Goldcard
One gold balance for gift cards and loyalty, spendable at every shop in the network.
Goldcard is a gift card and loyalty network for Metro Manila. Members hold one gold balance they can spend at any Goldcard shop, load money or gift codes, send gifts to a phone number and pay with a one-time QR code. Points, tiers and offers apply automatically at the till. Merchants join for free and pay 3% per payment.
- Stage
- Live demo with simulated top-ups
- Launch market
- Metro Manila, Philippines
- Revenue
- Take rate on payments
- Price
- Free for merchants, 3% per payment
- Buyer
- Independent shops, cafés, cinemas, retailers
- Stack
- Laravel · MySQL · Flutter
The problem
- Gift cards are locked to one shop and often expire unused.
- Small merchants cannot afford their own loyalty programme or app.
- Merchants have no first-party data about who their customers are.
The product
A shared network: members have one wallet with a network balance plus shop-specific gift balances, points and tiers. Merchants run a browser till: scan the member's QR code, charge, refund and see offers applied automatically. They also get gift card codes, offers, customer lists and staff accounts in a business portal.
- The member loads money or a gift card code into the app.
- They can send a gift to anyone's phone number.
- At the shop they show a one-time QR code.
- The merchant scans it in the browser till; offers and points apply automatically.
- The merchant sees customers and results in the business portal.
Who pays and why
Business model
| Revenue line | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Take rate | 3% per payment | Merchants pay nothing up front. |
| Gift card breakage | Policy based | Unused balances, within the rules of the market. |
| Promoted offers | Planned | Merchants pay to reach members in the app. |
Market and targets
Metro Manila is a large, mobile-first consumer market where e-wallets are mainstream and malls and independent shops compete for repeat customers. A shared network lets small merchants offer what only big chains have today.
Targets are planning assumptions. Real payment rails and licensing come first.
Go-to-market
Neighbourhood density
- Pick one district and sign 50 merchants within walking distance
- Launch with a gift promotion for members
- Merchants promote Goldcard at the till
Corporate gifting
- Companies buy gift balances for staff and clients
- Holiday gifting campaigns
- Partnership with employers
City network
- District by district expansion
- Brand partners as anchor merchants
- Integration with major e-wallets
Channels
| Merchant field sales | Door to door in one district at a time. |
|---|---|
| Corporate gifting | Bulk buyers bring many new members at once. |
| Social media | Gift sending is shareable by nature. |
| Anchor brands | Well-known merchants draw members in. |
Competition
| Alternative today | Why we win |
|---|---|
| Single-brand gift cards | Locked to one shop. |
| E-wallets | Pay anywhere, but no loyalty or gift layer for small shops. |
| Paper stamp cards | No data and easy to lose. |
What we measure
- Merchants live per district
- Active members and payments per member
- Gift sends per month
- Merchant retention
Status and roadmap
- Member app: wallet, map, offers, gifts, QR pay
- Merchant portal with browser till, refunds, gift codes, offers, customers, staff
- Super admin and demo network
- Real payment rails (GCash, Maya)
- E-money licensing or partnering with a licensed provider
- Push and SMS notifications
- Legal review of terms
Risks
| Risk | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| E-money regulation | Partner with a licensed e-money issuer or obtain the licence before handling real funds. |
| Network effects take time | Build density district by district, not city-wide. |
| Merchant fees | 3% only on sales Goldcard brings in; no fixed cost. |
Want a product like this?
We build version one of products like Goldcard from about $3,000: web app, admin panel, mobile app and API, live on your own domain. Then we can host and maintain it for $500 a month.