From the outside, dispensary mobile reward apps seem like a win-win: customers get discounts and perks, and businesses get loyalty. But as more cannabis dispensaries roll out mobile apps for their rewards programs, many customers are starting to feel more frustration than benefit. Despite the potential, these apps often fall short in practice, leaving consumers annoyed, confused, or outright abandoning them.

One of the biggest complaints is how clunky and unreliable some of these apps are. Many dispensary apps feel rushed or poorly designed. They crash frequently, have long loading times, or glitch during checkout. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to redeem points during a purchase only to have the app freeze, forcing the customer to skip their discount or delay the transaction entirely.

Another common gripe is inconsistent reward tracking. Customers often report that their points don’t show up after a purchase, or that their point balances randomly disappear. This leads to distrust in the system, especially when budtenders say, “It should update in a few hours” — and it doesn’t. When consumers are spending hundreds of dollars monthly at a dispensary, they expect accuracy and transparency when it comes to tracking rewards.

Then there’s the issue of pushy notifications and marketing overload. While some customers appreciate a heads-up on new deals or strain drops, most apps go overboard. Multiple daily push notifications, poorly timed texts, and cluttered inboxes can quickly sour the experience. Instead of feeling like VIPs, customers end up feeling like targets in a nonstop sales funnel.

Limited functionality is another frustration. Some reward apps don’t allow customers to place orders directly, view past purchases, or even see how their points can be redeemed. Others make redemption so confusing — with tiered discounts, hidden exclusions, or complicated redemption rules — that customers give up trying to use them at all. If a reward app feels like work to navigate, customers are less likely to stay loyal to that brand or dispensary.

Privacy is a growing concern, too. Many customers are uncomfortable with how much personal information these apps collect. Some apps require phone numbers, email addresses, birthdays, and even geolocation access just to enroll. With cannabis still federally illegal, customers worry about how that data might be used or shared, especially without clear policies in place.

Lastly, customers are frustrated by the lack of universal integration. Most dispensaries have their own standalone app or loyalty platform. So if someone shops at multiple locations — which many cannabis consumers do — they end up juggling multiple apps, logins, and point systems. It becomes more effort than it’s worth.

To be clear, loyalty programs themselves aren’t the problem. Customers appreciate being rewarded for their purchases and love saving money. The issue lies in poor user experience and lack of consistency across platforms. A well-designed, intuitive app can enhance the buying experience and create genuine brand loyalty. But when apps are slow, buggy, invasive, or confusing, they do the opposite.

For dispensaries looking to keep customers happy, the takeaway is simple: don’t just launch a mobile app — invest in making it seamless, respectful of privacy, and genuinely rewarding to use. Because if it doesn’t work for the customer, it doesn’t work at all.