How to make a stamp card: a step-by-step guide

What do you decide before you make a stamp card?

Most of the work is in a few decisions, not in the software. Write them down on a piece of paper first. It saves you changing things later.

• The reward. One thing, worded plainly, such as "A free coffee of choice".
• The number of stamps. How many visits until the reward.
• Welcome stamps. Whether new customers start with a head start.
• Time between stamps. How long before the same card can get another stamp.
• The look. Your colours and logo.
• The poster spot. Where customers will see the QR code while they wait.

If you settle these six things, the setup itself is quick.

Which reward should you put on the card?

Pick something your customers already buy from you. A coffee bar gives a coffee, a barber gives a haircut, a bakery gives a loaf. People understand it straight away, and it costs you what the product costs you to make, not its menu price.

Be specific. "A free two scoop ice cream" is clear at the counter. "A nice surprise" leads to questions and awkward moments when the card is full.

Keep the reward in proportion to the number of visits. A free haircut after seven cuts makes sense. A free haircut after three does not. If you want to check what a reward is worth against what a regular spends, the loyalty card calculator works it out with your own numbers.

How many stamps does a stamp card need?

On Usuals a card has 6 to 12 stamps until the reward. The right number depends on how often a regular comes in.

A coffee bar sees regulars several times a week, so 10 stamps fills up in a few weeks. A barber sees a regular every few weeks, so 7 is more reasonable. A clinic with treatments spread out over months often picks 6. The longer the gap between visits, the fewer stamps you want, or the card never fills.

Welcome stamps help the card feel started. You can give 0 to 3 at sign up, with 2 as the default. They do not count as visits in your reports, so your figures stay honest.

The time between stamps stops a card being stamped twice in one go. The default is one stamp per 12 hours. Barbers often set 24 hours and clinics 72, and you can also turn it off.

Here are the example cards used on the site, as a starting point:

For more on getting the number right, read how many stamps before a reward.

Which colours and logo work on a stamp card?

Use the colours customers already know from your shop: your sign, your cups, your aprons. The card should look like it belongs to you when it sits between bank cards and boarding passes in a Wallet.

A few practical points:

• Choose a background colour with enough contrast for the text to be easy to read.
• Use a simple version of your logo. It shows small on a phone, so fine detail disappears.
• Look at the card on your own phone before you hang the poster.

The card shows your logo and colours, your business name, the stamps so far (for example 7 / 10), the reward, the customer's first name and a QR code. You can try a design first with the free stamp card maker, which shows your card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet without an account.

Nothing is fixed. When you change colours, logo or reward later, every existing card updates by itself.

How do you set up the card in Usuals?

Your first card is ready within about three minutes. You need no payment details, and it is free up to 30 customers.

1. Create an account.
2. Type your reward exactly as you want it on the card.
3. Choose the number of stamps, from 6 to 12.
4. Set the welcome stamps, from 0 to 3.
5. Add your logo and pick your colours.
6. Check the time between stamps and change it if your trade needs it.
7. Download the printable A4 poster with your logo, the reward and a large QR code.

If you would rather start with paper, the printable stamp card tool gives you a PDF with 8 cards on A4, with crop marks. The pros and cons of each are in paper or digital stamp card.

Where should the poster at the till go?

Put it where customers stand still. That is usually right next to the till, at eye level, where people wait while you make the coffee or take the payment. Behind the counter or low on the door is easy to miss.

If there is a queue, a second poster where the queue starts gives people time to sign up before they reach you. In a salon or barbershop, a spot by the mirror or the waiting chairs works too.

Give your staff one sentence to say, such as: "Scan this and you start with two stamps." That is enough.

For the customer it goes like this:

1. Scan the QR code with the phone camera.
2. Type a first name. Email and birthday are optional.
3. Tap the Apple Wallet or Google Wallet button.

No app, no account, no password. The card is in the Wallet within about half a minute.

To stamp, you open the scanner in the browser or the Usuals app on any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera. Scan the card, tap "Add stamp". Your till stays as it is, and you need no special device.

How do you test the card before the first customer?

Spend five minutes on this before you open. It avoids surprises at the counter.

1. Scan your own poster and add the card to your phone.
2. Ask a colleague to scan it and tap "Add stamp".
3. Check that the card updates within seconds, often with a short notification on the lock screen.
4. Try a second stamp straight away. The scanner tells you when the next stamp is allowed, so you know what staff will see.
5. Look at the colours and the reward text in daylight and indoors.

If something looks off, change it in your account. The card on your phone, and every other card, follows.

How do you start?

Start small. Pick the reward and stamps from the table that fits your trade, add your logo and colours, print the poster and put it by the till today.

The Free plan covers 30 customers, enough to see how it works in your shop. After that, Starter is €29 per month, excl. VAT, with unlimited customers and messages. Business is €49 per month, excl. VAT, for up to 10 locations. You can cancel any month. All plans are on the pricing page.

For examples in your own trade, look at the stamp card for coffee bars, the stamp card for barbers, or browse all industries.