- stamp card
- customer loyalty
- local business
How many stamps should a loyalty card have? A guide by industry
A loyalty card usually works best with between 5 and 12 stamps, depending on how often your customers come back. The rule is simple: a regular customer should be able to fill it in less than a month. If it takes longer, they forget about it; if they fill it in two days, you’re giving away too much.
The golden rule: frequency × time to reward
You don’t need to guess the number of stamps. Just answer one question: how many times does a regular customer visit in 3 or 4 weeks?
Number of stamps ≈ visits from a regular customer in 3-4 weeks
For example:
- A café customer who comes in 3 times a week makes around 9-12 visits a month. A 9 or 10-stamp card fits.
- A hair salon client who comes every 4 weeks can’t fill a 10-stamp card in a reasonable time. A 4 or 5-stamp card is better, even if it takes a few months: the reward (a haircut) is worth much more.
In businesses with less frequent visits, it’s fine for the card to take longer to fill, as long as the reward is proportionate.
Recommended stamps by industry
| Industry | Typical frequency | Recommended stamps | Usual reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Café or bar | 2-5 times a week | 8-10 | 1 free coffee or drink |
| Bakery | Almost daily | 10-12 | 1 free loaf or pastry |
| Hair salon or barbershop | Every 3-6 weeks | 4-6 | 1 free haircut or an extra service |
| Beauty salon | Every 2-6 weeks | 5-6 | 1 session or a complementary treatment |
| Newsagent or kiosk | Several times a week | 12-15 | 1 magazine or a small item |
| Set-lunch restaurant | 1-5 times a week | 10 | 1 free set lunch |
For à la carte restaurants, grocery shops, hardware stores or fashion boutiques, where the spend varies a lot, a points card usually works better than a stamp card.
How much the reward should be worth
The reward has to be appealing to the customer and affordable for the business. A useful benchmark: it should cost between 5% and 10% of what the customer has spent to earn it.
Example with a coffee at €1.50:
- 10-stamp card: the customer has spent €15.
- You give them a coffee that costs you around €0.30 in product. That’s a 2% real cost, even though it’s 10% of the selling price.
That’s why stamp cards are so profitable in hospitality: the value the customer perceives (€1.50) is far higher than what it costs you (€0.30).
The free stamp trick
In 2006, researchers Joseph Nunes and Xavier Drèze published an experiment in the Journal of Consumer Research carried out at a car wash:
- Some customers received an empty 8-stamp card.
- Others received a 10-stamp card with 2 stamps already added as a gift.
In both cases, customers needed 8 more washes to get the reward. Even so, 34% of the second group completed the card, compared with 19% of the first. They called it the endowed progress effect.
The lesson for your business: give away the first stamp (or the first two) when customers sign up. They feel they’ve already started and have more reason to finish.
Common mistakes when choosing the number of stamps
- Too many stamps. 20 stamps for a coffee would put anyone off. If in doubt, go shorter.
- A reward nobody wants. “5% off” motivates less than “a free coffee”, even if it costs the same.
- Not reminding customers they’re nearly there. Many cards are abandoned 2 stamps from the end. A “just 1 stamp to go” alert rescues them.
- Changing the rules halfway. If you adjust the number of stamps, honour the cards that were already in progress.
How to fine-tune it with data
The advantage of a digital stamp card over a paper one is that you can see what’s happening. In Socios Plus you can check how many cards are started, how many are completed and how often your customers come back:
- Hardly anyone completes the card: the reward is too far away. Lower the number of stamps or improve the reward.
- Cards are completed in a few days: you might be able to add a few more stamps.
- Lots of customers stop halfway: switch on a reminder or a giveaway to encourage them.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the number of stamps later on?
Yes, but do it carefully: let your customers know and honour the stamps they’ve already collected.
Is it better to give one stamp per visit or per amount spent?
Per visit is the simplest. If you want to stop people collecting stamps with very small purchases, set a minimum spend (for example, one stamp from €3). If the spend varies a lot, use points.
Can I run several stamp cards at once?
Yes. For example, a café can have one card for coffees and another for full breakfasts.
Create your card in 5 minutes
With Socios Plus you can create your digital stamp card in a few minutes, choose how many stamps and which reward, and start stamping with the customer’s QR code. 14-day free trial, no credit card required. For more detail, check the guide for your industry in our customer loyalty guide.
