A Bingo Pass turns your check-ins into a game. Passholders complete a bingo card by checking in around your destination, earning a prize for their first bingo and bigger ones for filling other milestones. This guide walks you through building one, start to finish.
💡 Quick Tip - Build out your Places, Activities, and Prizes in your Global Menu first. Once those exist, creating the pass is mostly a matter of connecting content you've already made, which keeps the build fast and streamlined.
❄️ Your card is one of a kind!
Every passholder gets a randomly arranged Bingo card, even with the same set of Places. If your pass includes more Places than there are squares, different passholders may even see different Places on their card!
Part One: Create the Pass
Step 1:
Log in to app.bandwango.com.
From the left-hand navigation, select Passes.
Click + Create a Pass in the top right corner.
Step 2:
Select Bingo Pass and click Next.
Note: You can't change the pass type once the pass is created.Add your Pass Name.
Not sure yet? Use the "Ideas" name generator, or change it later.
Choose a default Check-In method. Check-ins are how passholders mark squares on their card, so pick the method that matches the level of engagement you want at each location:
Device GPS — passholder must be within a set distance of the location. Good for ease of use and no merchant involvement.
Device GPS or PIN Number — GPS by default, with a PIN fallback if GPS fails. Good for locations with poor reception.
QR Code — passholder scans a QR code on-site. Good for verifying presence and engaging businesses.
Venue PIN Number — passholder enters a unique 4-digit PIN from the location. Good for requiring merchant interaction.
Click Create to start building.
Part Two: Add Activities
Activities are what passholders do to fill their card. Add the check-ins you want on the pass, plus any Discounts or Offers you'd like to include.
Select Add Activities.
If you've already built your Activities in the Global Menu, search the list and multi-select each one to include. Filter by Type and Category to move faster.
If not, select + Add Activity in the top right of the pop-up to create one. (See Adding Place Activities to Your Pass for details.)
Click Save Changes, confirm your selections, and select Continue.
Coupons can ride along on the pass, but only check-ins mark squares. If a Place has a coupon, passholders can still open it before and after they check-in. Checking in doesn't use it up.
You'll need at least as many check-ins as there are squares on your card. A 5×5 card has 25 squares. If you turn on the free center square, you need one fewer. Until you've added enough, the builder shows an amber warning and a callout linking you straight to the Bingo Card page.
Part Three: Configure the Bingo Card
Open the Bingo Card page from the left-hand navigation. This is where the card takes shape.
Grid size — choose 3×3 (9 squares), 4×4 (16), or 5×5 (25). New passes default to 5×5, and the builder shows exactly how many check-ins each size needs.
Free center square — toggle on to give passholders a free marked square in the middle of the card.
Card header label — the word shown across the top of the card. Defaults to BINGO and holds up to 10 characters, so you can swap in something like "TASTE" or "EXPLORE."
Square Mode — decide what each square represents:
Places Mode
Each square represents a single check-in. A passholder marks the square by checking in at that specific location. This is the most direct setup: one square, one Place.
Categories Mode
Each square is a Category (like "Restaurants" or "Breweries") rather than a single Place. Passholders tap a square to see every Place that matches that category, and checking in at any of them marks the square. This gives passholders more choice in how they complete their card.
When you choose Categories mode, you'll set two more options:
Square Style — Name Only shows the category name on the square, or Name + Image shows the category name and reveals its image once the square is completed.
Availability (per category) — limit when a category's squares can be completed. Set active date and time ranges for when a category is playable, and blackout date and time ranges for when it's paused. If the two overlap, the blackout wins. Locked squares show a lock icon and the date they'll reopen. This is handy for seasonal stops or timed events. (Availability applies to Categories mode only — in Places mode, timing follows each Place's own check-in settings.)
Save the Bingo Card page before moving on, especially in Categories mode, so your categories carry over correctly!
Part Four: Assign Categories (Categories Mode Only)
(If you're using Places mode, skip ahead to Part Five.)
In Categories mode, every Place on the pass must be assigned to at least one category before you can publish. A Place can belong to more than one category!
Go to Customization and open Categories.
Assign each Place to a category. Any Place left uncategorized is listed in a warning message.
If you chose Name + Image, use the image uploader on each category to add its thumbnail. Images are square, and they display on completed squares.
