Loyalty card QR code: how a QR stamp card works

What is a loyalty card QR code?

The QR code is the front door to the digital stamp card that replaces the paper one. The customer scans once, adds the card to their phone and collects stamps with it on every visit after that. Most confusion comes from not realizing there are two different QR codes.

• Sign-up QR code: sits on the table, at the counter or in the window. The customer scans it and gets their card. It’s the same for everyone and doesn’t give stamps.
• The card’s QR code: on the customer’s card and different for each customer. Staff scan it at the counter and the stamp is added.

This distinction matters: scanning the code on the table doesn’t earn a stamp, it only opens the card. Stamps always come from staff scanning the code on the card. No NFC or extra hardware is needed; both adding the card and stamping work with QR codes.

If you’re new to digital loyalty cards, start with the guide what is a digital loyalty card.

The customer side: from QR code to Wallet

All the customer has to do is point their phone camera at the QR code. No app to download, no account with a password.

1. The customer scans the QR code on the table or at the counter with their phone camera.
2. They fill in a short form and confirm the privacy notice. Agreeing to marketing messages is optional and not required for the card.
3. On iPhone, the card is added to Apple Wallet with one tap.
4. On Android, the card opens as a page in the browser that can be saved; the customer can add it to the home screen.

After that, the customer opens the card on each visit from the Wallet app or the saved page. We cover the iPhone side in detail in the Apple Wallet loyalty card guide.

How does stamping work at the counter?

A stamp is added when staff scan the QR code on the customer’s card. They do this in the Dokun dashboard with their own phone’s camera; no separate scanner is needed.

1. The customer opens their card and shows it: the Wallet card on iPhone, the saved page on Android.
2. Staff open the camera in the dashboard and scan the card’s QR code.
3. The stamp is added and the card updates itself in Wallet; the iPhone may show a short notification on the lock screen.
4. Once the goal is reached, the customer has earned their reward.

With the stamp frequency setting in the dashboard, you decide how often the same card can be stamped. If a card is scanned twice by mistake during a rush, the second stamp isn’t added and staff see that on screen.

Where should you put your loyalty QR code?

Put the QR code where customers look while they wait. Adding the card is quick, but most people would rather do it while waiting or sitting at a table than in the rush of paying.

• Counter: staff point to the code with one line: “Add the card to your phone and we’ll add today’s stamp too.”
• Tables: a table card in cafes and restaurants that guests scan while waiting for their order.
• Window or door: customers see the program before they even walk in.
• Waiting area or mirror: at barbers, hair and beauty salons, while customers wait their turn.
• Instagram: copy the sign-up link from the dashboard and share it in a story or your profile link.

In the dashboard you can download the QR code as a table card, A4 poster or sticker. Create a separate code for each spot (table, window, Instagram) and see in analytics which one brings in the most customers, so you can spot the places that don’t work.

In a cafe, the counter and tables usually work best; see examples on the cafe loyalty card page. In a restaurant, a small card that comes to the table with the bill works well (restaurant loyalty card). In hair and beauty salons, put the code in the waiting area (beauty salon loyalty card).

QR loyalty card vs paper card vs app: what’s the difference?

All three serve the same goal: getting customers to come back. The difference is what you ask of the customer and what you get to see.

• Paper stamp card: the easiest to start with, but it gets lost, stamps can be faked and it tells you nothing about who comes back.
• Separate app: can offer a lot, but first asks the customer to download it and create an account; some customers drop off at that step.
• QR code and Wallet card: the customer only scans a QR code, no app. Staff add the stamps, you see visits in the dashboard and you can change the card without reprinting.

If you already use paper cards, the paper to digital stamp card guide walks you through moving existing customers and their stamps step by step.

Can people cheat with a QR loyalty card?

Customers can’t add stamps to their own card. The code on the table only opens the card; stamps are added by staff scanning the code on the card at the counter.

• No self-stamping: taking a photo of the sign-up code and scanning it at home only opens a card, it doesn’t earn a stamp.
• Stamp frequency: the same card can’t be stamped again until the time you set has passed.
• Per-staff log: when everyone works with their own account, you can see who gave how many stamps.
• Another business’s card: if a card from a different business is scanned at your counter, no stamp is added.

Glancing at the per-staff log now and then helps you spot anything unusual early.

How to set up your loyalty QR code with Dokun

Dokun is an app-free QR loyalty card that you can set up in a few minutes.

1. Pick the ready-made Wallet template for your industry; add your logo, color and reward.
2. Download a table card, poster or sticker from the QR section of the dashboard and print it.
3. Create staff accounts so everyone stamps with their own login.
4. Put the QR code at the counter and on the tables, and have your first customer add their card.

Compare the plans in the pricing section and try it free for 7 days; no credit card needed.