Pass relevance is the wallet's sense of timing. A pass can declare where and when it is useful, store locations, an event date, a departure time, and the wallet surfaces the pass on the lock screen when the member is there. Walk toward the store and the loyalty card is already on the screen; arrive at the venue and the ticket is one tap from the scanner.
Relevance is defined in the pass itself. On Apple Wallet, pass.json carries a list of coordinates and an optional relevant date, and certain pass styles can also respond to Bluetooth beacons. Google Wallet supports the same idea through location settings on the pass object. In both cases the evaluation happens on the device: the phone decides locally whether the pass is relevant, and no location data flows back to the issuer.
That privacy model is worth understanding, because it defines what relevance is not. It is not tracking, not geofenced marketing, and not a message; nothing is sent and nothing is logged. It is closer to a bookmark that opens itself, and members experience it as the pass being conveniently present rather than the brand reaching out.
For programs, relevance is nearly free polish: attach store locations to the pass and the "find your card" moment at the till disappears. It pairs naturally with lock screen messages, which cover the moments a program does want to say something.