommend keeping it as short as possible.
Available field types
You can add up to six fields to your issuing form. The available field types are:
First name
Last name
Phone
Email
Date of birth
Text — A custom text field you define yourself
Photo
Number — A custom number field
Date — A custom date field
URL
Each field has a field name that you can edit. For example, you could rename the "Date of birth" field to "Birthday" or a "Text" field to "Company name."
Required and unique fields
Unique field
You must have at least one field marked as unique. This is the identifier that prevents duplicate customer records — if two customers enter the same value in the unique field, the system recognises them as the same person.
When you mark a field as unique, it automatically becomes required. You only need one unique required field.
Tip: We strongly recommend using either phone number or email as your unique field. While any field can technically be set as the unique identifier, phone and email are the most reliable because they're genuinely unique to each customer.
Required and non-required fields
Beyond your one unique field, you choose what else to collect and whether each field is required or not. Only require what you actually need. If you need a customer's contact information (such as email or phone), make it required. If it's something you're flexible about and you just want customers on your loyalty programme, leave it as non-required.
Important: The form does not visually indicate which fields are optional. All fields appear the same to the customer, so they may assume everything needs to be filled in. If a customer is hesitant about entering their details, let them know they only need to complete the unique field (e.g., "Just enter your email and that's it — everything else is optional").
Simplifying the form for faster signups
If your customers are reluctant to share personal information or you want to make the signup process as quick as possible, you can strip the form down to a single field.
How to set up a minimal form
Add one field — either Phone or Email.
Mark it as unique and required.
Remove all other fields, or add them but leave them as optional.
With this setup, the customer only needs to enter their phone number or email to install the card. They're signed up in seconds with no friction.
Tip: Since the form doesn't visually indicate which fields are optional, customers may try to fill in everything. If a customer hesitates, your staff can tell them: "Just enter your email and that's it — you can leave everything else blank."
Adding optional fields
If you'd like to collect additional information without making it a barrier, add extra fields but leave them as optional. Customers can choose to fill them in or skip them entirely. For example:
Phone (required, unique)
First name (optional)
Date of birth (optional)
This gives you useful data when customers are willing to share it, without blocking signups from those who aren't.
Best practices
Keep it short — Every additional required field reduces the number of customers who complete the signup. Only require what you truly need
Use phone or email as your unique field — These are the most reliable identifiers and also let you communicate with your customers through push notifications, SMS, or email
Collect date of birth if you plan to use birthday automations — If you want to send birthday congratulations via push notifications, you need the date of birth field on the form. Without it, the birthday automation has no data to work with
Consider your referral program — If you plan to send referral reminders or mailings, having an email or phone number on the form is essential
Think ahead before activating — The issuing form is locked after activation and cannot be changed. Decide what you need before going live
FAQs
Can I change the issuing form after the card is activated?
No. The issuing form fields are locked after activation — you cannot add, remove, or modify fields. Make sure you're happy with the form before activating your card.
I activated my card with the wrong form — what can I do?
In special circumstances, contact support@perkstar.co.uk with your account details and explain the issue. We'll do our best to find a solution, but this is not always possible, so getting the form right before activation is strongly recommended.
What if a customer doesn't want to give their information?
Simplify the form to a single unique field (phone or email). All other fields can be removed or made non-required. Since the form doesn't visually show which fields are optional, you or your staff should let the customer know they only need to fill in the one required field — everything else can be left blank.
Can I use a custom text field as the unique identifier?
Technically yes — any field can be marked as unique. However, we strongly recommend using phone or email because they're genuinely unique to each person. A custom field like "Company name" could lead to duplicate issues if two customers enter the same value.
How many fields can I add?
Up to six fields per issuing form.
Can I rename the fields?
Yes. Each field has an editable field name. For example, you can rename "Date of birth" to "Birthday" or create a custom "Text" field and name it whatever you like (e.g., "Favourite drink," "Company name").
Do I need the date of birth field?
Only if you plan to use the birthday congratulations push automation. If you don't collect date of birth on the form, the birthday automation won't work because there's no birthday data to trigger it.