Part Five: Add Prizes
Open the Prizes page from the left-hand navigation. Bingo Passes reward passholders each time they complete a bingo — a full row, column, or diagonal — plus a bonus for filling the whole card:
Bingo prizes — award a prize for the first bingo, and, if you like, additional prizes for each bingo after it. How many you can add depends on card size: up to 12 on a 5×5, fewer on smaller cards. Once you've assigned the maximum for your card, Blackout becomes the only slot left.
Blackout prize — awarded when a passholder marks every square.
To set them up:
Select Add Prizes, then multi-select existing Prizes from your Global Menu (or + Create Prize to build new ones) and click Save Changes.
Assign a prize to the First Bingo slot. To reward later bingos, select Add Reward. The next bingo in the sequence appears each time (second, third, and so on), followed by Blackout.
⚠️ Each slot needs a different prize, the same prize can't fill two slots!
Want to Reward Points for Visits too?
Points are off by default on Bingo Passes, since the card itself drives progress.
You can still turn on points to layer in reward-earning check-ins, sign-ups or referral rewards, add extra point-redeemable prizes, just like a gamified pass!
On the pass, bingo prizes list first (in order), then blackout, then any point prizes.
Part Six: Customization, Settings & Checkout
The remaining pages work the same as any other pass:
Customization — set your pass header, description, and any place overrides.
Settings — review your pass name, set pass expiration, and configure your availability period. Repeat check-ins and max redemptions don't apply to Bingo Passes, since each square is marked once.
FAQ — review the boilerplate questions and add your own. A Primary Contact is required.
Checkout — add your Learn More description and checkout highlights.
Be sure to hit Save Changes on each page. For a deeper walkthrough of these shared pages, see Create Your First Gamified Pass.
Before You Publish
The builder won't let you publish until your card is complete. Your checklist:
At least one activity added
Enough check-ins to fill the grid (grid squares, minus one if the free center square is on)
At least one prize assigned
Categories mode only: at least one category, with every Place assigned to a category
The sidebar checklist tracks each of these and flags anything still outstanding with an icon. You also won't be able to preview the pass until the card is configured.
After Launch: Adding or Removing Activities
Bingo cards are locked the moment a passholder signs up, so changes behave a little differently once people have signed up:
New check-ins can only be added to future orders (they can't drop onto cards that are already in play).
Removing any activity applies to future orders only.
Coupons can be added to past and future orders.
This keeps existing passholders' cards fair and intact.
🎉 Congratulations!
Your Bingo Pass is ready. Select Publish to add it to a channel and pull the embed codes that launch it on your website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many check-ins do I need?
At least as many as there are squares: 9 for a 3×3, 16 for a 4×4, and 25 for a 5×5. If you turn on the free center square, you need one fewer. The builder tells you exactly how many each size needs.
Can I use coupons on a Bingo Pass?
Yes. Coupons can ride along on the pass, but only check-ins mark squares. If a Place has a coupon, passholders can still open it before and after they check in.
Why does each passholder's card look different?
Every card is randomly arranged, so no two are alike — just like real bingo. If your pass has more check-ins than squares, passholders may even see a different set of Places on their cards. It's worth setting that expectation up front.
How many prizes can I add?
One for each bingo — up to 12 on a 5×5 card, fewer on smaller cards — plus one Blackout prize for filling the whole card. Prizes are added in order (First Bingo, then each bingo after it), and each slot needs a different prize.
Can I reward only certain bingos, like the 1st and 5th?
Not right now. Bingo prizes are awarded in sequence starting from the first bingo.
Can I schedule when squares are available?
Yes, in Categories mode. Set active or blackout windows per category, and locked squares show a lock icon with the date they'll reopen.
In Place mode, you must edit the blackout date settings of the Check-In activity itself (See how here).
Why isn't my category image showing?
That's expected. In the Name + Image style, the category image is revealed once the passholder completes that square.
Can I add or remove activities after the pass is live?
Bingo cards lock in when a passholder signs up, so new check-ins and any removals apply to future orders only. Coupons can be added to past and future orders.
Do repeat check-ins or max redemptions apply?
No. Each square is marked once, so those settings don't apply to Bingo Passes.