Associations and Cards
Use these endpoints when accounts must be linked without always consolidating loyalty benefits, or when a physical loyalty card must be attached or replaced.
For full consolidation of two identities, use Merge.
Endpoints
| Action | Endpoint |
|---|---|
| Create association | POST /associations |
| Update association | PATCH /associations |
| Delete association | DELETE /associations |
| List associated Customers | GET /customers/{id}/associates |
| Add loyalty card | POST /customers/{id}/cards |
OpenAPI: Customer endpoints · API Reference
Soft associations
Associations link Customers for visibility, relationship tracking, segmentation, or support — without pooling points, vouchers, or redemptions.
Typical cases:
- Family members with separate balances but shared visibility
- Physical card account and unconfirmed digital account (before verified merge)
- Employee and Customer accounts linked for traceability
Prefer association over merge when identity is uncertain.
Loyalty cards — POST /customers/{id}/cards
Purpose: attach a loyalty card identifier to an existing Customer.
Use when:
- A store issues a new physical card for a known Customer
- Digitizing a card onto an existing profile (generic API path; WL App may have its own UX)
Always GET the target Customer first so the card is not created under a duplicate profile.
Card renewal
When a Customer loses a card or receives a replacement and must keep loyalty history:
| Situation | Approach |
|---|---|
| Replacement card already registered as another Customer | Verify identity, then merge old → new (or new → main) |
| Replacement card does not exist yet | Create/add the card on the existing Customer, or create then transfer per Company design |
:::caution Identity verification Loyal Guru does not prove that the person requesting a card replacement owns the original account. The store process or external IAM must verify identity before transfer, merge, or card endpoints. :::
Related flows
| Situation | Guide |
|---|---|
| Pool benefits across cards/family | Merge (household) |
| Find the Customer before attaching a card | Get Customer |
| Pattern overview | Customer Data overview |
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| Associated accounts do not share points | Expected — associations are visibility-only; use merge for pooling |
| Card renewal lost history | New Customer created instead of card add / merge |
| Card on wrong Customer | GET used the wrong identifier before POST .../cards |
| Cannot edit relationship | Confirm association vs merge was used; unmerge/delete association as appropriate |