Digital stamp cards

The honest version of loyalty. No points arithmetic, no balance to check, no scheme to explain — the reason paper stamp cards outlived every clever alternative.

How it works

• A stamp per qualifying purchase, collected against the customer rather than a bit of card.
• A reward at the threshold, redeemed like any other.
• Works at the till, which is where this kind of scheme belongs.

When to choose this over points

Stamps suit frequent, similar, low-value purchases — coffee, lunch, a weekly consumable. Points suit varied basket sizes where a fixed count would be unfair.

The test is whether “one purchase” means roughly the same thing every time. If it does, stamps are better, because the customer can hold the whole scheme in their head.

What it does not do

It does not print anything, and it will not survive a customer who does not want an account. There is a real trade here: paper cards work for anonymous customers, and digital ones need identity.