FIVESTARS ALTERNATIVE

If your business originally signed up under Fivestars, you may now see SumUp Connect in current SumUp materials, while the Fivestars name is still visible in the consumer rewards experience. For your switch evaluation, the important question is the program you use today: we will review your current loyalty setup, export, POS and marketing workflows under either name.

Yes for the core loyalty and retention functions: member enrollment, points and rewards, customer profiles, automated messaging, promotions, mobile access, reporting and POS-connected operation. Preferred Patron also offers options such as digital stamps, tiers, cashback, gift cards, surveys, review collection, white-label branding, REST APIs, webhooks and multi-location controls, depending on edition.

You may be looking for more reward-model flexibility, a loyalty platform that is less dependent on one POS or payments stack, more control over branding and member access, additional integration choices, deeper multi-location controls, or a different total-cost structure. We compare those priorities against the workflows your business actually uses before recommending a move.

Often, yes, when SumUp or Fivestars provides a usable export containing reliable member identifiers, contact data, permissions, points, rewards and related history. Preferred Patron reviews the available files, maps the fields, defines the conversion approach and confirms what can be imported, transformed or recreated.

Not necessarily. When the available export includes reliable member identifiers and contact information, the goal is to import those member records rather than make customers start over. Any exceptions, missing permissions or incomplete records are identified during the migration review.

Possibly. Preferred Patron can operate through supported direct integrations, REST APIs, webhooks, scheduled data exchange, or a standalone cashier, browser, tablet or kiosk workflow. Compatibility is confirmed during discovery, and a POS replacement is not automatically required.

Yes. Preferred Patron™ supports text-to-join: customers can text JOIN to 54083. If your current signs, menus, website or social posts direct customers to the Fivestars 578277 number or a business-specific keyword, we update those instructions as part of launch planning. QR, web, staff-assisted, kiosk, app, portal, import and integration-based enrollment are also available.

Preferred Patron includes automated email and SMS workflows for welcome, birthday, anniversary, reward, milestone, win-back, behavioral and other retention campaigns. During migration, the onboarding team maps the AutoPilot journeys you rely on and rebuilds the appropriate campaigns in the Preferred Patron program.

Nearby is a SumUp Connect customer-acquisition feature that can show your business and an acquisition reward on customer-facing checkout screens at nearby, non-competing participating merchants. Preferred Patron™ also offers a community-connected model through PatronLoyalty.com, where participating merchants can be part of a shared loyalty community. The mechanics are not identical to Fivestars Nearby, so if Nearby matters to your business, we review how you use it today and map the closest community, referral, offer and direct-marketing approach.

Yes. Members can use the Patron Loyalty mobile app or a no-download mobile web portal to view balances, rewards, offers and program information. The exact branding and mobile experience depend on the selected edition and configuration.

Yes. Preferred Patron supports physical and virtual gift cards, points, digital stamps, automated tiers, surveys, review collection and other reward and engagement options. Some advanced capabilities are edition-dependent, so the fit review maps them to the plan your business needs.

If cost is one reason you are comparing platforms, start with your current invoice. As of August 2026, SumUp publishes standalone Connect Plus at $269 per month and Connect Pro at $349 per month, with POS bundles at $199 and $289 per month. Preferred Patron™ publishes Small Business from $29 per month and Growth from $199 per month. Because the packages are not identical, we use your actual plan, locations, messaging, hardware and integration needs to recommend the closest Preferred Patron™ fit.

Timing depends on export availability, member volume, points and reward rules, locations, POS integration, campaign complexity and staff readiness. A clean standalone migration may move quickly, while a multi-location or integrated program requires more configuration and testing. Preferred Patron provides a realistic launch plan after reviewing the available export and current workflow.