Stamp card examples: 15 cards by industry with the right number of stamps and the best reward

A good stamp card example has the right number of stamps for how often your customers visit, a reward that feels big but costs little, and a rule that fits on the card in one sentence. Below are fifteen examples by industry, with the exact wording you can put on the card and the reason each one works.

In short

• Coffee and lunch: 10 stamps. Hairdresser, nails, dog grooming: 5 to 8. Car wash and ice cream: 5 to 8.
• The best reward is a free product or service, not a discount.
• Give the first stamp away. Cards that already carry a stamp get finished more often.

The rule behind all the examples

There is one study you should know before you design a stamp card. Nunes and Drèze handed out two kinds of card at a car wash: one with 8 empty boxes, and one with 10 boxes of which 2 were already stamped. Both cards asked for 8 washes. The card with the two free stamps was filled almost twice as often, 34 percent against 19 percent.

The lesson: a customer who is already on the way finishes the card. So give a stamp the moment you hand the card over, or two. Every example below assumes you do.

Stamp card examples by industry

| Industry | Stamps | Reward | Wording on the card | |---|---|---|---| | Coffee shop | 10 | Free coffee | "10 coffees, the 11th is on us" | | Lunchroom | 8 | Free lunch up to 10 euro | "8 lunches, the 9th on us" | | Bakery | 10 | Free loaf | "10 loaves, the 11th free" | | Ice cream shop | 8 | Free ice cream with 2 scoops | "8 ice creams, the 9th is a gift" | | Hairdresser | 6 | Free wash and styling | "6 haircuts, then the wash is free" | | Barbershop | 6 | Free beard trim | "6 haircuts, beard trim on us" | | Nail salon | 6 | Free nail art | "6 treatments, nail art from us" | | Beauty salon | 5 | Free brows or face mask | "5 treatments, the 6th extra is free" | | Pedicurist | 5 | Free foot massage | "5 treatments, foot massage as a gift" | | Dog grooming salon | 6 | 7th groom at half price | "6 grooms, the 7th for half" | | Car wash | 5 | Free wash | "5 washes, the 6th free" | | Restaurant | 5 | Bottle of wine of your choice | "5 dinners, a bottle of wine from the house" | | Fitness studio | 10 | Free class | "10 classes, the 11th free" | | Clothing store | 5 purchases over 25 euro | 10 euro credit | "5 shopping trips, 10 euro as a gift" | | Tanning studio | 10 | 2 free sessions | "10 sessions, 2 extra free" |

The examples in full

1. Coffee shop: 10 coffees, the 11th is on us

The classic, and with good reason. Customers come every day or every other day, so ten stamps is two to three weeks. The reward costs you a euro in coffee and milk. Stamp per coffee, not per visit, so someone who buys two coffees gets two stamps.

Variant: let tea and hot chocolate count on the card as well. Then the people who do not drink coffee join in too. You can read more about the digital coffee card on the page for coffee shops.

2. Lunchroom: 8 lunches, the 9th on us

Lunch costs more than coffee, so use fewer stamps. Put a cap on the free lunch, up to 10 euro, or everyone picks the most expensive sandwich. Give an extra stamp on Monday and Tuesday, the quiet days.

3. Bakery: 10 loaves, the 11th free

Stamp per loaf, not per visit. Someone who buys two loaves saves twice as fast. The reward is a loaf of their choice. It costs you 1.50 euro and feels like 4 euro.

4. Ice cream shop: 8 ice creams, the 9th is a gift

Short season, so 8 instead of 10. The digital card shows the end date of the season. Two weeks before you close, everyone with 5 stamps or more gets a message.

5. Hairdresser: 6 haircuts, then the wash is free

Six visits every six weeks is nine months, which is on the long side, but the first stamp is a gift, so in practice it is five visits. The reward is a free wash and styling instead of a whole haircut. That costs you time and shampoo, not revenue.

A stamp card for hairdressers can also count colour work and treatments, with one stamp per 25 euro.

6. Barbershop: 6 haircuts, beard trim on us

The reward is a service the customer does not buy yet. That turns the card into a way to introduce the beard trim. Someone who had it once for free books it more often.

7. Nail salon: 6 treatments, nail art from us

Customers come every three to four weeks, so six stamps is half a year. Nail art is an upsell that customers want but rarely add. As a reward it mostly costs you a quarter of an hour.

