Stamp card or points: which loyalty program suits your business?

Published 27 September 2026 · Updated 28 September 2026 · Reviewed quarterly

Use a stamp card when most sales cost about the same, like coffee, haircuts or car washes: one stamp per visit, understood instantly. Use points when spend swings a lot, like restaurants: customers earn in line with what they spend. Rewardtree runs either, free, one program at a time.

The steps#

1. Look at a normal day's sales. Scroll back through a normal day on your till. If most sales sit within a few dollars of each other, a stamp card fits. If some customers spend A$15 and others A$150, points fit.
2. Think about how often regulars come. Daily or weekly visits suit a stamp card of 8 to 10 stamps. Visits a month or more apart suit a shorter stamp card, or points, where a bigger visit earns more.
3. Pick one reward. Name one reward people want: Free coffee, Free cut, or A$20 off. One clear reward is easier to remember than a menu of options.
4. Set it up and start. In the Rewardtree setup, choose Stamp card or Points, set the reward and how many stamps or points unlock it, and print your counter QR from the Share page.

How a stamp card works#

One visit, one stamp. After a set number of stamps, the customer gets the reward, and the card starts again. "Buy 9 coffees, get the 10th free" is the classic, and there's a reason it has lasted: a customer understands it in one second, and staff don't have to explain anything.

On Rewardtree, the stamp card lives in the customer's Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. At the till, staff scan the QR on the card with the free Rewardtree Merchant app and tap Add stamp. The card on the customer's phone updates to show the new stamp.

Two free extras help a stamp card along on Rewardtree:

• Head-start stamps. New members can start with a stamp or two already on the card, so it feels underway from day one. (Stamp cards only.)
• Treats along the way. Up to three smaller rewards partway, like a free cookie at stamp 5. Each can be used once per card.

The catch with stamps: every visit counts the same. A customer who buys one coffee and a customer who buys lunch for the office each get one stamp. Where most of your sales are about the same size, that doesn't matter. Where they aren't, it starts to feel unfair.

How a points program works#

With points, customers earn in line with what they spend. You set two numbers in the setup:

1. Points per $1 spent, for example 1.
2. Points to unlock the reward, for example 200.

At the counter, staff scan the customer's card, tap Enter spend, type the amount spent and tap Confirm spend. Rewardtree works out the points, rounding down. At 1 point per $1, an A$42.50 bill earns 42 points. The card on the customer's phone shows the new balance.

Points reward your biggest spenders properly, and they suit a menu where one visit might be a coffee and the next a dinner for six. The cost is one small step at the till: someone has to type the amount. And a points balance takes a moment of thought ("how far is 200?") where a row of stamps doesn't.

Which suits which business#

• Cafés: stamps. Most orders are a coffee or two at similar prices, and regulars come often. Buy 9, get the 10th free. Rewardtree for cafés.
• Barbers: stamps. A cut is a cut, and clients come back every few weeks. One stamp per cut. Rewardtree for barbers.
• Nail salons: stamps, usually. One stamp per appointment is simple at reception. If your menu runs from a quick polish to a full set, points let bigger bookings earn faster. The nail salon guide.
• Restaurants: points, often. A lunch for two and a dinner for eight are very different bills. Points keep that fair. A small café-style restaurant with similar bills can still use stamps. Rewardtree for restaurants.
• Car washes: stamps. Most customers buy the same wash each time. Nine washes, the 10th free. Rewardtree for car washes.
• Juice bars: stamps. Frequent visits, similar prices: exactly where stamps work hardest. Rewardtree for juice bars.
• Bakeries: stamps. A loaf here, a coffee and a pastry there. One stamp per visit keeps it simple. Rewardtree for bakeries.

If you're torn, start with stamps. The card people understand in one second is the one they use.

Setting the reward#

Stamps. For daily or weekly visits, 8 to 10 stamps is the usual shape. For visits a few weeks apart, go shorter, or pick a smaller reward. The rule of thumb: a daily or weekly regular should reach the reward within weeks, and a monthly client within 6 to 9 months.

Points. Work backwards from a regular customer. At 1 point per $1 and a reward at 200 points, someone who spends A$50 a week gets there in about a month. As a rule of thumb, set the reward so a regular earns it within a few weeks to a couple of months, and make it something worth having: a free main, a free dessert, or a dollar amount off.

Whichever you choose, write the reward the way a customer would say it: "Free coffee", "Free cut", "$25 off". It's printed on the card.

Can I change later?#

You can change your reward, and how many stamps or points unlock it, from your dashboard at any time. When you save the change, it goes out to every card already in customers' wallets, and everyone keeps the balance they've built up. If you lower the number needed and someone is now over the line, their reward is ready straight away.

You run one program at a time, stamps or points, on every plan. So pick the type that fits most of your sales today, and adjust the reward as you learn.

What it costs#

Both stamp cards and points are free on Rewardtree, forever: unlimited members, locations and staff, the Merchant app, and every card update. The paid Growth plan (A$29/month + GST) is only for when you want to send your members messages yourself. See pricing, then set up your free program. It takes about 5 minutes.

For the full walk-through of how a digital card works at the counter, read the digital stamp card guide.

Questions, answered#