Watch How PassKit Pricing Works for Apple & Google Wallet Passes

In this video, we'll explain how your PassKit invoice is calculated, covering the key concepts and important details to help you understand our pricing model.

Before we dive into the details, let's quickly talk about the 45-day free trial. During this trial, you can fully explore PassKit. Issue passes, go live, and test out all the features, without any restrictions. All you need to do is upload your Apple Certificate and add a payment method to your account.

After your trial, your PassKit invoice is based on two main factors:

1. Platform Fee, and

2. Pass Volume Fee

The platform fee covers the cost of hosting, maintaining and securing your PassKit account and includes up to 250 passes. The monthly fee is based on the number of team members you have. A team member is anyone who needs access to your PassKit account. When you first sign up, you'll start with just one username - your own. The platform fee for 1 username is $39.50 per month. That's US Dollars. If you want others, like colleagues, to access your account without sharing credentials, you can add team members. So for example, if you add one team member, your account now has two usernames, yours and your colleagues. The platform fee is now $59.25 per month. You can see the monthly platform fee in this chart. For an unlimited number of usernames the platform fee is $249.50.

The Pass Volume fee depends on the number of pass records in your account. A pass record is created whenever a pass is issued. This can happen in several ways, such as, when a customer enters their info on a Data Collection Page and registers, when someone clicks a SmartPass link, when your system issues a pass using the PassKit API, when your integration creates a pass or when you upload a CSV file with one row.It's important to note that the volume is calculated based on the number of passes issued. You can see a pass issued on the screen now. It is not based on the number of passes installed or updated. A pass is installed when a end user clicks Add. So, every time PassKit creates a pass, whether it's installed or not it counts toward your volume.

There are two types of passes used for calculating your invoice:

1. Multi-Use Passes, and

2. Single-Use Passes.

Let's now explore each pass type and the pass volume pricing in more detail.

Multi-use passes are passes that can be used repeatedly over time, like loyalty cards, membership cards, gift cards, or business cards. You're billed based on the total number of multi-use pass records at the end of each billing month.

For example: Between February 15th and March 15th, you issue 200 loyalty cards and deleted none. On March 15th, your multi-use pass count is 200. During the next month, you issue 450 more cards and delete 50. So your multi-use pass count for your April 15th invoice is 600. i.e. 200 plus 450 minus 50.

Here are the pricing tiers for multi-use passes. You can see that the marginal cost per pass goes down the more passes you use. So you automatically get volume discount. Let's say your multi-use pass count is 7,000. Your bill for multi-use pass volume is $232.25. Here's how that is calculated using the pricing tiers. Your first 250 passes are included in the platform fee. You then have 2,250 passes at 4 and a half cents, which equals $101.25. 2,500 at 3.4 cents, equals $85. And finally, 2,000 at 2.3 cents, so $46. Total them up and that's $232.25

Single-use passes are passes that are used once, like coupons, event tickets and boarding passes. In this case you are billed based on the number of passes issued within the billing month. Let's use an example. Between February 15 and March 15, you don't issue any coupons so your count is 0. In the next month you issue 100 coupons, so your single use pass volume on your April 15 invoice is 100. May 15 it's 400, June 15th it's 0, July 15th it's 300, and so on. So, you can see if you don't issue any single-use passes during your billing month, you'll only be billed for the platform fee plus multi-use pass volume fee. Here are the pricing tiers for single-use passes. Like multi-use passes you automatically get volume discount. Let's say you issue 7,000 single use passes. Your bill for single-use pass volume is $487.73. Here's how that is calculated using the pricing tiers. Your first 250 passes are included in the platform fee. You then have 2,250 passes at 9.45 cents, which equals $212.63. 2,500 at 7.14 cents, equals $178.50. And finally, 2,000 at 4.83 cents, so $96.60. In total, that's $487.73

Putting this altogether you get your total monthly invoice. Let's use the examples we shared before. For 2 usernames, your platform fee is $59.25. 7,000 multi use passes, at $232.25 and 7,000 single use passes at $487.73. This gives a total invoice of 779 US Dollars and 23 cents.

In addition to pass issuing, your PassKit subscription includes a variety of powerful features at no extra cost: You can create as many projects and pass types as you need. You can streamline enrollment with simple, customizable data collection forms, for easy customer sign-up. You can automatically send emails to new pass holders. Each email automatically includes a button with a link to their pass. You can take advantage of location based and action based notifications to drive engagement. You have full access to the PassKit API and can deliver real-time updates at any time, by making API calls or no-code automations through Zapier or Make. You can get real-time notifications for key pass events, by subscribing to PassKit webhooks. You can even use the PassKit PassReader App. This app can be installed on both iOS and Android devices, providing a simple way to scan passes without extra hardware. You get access to a comprehensive set of video tutorials and help articles, and can chat with or email our dedicated support team. And of course you will stay up-to-date with the latest features from Apple and Google Wallet.

Here's a few things to keep in mind. If your multi use pass has an expiry date and has already expired, it still counts as a billable record until it's deleted from your account. For example, if a customer renews their membership after expiring, you can update the pass without issuing a new one. However, if the pass is no longer needed, you must delete it from your account to stop being billed for that pass. And just in case you forget, PassKit will automatically delete passes 90 days after the expiry date. You can make unlimited API calls without incurring extra charges. Remember, your bill is based on pass volume, not API usage. Your Pass volume is automatically calculated at the end of every billing month. So you don't have to commit to a minimum volume, minimum time or pay for passes you never issue.That's why we don't offer annual plans.

In the Billing section of your account, you'll find a detailed breakdown of your projected costs, so you can easily manage your budget. And we accept various payment methods including credit cards and debit cards. Note that all our prices are quoted in US dollars.

While PassKit offers a comprehensive wallet solution, there are a few additional costs you might encounter. To issue commercial passes, you'll need to upload your Apple Wallet Certificate. If you don't have one already, an Apple Developer Account costs $99 per year, paid directly to Apple. If you use tools like Zapier or Make for automation, you may incur additional costs depending on the number of tasks you are automating and their pricing plans. You might like to budget for marketing activities to promote your wallet pass program. And lastly, consider costs for providing support to your staff and customers as you transition to your digital solution.

To recap, PassKit's pricing is simple and transparent. You're billed based on the platform fee and the number of pass records in your account. It's a flexible model that scales with your business. Plus, you get a robust set of features and dedicated support at no extra cost. And there's a handy pricing calculator available at passkit.com/pricing to estimate your monthly costs before you even get started.

We hope this video helps clarify how your PassKit invoice is calculated. If you have any further questions or need specific information, feel free to reach out to our support team. Thanks for watching, and we look forward to supporting your PassKit journey!