8. Beauty salon: 5 treatments, the 6th extra is free

Treatments of 50 to 120 euro call for few stamps. The reward is a small extra treatment, brows or a mask, at the sixth appointment. For salons with a fixed monthly treatment, a membership often works better than a stamp card. Have a look at the loyalty programme examples for that.

9. Pedicurist: 5 treatments, foot massage as a gift

Every six to eight weeks, so five stamps is about eight months with the first stamp as a gift. The reward is ten minutes of foot massage. It costs time and feels like luxury.

10. Dog grooming salon: 6 grooms, the 7th for half

A whole free groom, 60 to 80 euro, is too expensive. Half price still feels like a gift. Put the card in the dog's name. Owners love that and show the card to other dog owners.

11. Car wash: 5 washes, the 6th free

The example from the study. Five paid washes plus one free is a 17 percent discount, but a free wash mostly costs you water and electricity. It also works next to a subscription: the card is the way in, the subscription is the next step.

12. Restaurant: 5 dinners, a bottle of wine from the house

Stamp per table, not per person. The bottle of wine costs you 8 euro and is worth 30 euro on the card. An extra stamp on Tuesday and Wednesday shifts visits to the quiet evenings.

13. Fitness studio: 10 classes, the 11th free

For small studios without a subscription. This is really a class pass with a reward at the end. Anyone who finishes the ten classes within three months gets 10 percent off the next card. That brings people to class more often.

14. Clothing store: 5 shopping trips, 10 euro as a gift

Stamp per purchase over 25 euro, so a pair of socks at 5 euro does not count. The reward is 10 euro credit, to spend in the shop only. In shops where the basket size varies a lot, a points card of 1 euro for 1 point is fairer.

15. Tanning studio: 10 sessions, 2 extra free

Tanning studios often already work with a session pass. A stamp card with two free sessions at the end is the same pass with a reward added. Give an extra stamp per session in summer, when it is quiet.

What goes on the card

Paper or digital, a stamp card has four parts.

1. Your name or logo. Big, recognisable, in your own colour. On the phone your card sits between ten others, and the logo is how the customer finds it.
2. The rule in one sentence. The wording from the table above. No small print, no exceptions.
3. The stamps. Boxes on paper, a counter when digital: "7 out of 10". Show the progress. That is what brings the customer back.
4. The way back. Address and phone number on paper, and on a digital card a button to book or to call.

Paper or digital?

| | Paper stamp card | Digital stamp card | |---|---|---| | Cost | Printing, 5 to 15 cents per card | 0 to 55 euro per month, no printing | | Getting lost | Often, because the card stays at home or in the car | Never, because the card sits in the wallet on the phone | | Fraud | Stamps can be copied or added by the customer | Only you and your team can stamp | | Reminders | Impossible | A message after 6 weeks away, or at 2 stamps to go | | Insight | None | You see who comes back, who stays away and which reward works | | Setting up | Design, print, wait | 5 minutes |

If you want to start on paper, that is fine. Put a QR code on the card that leads to the digital version, so customers can switch over. How to build a digital card is in the guide to making a digital stamp card.

Frequently asked questions

How many stamps should a stamp card have?

Between 5 and 10. Pick the number based on how often people visit: 10 stamps for daily customers such as coffee, 5 to 8 for customers who come every 3 to 8 weeks such as a hairdresser, a nail salon or a dog groomer. The customer should be able to fill the card within 3 to 6 months.

What makes a good reward on a stamp card?

Something the customer really wants that costs you little: a free coffee, a free wash at the hairdresser, nail art, a bottle of wine, a free scoop of ice cream. Avoid a discount on your main product. A gift feels bigger than the same value handed out as a discount.

What do you put on a stamp card?

Four things: your name or logo, the rule in one sentence ("10 coffees, the 11th free"), the stamp boxes and a way to come back (address, phone number or QR code). On a digital card you also show the progress: "7 out of 10".

Can I make a stamp card myself?

Yes. On paper with a template in Canva or Word and a rubber stamp, or digitally with a service that puts the card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. Digital takes five minutes, never gets lost and counts the stamps for you.

Does a stamp card work for every business?

It works for every business where a customer buys the same thing regularly: coffee, a haircut, nails, grooming, a car wash, lunch, ice cream, bread. For large and irregular purchases such as a jeweller or a furniture shop, a points card or a tier level works better.

Want to try it yourself?

Pick the example for your industry, copy the wording and put the card on your customers' phones in five minutes. If your industry is not in the list, have a look at the digital stamp card for your business. Free to start, no app needed.