Stamp card app prices range from completely free to thousands of kroner per month, which makes it hard to know what is reasonable and what is simply overpriced. This article walks through the three pricing models actually used in the market, what is typically included at each level, and what you should look for before making a choice.
The three pricing models
When you compare stamp card apps, you primarily encounter three pricing models. They look very different from one another, but none of them is automatically the right fit without knowing your own transaction volume.
Flat monthly fee is the simplest model. You pay the same amount whether you stamp ten or a thousand guests per month. The cost is predictable, and you know your exact budget going into next month. For a café with consistently high traffic, this is usually the cheapest model per individual interaction.
Pay-as-you-go (per stamp) works the opposite way: you pay nothing in months with low volume and more when things are busy. It suits businesses that stamp sporadically or run a seasonal operation. The downside is that you lose the predictability that makes budgeting straightforward.
Per-member pricing is a third model that sounds cheap at the start. You pay a small fee for every loyalty card member stored in the database. The problem emerges once the programme starts working: the more guests who sign up, the higher your bill. A café that builds a thriving loyalty programme can find itself penalised by its own success.
What you typically get at each price level
Price alone is not enough information. Two stamp card apps at the same monthly cost can deliver very different functionality.
Free and very cheap solutions typically impose limits on the number of members or stamps, display the vendor's own branding on your card, and offer no real customer support. This can work for a quick test, but is rarely a solid foundation for a real loyalty club. If you want to know exactly what hides inside the free offers, our guide to free stamp card apps walks through precisely what "free" ends up costing you over time.
Mid-tier solutions give you your own branding on the card, a fixed allowance of stamps or members, and a simple dashboard. Functionality is often limited to the basics: scan, stamp, reward. This can be sufficient for a single small business, but many in this segment outgrow the restrictions quickly once their membership base starts to grow.
From 299 to 399 DKK per month is the level for fully equipped web-based stamp card apps with unlimited stamping, a fully branded loyalty card, a QR poster and print materials, a statistics dashboard, and options for personalised offers and campaigns. This is the segment most independent owners land in, because the price is predictable and includes what actually brings guests back through the door.
More expensive solutions with POS integration or app download require guests to download from the App Store or Google Play and tie you closely to one platform. Onboarding is typically slower, and you depend on the vendor still prioritising your type of business. This makes sense for larger chains with dedicated IT resources, but is overkill for the independent owner.
What it will actually cost your café
Price is easiest to understand when you set it against your actual volume. Imagine a café with 50 to 80 visits per day and an ambition to build a regular customer base over the next six months.
A flat monthly fee of 299 DKK spread across, say, 500 monthly stamps gives a very low cost per interaction, and the more the programme is used, the better the ratio becomes. A flat price rewards you for growth, rather than penalising you the way a per-member model would.
Pay-as-you-go at 5 DKK per stamp means you pay exactly what you use. That is an advantage in quiet periods, but can add up quickly in busy months. A useful rule of thumb: if you stamp more than 60 guests per month, a flat subscription at 299 DKK is typically the cheaper choice.
Many owners start on pay-as-you-go to see whether the programme is used at all, then switch to a flat plan once they see stamps happening consistently.
What is not always included
The price on the front of an offer is rarely the full picture. These items are not always included and can stack on top:
QR poster and print materials: Some solutions invoice the design and printing of sign-up materials separately. Ask specifically whether a print-ready PDF is included in the subscription, or whether you have to design it yourself.
Setup fee: Most web-based solutions carry no setup fee. Custom-built solutions and POS-integrated programmes often charge a one-time onboarding fee before you go live.
Extra locations: If you run two sites, always ask whether both are covered by one plan or whether the second location is invoiced separately.
Support: Free and cheaper plans typically lack access to real customer support. A QR code that stops working on a Friday evening with a queue at the counter is expensive in lost goodwill and missed stamps, even if the nominal price was low.
For a broader look at which solution categories exist and what each typically includes, our overview of loyalty solutions and pricing provides a solid foundation to build on.
When the price pays off
A loyalty programme is not an expense in itself. It is an investment in returning guests. The question is not "what does it cost?" but "what does it take for it to pay off?"
To cover a subscription at 299 DKK per month, the programme needs to generate a modest number of extra visits across your entire guest base. Imagine a café where just four or five guests return one extra time per month as a direct result of the stamp card. That is not many, and it already covers the subscription. Everything beyond that is pure gain.
That is the logic behind why loyalty programmes are profitable investments for cafés and restaurants that already have returning guests: you do not need to double your revenue, you just need to move some visits from "maybe" to "yes."
If you want help thinking through when a loyalty programme pays off, our guide to loyalty programme cost and the maths behind it walks through the logic from the ground up.
You can see the current plans and prices for MightyLoyalty directly on our pricing page and try a real stamp card in action at loyalty.maiya.dk.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest serious stamp card app?
The cheapest serious stamp card app without the hidden catches, meaning no ads, no member cap, and no vendor branding on your card, typically starts at 299 DKK per month with unlimited stamping. Cheaper solutions either cap the number of guests, carry vendor branding, or lack support, giving them a hidden cost in the form of lost revenue and wasted time.
Is pay-as-you-go always cheapest for a new business?
Not necessarily. Pay-as-you-go at 5 DKK per stamp is cheapest if you stamp relatively infrequently. If you stamp 60 or more guests per month, a flat subscription at 299 DKK is typically cheaper per interaction. Many owners start on pay-as-you-go and switch to a flat plan once they can see that the programme is being used consistently.
What does it cost to run a stamp card app across two locations?
It depends on the platform. Always ask what the extra location costs before you sign up. Many platforms invoice a separate plan for each site, while others offer a multi-location model with a combined price. Make sure to get the answer confirmed in writing before committing.