iOS 27 Lets You Make Your Own Apple Wallet Passes

If your wallet is still stuffed with membership cards, loyalty cards, and gym cards, this iOS 27 update should feel pretty meaningful.

Starting with iOS 27, users can create their own Apple Wallet passes. You do not have to wait for a store to support Wallet, or use a third-party app to convert anything. You can scan the physical barcode or QR code you already have and turn it into a pass that lives in Apple Wallet.

In short: a lot of membership cards that are “just a barcode” finally do not need to take up space in your physical wallet anymore.

You can scan the barcode on a physical card

The annoying part before was that many stores did not offer an Apple Wallet version of their membership card.

Some cards required opening an app. Some required carrying the physical card. Some cashiers would even ask you to “show the barcode on the back.” If you could not find the card on the spot, you had to give your phone number or simply give up on earning points.

iOS 27 makes this much simpler. You can scan the barcode or QR code on a physical card, and the system turns it into an Apple Wallet pass.

The next time you check out, just open Apple Wallet and show the barcode.

It does not just store the barcode, it can look good too

The more interesting part is that these custom passes are not just plain barcodes on a white background.

You can customize how the pass looks so it feels more like a real Wallet pass: colors, artwork, and pass information can all be organized more cleanly. For people who use a lot of membership cards, this is not just about saving space. It also makes Apple Wallet feel more like your actual wallet.

For example:

1. Convenience store membership barcodes
2. Gym entry QR codes
3. Department store or brand membership cards
4. Coffee shop loyalty cards
5. Community, office, or event ID barcodes

As long as the store scans a regular barcode or QR code, there is a chance you can organize it into Apple Wallet.

The biggest benefit for everyday use

This feature is not only for heavy tech users. It solves a small, everyday annoyance.

You no longer need to install an app just for one membership card. You no longer need to dig through your wallet at the checkout counter. You no longer need to keep a pile of screenshots in your photo library and scroll through them every time.

Once your frequently used barcodes are in Apple Wallet, the flow becomes very straightforward: open Wallet, choose the pass, and let the cashier scan it.

A small note

These custom passes are mainly useful for “scan my barcode” situations. If a store requires NFC, a dynamic verification code, logging into a membership app, or a barcode that updates regularly, it may not be a good fit.

But if the card you have is already a fixed barcode or fixed QR code, this feature should be very useful.

Conclusion

The best part of iOS 27 custom Apple Wallet passes is not that the feature is complex. It is that it makes one annoying little thing simple.

You can carry fewer physical membership cards. You can keep frequently used barcodes together in Apple Wallet. And the passes can look much better than screenshots.

Once iOS 27 officially ships, this will probably be one of the first features many people want to try.