Digital stamp cards: answers to the 20 most common questions
In short: this page collects the questions owners of coffee shops, bakeries, ice cream shops and restaurants ask most when they look for a digital stamp card or a loyalty program, with a short answer for each and a link to the guide that goes deeper. The questions come from Google searches and from what owners ask AI assistants, in Mexican and Argentine Spanish.
Club Card's card, counter app, dashboard and signup are in Spanish only.
The general answers apply to any product. When an answer is about Club Card, it says so.
The basics
A digital stamp card is the cardboard punch card moved to the phone: the customer saves it in their phone's wallet or opens it in the browser, and the business adds stamps by scanning a code. The full definition is in what is a digital loyalty card, and the details on costs and formats in digital stamp card.
How to design the program
The three numbers that decide whether it works are the number of stamps, the cost of the reward and how often your customers come. There are industry guides for coffee shops, bakeries, ice cream shops and restaurants and bars.
Choosing a provider
Before choosing, compare the cost for the year, not just the month, and decide whether you'll set it up yourself. There's an app comparison with prices, head-to-head comparisons with Stamp Me and Loopy Loyalty, and a guide on how much a loyalty program costs. If you're in Mexico or Argentina, see the country guides: Mexico and Argentina.
Frequently asked questions
What is a digital stamp card?
It's a loyalty card on your phone. The customer collects a stamp per visit or per purchase and, on completing it, gets a reward. It's saved in Google Wallet, in Apple Wallet or in the browser, depending on the provider.
Do my customers have to download an app?
No, if the card is a Wallet pass or a web page. It's saved from a QR or a link.
Does it work on iPhone?
It depends on the provider. Many use Apple Wallet. With Club Card, on iPhone it works in the browser, with its code; it is not saved to Apple Wallet yet.
Does Google Wallet work in Mexico and Argentina?
Yes. In Mexico since November 2022 and in Argentina since June 2023.
How many stamps should a coffee shop card have?
As many as your regular customer completes in a few weeks. In the most cited field study, a café asked for 10 coffees. An ice cream shop needs fewer, 6 to 8.
What reward should I give?
One the customer already buys and that costs you little to make, like their usual coffee or the next size up.
Should I give free stamps at the start?
Yes. A 10-stamp card with 2 free stamps was completed more often and faster than an 8-stamp card with none in the Nunes and Drèze study.
Stamps or points?
Stamps if the ticket is similar from visit to visit, as in a coffee shop. Points if tickets vary a lot, as with dinners.
How much does a digital loyalty card cost?
In Mexico, the self-service apps we reviewed charge 149 to 499 pesos a month; global ones, USD 25 to 199. Club Card costs USD 69 with setup included.
Is there a free one?
Loyverse includes free points inside its POS. The Wallet card apps we reviewed charge a subscription.
Who sets up the card for me?
With self-service apps, you do. Tago and Club Card include setup done by their team.
What do I need at the counter?
A phone or tablet with a camera and internet to scan the customer's code, and a sign with the QR.
How do I keep staff from giving away stamps?
With a system that logs every stamp with date, location and employee, and a limit of one stamp per customer per day. Club Card records both.
How do I keep one table from filling the card in a visit?
With a rule of one stamp per member per day, written on the sign.
Can I have a single card for several locations?
Yes, with most providers. In Club Card each location has its own QR and the card adds up across all of them.
Can I send WhatsApp promotions to my members?
Only to those who agreed to receive them. In Club Card the promotions checkbox comes unchecked and each member can unsubscribe with one click.
What customer data can I store?
Whatever you need, with a privacy notice and consent. In Mexico the federal personal data law applies; in Argentina, Law 25,326. Check with a lawyer for your case.
How do I win back customers who stopped coming?
Look in the dashboard for who hasn't come in for weeks and invite them back with a concrete reason, if they agreed to receive messages. The retention guide has ideas.
What does Club Card include?
A stamp card with your brand in Google Wallet, a CRM with each member's data, a dashboard with active and dormant members, setup done by the team and the option to set stamps for reviews on Google Maps and TripAdvisor. USD 69 a month, with no setup fee or commitment.
What language is Club Card in?
Spanish only: the card, the counter, the dashboard and signup.
Sources
- The Goal-Gradient Hypothesis Resurrected, Kivetz, Urminsky and Zheng, Journal of Marketing Research
- The Endowed Progress Effect, Nunes and Drèze, Journal of Consumer Research
- Google Wallet llega a México, Expansión
- Google Wallet ya funciona en la Argentina, La Nación
- Loyverse, pricing
- Federal Law on the Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties, Mexican Chamber of Deputies
- Law 25,326 on the Protection of Personal Data, InfoLEG
Want a club for your business?
A stamp card in Google Wallet with your brand, a dashboard and a CRM for USD 69 a month.