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Working with the Pass URL

A guide to forming and utilising Pass URLs

Danny Allen avatar
Written by Danny Allen
Updated over 2 weeks ago

A Pass URL is a unique web address that enables your customers to effortlessly add a digital pass (e.g., membership card, loyalty card, coupon, event ticket) to their mobile wallet, like Apple Wallet on iOS or Google Wallet on Android.

Terminology

Pass URL

A unique web address that allows customers to easily add a digital pass (e.g., membership, loyalty, coupon, event ticket) to their mobile wallet.

Digital Pass

A digital representation of a card, coupon, or ticket that can be stored in a mobile wallet.

Mobile Wallet

An application on a mobile device (e.g., Apple Wallet, Google Wallet) that stores digital passes.

Common Part (of URL)

The fixed domain portion of the Pass URL, consistent across all your Pass URLs.

Pass ID

The unique identifier for a specific digital pass (also called Member ID, Coupon ID, or Ticket ID).

PassKit Landing Page

A default web page provided by PassKit that automatically detects the user's device and displays the correct "Add to Wallet" button.

Direct Links

Pass URLs that bypass the PassKit landing page and directly open the "Add to Wallet" pages for Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

pkpass

The file extension appended to a Pass URL to create a direct link for Apple Wallet passes.

gpay

The file extension appended to a Pass URL to create a direct link for Google Wallet passes.

Getting a Pass URL in the PassKit Portal

To find the Pass URL for a specific pass, you need to navigate to its individual details page within its respective project.

  1. Log in to your PassKit account.

  2. Navigate to the specific Project where your pass is located.

  3. Depending on the project type, click on the Members, Coupons, or Tickets tab.

  4. Find the specific pass you are looking for in the list. You can use the filters at the top of the table to narrow your search (e.g., filter by Name or Pass ID).

    • Note: When searching for Personally Identifiable Information (PII) like an email address or name, you must enter the exact text. Due to encryption, the search function does not support wildcards or partial matches.

  5. Click the Pass URL icon (the chain link icon) next to the pass. This action will open a new browser window with the Pass URL, which you can then copy.

These steps allow you to quickly and accurately retrieve the unique Pass URL for any individual pass.

Forming the Pass URL

Why you would need to form the pass URL

While PassKit's enrolment forms and welcome emails automatically provide the full Pass URL to your customers, there are scenarios where you'll need to construct the URL yourself:

  • API/SDK Usage: When issuing passes via the API or SDK, only the Pass ID is returned.

  • CSV Export: CSV exports contain only the Pass ID, not the complete URL.

Example: If you're importing a CSV into an email marketing platform or CRM, you'll need the full Pass URL to send installation reminders or integrate into custom communications for your pass holders.

Constructing the Pass URL

A Pass URL is built from two components: the Common Part (domain) and the Pass ID.

Common Part (Domain)

The common part of the URL depends on your account's server location:

  • EU Server: https://pub1.pskt.io/

  • US Server: https://pub2.pskt.io/

Pass ID

The Pass ID is the unique identifier for a specific digital pass. It's also referred to as:

  • Membership and Loyalty Passes: Member ID

  • Coupons: Coupon ID

  • Event Tickets: Ticket ID

Building the URL

Combine the common part and the Pass ID in the following format:

[Common Part]{passId}

Examples:

  • https://pub1.pskt.io/4MEIqDFudziP4ZFKx5osw3

  • https://pub2.pskt.io/4MEIqDFudziP4ZFKx5osw3

Bypassing the PassKit Landing Page

By default, following a Pass URL directs users to a PassKit landing page. This page intelligently detects the user's device and displays the appropriate "Add to Wallet" button:

  • iOS Devices: "Add to Apple Wallet"

  • Android Devices: "Add to Google Wallet"

However, you might need to bypass this landing page and directly open the Apple or Google "Add to Wallet" pages. This is useful if you are:

  • Using your own custom landing page.

  • Adding the pass directly from your mobile application.

  • Hosting the "Add to Wallet" buttons on your own website.

Creating Direct Links

To create a direct link, simply append the relevant file extension to the Pass URL:

  • For Apple Wallet passes: add .pkpass

  • For Google Wallet passes: add .gpay

Examples:

  • Apple Wallet: https://pub1.pskt.io/4MEIqDFudziP4ZFKx5osw3.pkpass

  • Google Wallet: https://pub1.pskt.io/4MEIqDFudziP4ZFKx5osw3.gpay

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Introduction to distributing passes
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The Ultimate Guide to Wallet Passes for Businesses
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