Regulars: questions and answers
Updated 23 October 2026
For business owners · For customers · Privacy and safety
What is Regulars?
Regulars by FiveClose helps a café, kopitiam, restaurant, salon, gym or tuition centre know its regular customers by name. Customers scan a QR card on your table and tap “I’m here”; your counter shows who just walked in, with your short note about them. It isn’t a stamp card or a points scheme: it’s about recognising people, noticing when one stops coming, and helping customers treat their friends.
How do I set it up?
Sign in to FiveClose, then open You → My business (or fiveclose.com/regulars). Enter your business name and type, a short gift menu and your monthly treat budget, and accept the business terms. It takes about two minutes. Then open Settings → QR card, print the A6 card on thick paper and put one on each table or at the counter.
Can I have Regulars as its own app on my phone?
Yes. On iPhone, open fiveclose.com/regulars in Safari, tap Share, then “Add to Home Screen”. You get a separate Regulars icon (a little shop with a heart). Sign in once inside it. On Android, open the same page in Chrome and choose “Install app”.
What does it cost?
Free for up to 300 customers per business. Above that, the owner needs FiveClose Plus. There are no SMS or WhatsApp charges: you message customers from your own WhatsApp. FiveClose never takes a cut of anything you sell.
What do I see on the “Today” screen?
Everyone who has said “I’m here” today, with your note (“oat milk, less sugar”), the 4-digit staff code, gifts waiting to be paid or collected, pay-it-forward items, and requests from customers who changed phones. It updates by itself every few seconds.
What is “On us today”?
A small treat you give a regular, such as a free kopi. The app suggests it at good moments: a customer’s 10th, 25th or 50th visit, their birthday month, a year since their first visit, or coming back after two weeks away. You decide whether to give it. You set what the treat is (with a suggested dollar value) and how many you give each month, and the same person isn’t suggested again for 60 days. It is your gift, never a lucky draw.
How does “Say hi” work?
The Say hi tab lists regulars you haven’t seen for a month, birthdays this month, milestones, and near-daily regulars who suddenly stopped coming. Tap Say hi, edit the message, and it opens in your own WhatsApp. You send each message yourself; there is no broadcast. Only customers who ticked “may send me the occasional WhatsApp message” are listed, each at most once a month, and every message ends with “Reply STOP”.
What are “Treat a friend” and “Pay it forward”?
Treat a friend: a customer picks something from your gift menu, pays you at the counter, and sends their friend a gift link. The friend shows a 6-digit code to collect it, often on their first visit. Pay it forward: a customer pays for one more item, with an optional kind note, for the next person who needs a lift. Your counter shows how many are waiting. In both cases the money is paid to you, at your counter. A gift not collected within 30 days becomes a pay-it-forward item; customers are told this before they buy.
Can my staff use it?
Yes, without accounts. In Settings → Staff devices, show the pairing QR code and scan it with a staff phone or the counter tablet. Staff see who’s here and the notes, mark gifts as paid or collected, and hand out pay-it-forward items. They see phone numbers only as •••• 4567, can’t message customers or change settings, and can give treats only if you allow it. Remove a device any time.
Can I share the business with a partner or manager?
Yes. Add a co-owner by email in Settings. They sign in to FiveClose with that email and can do everything except delete the business.
What stops people checking in from home?
A visit counts at most once a day. If that isn’t enough, turn on “Staff code for I’m here” in Settings: customers then need the 4-digit code shown at your counter, which changes every 30 seconds.
Does it work for a tuition centre?
Yes. Parents join, not children, and only a child’s first name is kept. Gifts and pay it forward are switched off.
I scanned a QR card. What did I join?
That business’s list of regulars. They see your name, mobile number, birthday month (if you gave it) and when you visit. Next time, one tap on “I’m here” lets them know you’ve arrived. You don’t need an app or an account.
Will I get messages?
Only if you ticked “may send me the occasional WhatsApp message”, and only from the business’s own WhatsApp, now and then. You can turn this off on your page (same QR code) under “My choices”, or reply STOP.
What is the note the business keeps about me?
A short note, such as your usual order, to help staff greet you. You can always read it on your page. Businesses agree not to note health, religion, money or other sensitive details.
What does “check on me if I stop coming” mean?
If you usually come almost every day and agreed to this, the owner gets a gentle reminder when you haven’t been in for a few days, so they can say hi. It is a kindness, not an emergency service: in an emergency call 995.
I have a new phone. How do I get my page back?
Scan the QR card, tap “I’ve been here before (new phone)” and enter your mobile number. Show the 2-digit number to the staff; once they approve it, your page opens on the new phone.
How do I leave a business’s list?
Open your page (scan the QR card), go to “My choices” and tap “Leave”. Your details are deleted straight away.
Does “I’m here” count as my FiveClose “I’m OK”?
Yes, if you are signed in to FiveClose on the same phone. One tap tells the café you’re here and restarts your FiveClose timer.
Who looks after customers’ data?
Each business is responsible for its customers’ details under Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). FiveClose stores and processes them on the business’s behalf and never shares them with other businesses or uses them for anything else. The FiveClose team can see only how many customers and visits a business has, unless the owner turns on 24-hour support access, and every look is logged. See the Privacy Policy and the business terms.
How long is data kept?
Customers who haven’t visited for 24 months are deleted automatically. Gift and pay-it-forward records are deleted after 13 months. Deleting a business deletes all of its customers’ details.
Do I need to check the Do Not Call Registry before messaging?
Regulars only lets you message customers who ticked the messages box, which is the clear consent the Do Not Call rules need for WhatsApp messages to Singapore numbers. Don’t message anyone outside the app who didn’t agree.
Which languages does it speak?
English, 简体中文, Bahasa Melayu, தமிழ், Bahasa Indonesia, 日本語 and Español, following each person’s phone.