Coffee shop loyalty program for cafes
The coffee card without the cardboard. Guests scan a QR code at the counter, collect stamps on their phone, and earn the cup you choose. No app download and no change to your POS.
What is a coffee shop loyalty program?
A coffee shop loyalty program is the buy-ten-get-one-free card your regulars already understand, run digitally instead of on cardboard. The guest scans a QR code once to join, staff scan their code at each purchase, and a free cup unlocks when they hit the goal you set. Coffee shops get more out of this than almost any other business because the visit frequency is high, the ticket is small, and the reward costs you the ingredient rather than the menu price. The digital version fixes the two things that always broke the paper one: the card got lost, and you could never see who your regulars actually were.
- No app download: the card opens in the browser from a QR code.
- One scan per stamp, so the morning queue does not slow down.
- You can see who comes back, how often, and who has stopped.
- A free cup costs you the ingredient, not a discount on everything.
Built for the morning rush
Six things that decide whether a cafe loyalty card gets used or forgotten.
- It cannot cost you time at the counter
- A stamp is one scan. Staff open the scanner once at opening and leave it open. There is no app to load and no code to type while seven people wait behind.
- The maths on a free cup
- A coffee costs you the beans and the milk, not the menu price. That is why a coffee shop can afford to be more generous than a restaurant. Set the goal so the reward lands within a few weeks, not half a year.
- The card does not disappear
- The paper card went through the wash in a jacket pocket. A phone does not. Guests can see their progress and always know how close the next cup is.
- You can see the quiet hours
- Once you know when your regulars come in, you can build an offer for the dead hours instead of discounting the busiest morning of the week.
- Stamp per cup or per amount spent
- If you sell both filter coffee and retail bags of beans, a stamp can follow the number of cups or the amount spent. A bag of beans does not have to count the same as an espresso.
- Your own branding
- Your logo and colour on the guest screen, on your own subdomain. Not somebody else app with your name in small print.
Getting your coffee shop started
You can finish before opening.
- 01. Choose the cup
- Decide how many stamps earn a free coffee. Eight to ten is normal for a cafe, because guests come in often enough to get there.
- 02. Set the card up in your colours
- Logo, colour, and reward from the owner portal. It usually takes about fifteen minutes and you can change it afterwards.
- 03. Put the QR code at the till
- It belongs where the guest stands still waiting for the coffee. That is the only place people have their hands free and a phone already out.
Paper coffee cards vs a digital cafe loyalty card
The honest comparison, from behind a coffee counter.
| Paper punch card | Digital card | |
|---|---|---|
| Gets lost in a jacket pocket | Often | No |
| Time at the counter | Find card, find stamp | One scan |
| You know who comes back | No | Yes |
| Can be copied or faked | Yes | No |
| Changing the reward | Reprint the batch | One click |
| Cost per month | A new stack of cards | 99 DKK excl. VAT |
Coffee shop loyalty program FAQ
How many stamps should a free coffee take?
Eight to ten works for most coffee shops. Guests come in often enough to reach it within a few weeks, and that is where the card holds motivation. Set it at fifteen and most people never arrive, so they stop scanning.
Will it slow down the morning queue?
No. Staff keep the scanner open and a stamp is a single scan that takes under two seconds. Joining takes longer for that one guest, but it happens on their own phone while they wait for the coffee.
Do guests need to download an app?
No. They scan a QR code with the camera and the loyalty card opens in the browser. They can add a shortcut to the home screen, but it is optional.
Does it work with my POS?
It runs alongside your POS and does not talk to it. You do not have to switch systems or integrate anything, and in exchange a staff member scans the guest code at payment.
What does a coffee shop loyalty program cost?
Standard is 99 DKK per month and Pro is 249 DKK per month, roughly 13 and 33 EUR, both excluding VAT, with unlimited members and unlimited stamping. There is no per-stamp charge and no setup fee, and paying for a year makes two months free.
Standard 99 DKK/mo excl. VAT, about 13 EUR, for the whole loyalty program, with add-ons from 19 DKK/mo. No setup fee and no binding period. Pay yearly and two months are free.