Free stamp card app: What's included, where limits are
Using a stamp card app for free isn't wishful thinking for small shops: there are providers where you start at €0 permanently, no credit card, no trial that expires. The real question is different: What does the free plan actually cover, where are the limits, and how do you spot hidden costs? That's exactly what we'll clear up here.
What "free" can mean for a stamp card app
The term gets used in different ways. Before you pick a solution, you should know which version is meant:
- Free trial period. 14 or 30 days free, then automatic billing kicks in. Good for testing, but not permanently free.
- Free tier with a limit. Permanently €0 up to a certain number of customers or cards. You only pay when you grow.
- Free for the customer, not for you. The app is free for the end user, but you pay per month. That's true for almost all solutions and says nothing about your costs.
- Free with a catch. Ads from other businesses on your card, fees per stamp, or mandatory hardware you have to buy.
With stampa, it's the second option: the free plan costs €0 up to 100 active customers, no credit card, no expiration date.
What's included in the free plan
A free tier is only worth something if the core of your loyalty program works completely. You should expect these things, and you get them in stampa's free plan:
- The complete digital stamp card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, no app download needed for your customers.
- Your own branding. Logo and colors on the card, on the display stand, and on the public page that opens after a QR scan.
- Stamping by scan with your team's smartphone, no hardware required.
- Redeem in the dashboard with one tap when the card is full.
- Print-ready display stand with QR code, automatically created.
- Live dashboard showing active customers, stamps, repeat visitors, and redemptions.
- Legal stuff handled. Auto-generated, editable privacy policy per shop, GDPR-compliant, hosted.
- Fraud protection. Scan cooldowns and velocity checks so nobody gets ten stamps in two minutes.
In short: everything you need for a customer to get a card, collect stamps, and redeem a reward. For details on how the whole process works, see Digital Stamp Card: How It Works.
Where the free plan has limits
To be honest: a free tier has limits, otherwise there'd be no paid plans. What matters is that these limits don't hold you back at the start—they only kick in once you're already growing.
| Feature | Free (€0) | Starter (€29) | Growth (€49) | Pro (€89) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active customers | up to 100 | up to 250 | up to 750 | up to 2,000 |
| Your own logo and colors | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| "Powered by stampa" notice | yes | no | no | no |
| Google review bonus (opt-in) | no | yes | yes | yes |
| Geofencing (nearby reminder) | no | no | yes | yes |
| CSV export | no | no | yes | yes |
| Cancel anytime | monthly | monthly | monthly | monthly |
All prices per month; annual billing gives you roughly two months free. For larger businesses, Enterprise is available on request. Find the current pricing at Pricing.
The biggest limit is customer count. 100 active customers sounds small, but for a small café or barbershop in month one, it's realistically a lot. Once you hit that number, you've got a working loyalty program and can usually cover the €29 a month from the revenue your regulars bring in.
Hidden costs to watch for
Free is only free if nothing else comes with it. Check these points with any solution:
- Mandatory hardware. Some systems need a tablet, a reader, or an NFC sticker. That costs money and makes your team dependent on a device sitting at the register. With stampa, your existing smartphone is enough.
- App requirement for customers. If your customers have to download an app, fewer people will join. That doesn't cost you euros, but it costs you participants. Why wallet cards win here is explained in Customer Loyalty Without Your Own App.
- Costs per stamp or per message. A free plan where every push notification costs extra gets expensive fast. Look for a flat monthly fee.
- Third-party ads on your card. If other shops can advertise on your card, you're paying with your customers' attention.
- Legal gaps. Without a privacy policy and clean marketing consent, you carry the risk. That's not a hidden fee, but a hidden liability.
Example: When upgrading makes sense
Let's say a bakery with 8 stamps per card, reward: a pastry assortment worth €4.
- In the free plan, 100 active customers collect. Say each comes one extra time per month because of the card and spends €6. That's €600 in revenue that might have gone to the bakery next door instead.
- If the number grows to 200 active customers, Starter costs €29 per month. The same effect would bring roughly €1,200 in extra revenue.
You don't have to guess whether this math works for you: stampa measures the effect using a random control group of about 10% of customers and shows you how many extra visits the card actually drove. If the data set is too small for a reliable answer, the dashboard tells you honestly instead of showing a made-up number.
Who can stay on the free plan forever
Not every shop needs to upgrade eventually. The free plan is enough long-term if:
- you have a small regular customer base, like a nail salon with steady clients,
- you only run the program at one location with little foot traffic,
- you don't need features like geofencing or CSV export and don't mind the small stampa notice on your card.
But if you see lots of new faces every day—like a kebab shop or café near a train station—you'll hit 100 active customers quickly and can upgrade without worry. A detailed cost breakdown of all models is in What Does a Digital Stamp Card Cost?.
Bottom line
Using a stamp card app for free is possible, with full functionality for what matters: card in wallet, stamping by scan, redeeming in the dashboard, your own branding, and legal text taken care of. The limits are customer count and extra features you only need once the program is running. Easiest way to find out: Start free, print your display stand, and in a few weeks you'll know if your customers are in.