Points programme or stamp card? How to choose

The difference in one sentence

With stamps, every visit counts the same: it doesn’t matter whether the customer orders a coffee or a full breakfast. With points, what they spend counts: every euro adds up, and points are redeemed for rewards of different values.

When to choose stamps

• The ticket is small and similar each visit: coffee, bread, a haircut, a wash.
• You want something understood instantly, no explanation needed.
• What you care about is frequency: getting them to come more often.

When to choose points

• The ticket varies a lot: a shop, a restaurant, an optician, a bookshop.
• You want to reward those who spend more, not just those who come more.
• You like having a rewards catalogue: 100 points a coffee, 300 a dessert, 1,000 a dinner.

How to work out how many points to give

The key is deciding what percentage of what the customer spends you want to give back in rewards. For most shops, between 3% and 10% is reasonable. An example:

You give 1 point per euro. A reward worth €5 costs 100 points. You’ve given back €5 for every €100 spent: 5%.

If the reward is one of your products, remember it costs you its cost price, not its selling price, so the real percentage is lower.

What they have in common

Both work better with a reward that feels close. If the first points reward is €2,000 of spending away, nobody tries. Always include a small reward that can be reached in the first few weeks and bigger ones for regulars.

And if I’m not sure?

Some businesses fit both. A restaurant with a set lunch menu, for example, can use stamps at midday. If there are lots of high-ticket dinners, points reward those visits better. There are other formulas too, like cashback (a percentage of each purchase as credit) or paid clubs.

The loyalty advisor recommends the card type and the numbers based on your average ticket and how often your customers come back.

Frequently asked questions