Summary
Join It makes it easy for Organizations to offer membership benefits that can be validated and redeemed by partners or third parties. Using Digital Membership Cards, QR codes, and Check Ins, partners can quickly verify active memberships and redeem benefits.
Common Scenarios
Below, we've detailed different scenarios where our tools support our customers to offer benefits to their members.
Scenario 1: Partners need to Validate Memberships to offer a Benefit
Example
A bicycle club negotiates members-only discounts with participating merchants, bike shops, and sponsors.
Requirements
Partners must be able to confirm that a customer has an active membership
The Organization wants to track when benefits are redeemed
Solution
Offer Digital Membership Cards with QR codes to members
Allow partners to scan QR codes and add a Check In to record a benefit redemption
How this works
Members present their Digital Membership Card at the partner location
The partner scans the QR code using any device (iPhone, Android, or dedicated scanner)
A Check In is added to the member’s record to indicate the benefit was redeemed
By default:
Partners do not need a Join It account or access to your Organization
No special apps or scanning hardware are required
This intentionally open approach removes friction for partners and avoids the complexity of logins, proprietary apps, or dedicated devices. A helpful way to think about this is as a digital version of traditional physical punch cards, where simplicity encourages participation and misuse is unlikely due to low incentive.
Scenario #2 - Partner needs to redeem a limited/restricted benefit
Example
A wine club offers members one free glass of wine per week at participating wineries.
Requirements
Partners must verify that a membership is active
Partners must confirm the benefit has not already been redeemed within the allowed time period
The Organization wants visibility into which partners are redeeming benefits and how often
Solution
Offer Digital Membership Cards with QR codes
Enable approved partners to scan QR codes to verify eligibility
Use reporting to track redemptions by partner and frequency
How this works
The partner scans the member’s QR code using a smartphone or scanner
The QR scan displays key membership details, such as:
Membership type
Membership status
Profile photo
The scan can also display recent Check Ins or redemptions
In this example, partners can quickly confirm whether the member has already redeemed their free glass of wine during the current week, ensuring benefits are honored consistently and fairly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do partners need to download an "app" to scan membership cards?
Nope! We were very intentional with our design of the system and whenever we were faced with a decision, we chose the implementation that would be easiest for partners to participate. Meaning there are no required 'apps' and no required 'hardware'.
However, we are compatible with dedicated hardware - if the partner would prefer to use a handheld scanner rather than a smartphone. More details can be found here in this article on "How to Check In a Member".