A coffee shop, a hair salon, a car wash: a paper punch card is the simplest loyalty card there is. The customer keeps it in a wallet, you stamp or punch it at the counter, and a full card gets a reward. This guide walks through what a punch card usually has on it, how many stamps to ask for and how to print and cut a sheet, then how to make them with Stamp Cat, our stamp card maker for iPhone.
What goes on a punch card
Most loyalty cards carry the same few things:
- Your business name, big enough to read across the counter.
- The offer, in one line, like "Buy 9 coffees, the 10th is on us" or "Every 6th wash is free".
- The boxes to stamp or punch, with the last one marked as the reward.
- Your own small print, such as "One stamp per visit". What it says is up to you.
- An address or website, so whoever holds the card knows where you are.
- A line for the customer's name, if you want one.
Keep the offer and the boxes in step: if the offer says the 10th is free, the card needs ten boxes.
How many stamps, and what reward
There's no fixed number. Pick a count your regulars can fill in a sensible time and a reward that fits your trade: a coffee, a wash, a treatment. Stamp Cat lets you choose anywhere from 5 to 20 stamps. Its starting cards use 10 for a coffee shop, 8 for hair and beauty or a bakery, and 6 for a car wash or pet care. Change any of them.
Make the card in Stamp Cat
- Pick your kind of shop. Under New stamp card on the home screen, tap Coffee shop, Hair and beauty, Bakery or food, Car wash, Pet care or Any shop. The card opens on its Card tab with sample words, a colour, an icon and a number of boxes to match.
- Type your words. Under On the card, fill in Shop name, The offer, Small print and Address or website. Words marked Sample are only the example's: anything still marked is left off when you print or share, so type your own.
- Name the reward. Under The reward, say what a full card gets, like "A free coffee". This one stays in the app: when a customer's card is full, it says "Reward ready: a free coffee". Rewards are yours to choose and give.
- Set the stamps. Use Stamps to the reward to pick from 5 to 20. The last box is the reward. Under Boxes, choose Circles or Squares, and turn A line for their name on or off. The note below says how big each box is and whether there's room for a ½-inch (12 mm) stamp. If your offer names a number that doesn't match the boxes, Stamp Cat points it out.
- Choose the look. Under Look, pick a design (Classic, Band, Bold or Simple), one of ten colours and an icon for your trade. Turn on The icon in every box if you like.
The preview at the top shows your card; sample words show there but never print. Every change is saved as you go.
Print a sheet and cut it
Tap Print cards at the bottom of the Card tab, or the printer button at the top, to open Print & share. The cards are business-card size: 3.5 × 2 in on Letter, 85 × 54 mm on A4, ten to a sheet.
- Under Paper, pick plain Letter or A4 with cut lines, or one of the two pre-cut business-card sheets listed there (ten cards of 3.5 × 2 in on Letter, or 85 × 54 mm on A4). Plain paper starts as Letter or A4 to suit your region.
- Under Sheets, choose how many to print, from 1 to 50. It shows how many cards that makes.
- Tap Print cards to send them to your printer, or Share PDF to save the file or send it to a print shop.
Print at actual size (100%), not scaled to fit. On plain paper, use card stock if you can and cut along the light lines: each cut separates two cards. The pre-cut sheets have no lines, because they come cut.
Paper cards can be copied, so stamp or punch them with a stamp or punch of your own.
Keep the count at the counter
Stamp Cat keeps the count on your phone too, in case a card gets left at home. Open your card's Customers tab and tap Add a customer. A first name is enough, and a note is only for you. Moving over a paper card that already has stamps? Set Stamps now to how many it has.
On a customer's page, tap Stamp each time you stamp their card. Full cards show under Reward ready: tap Give reward and confirm, and any extra stamps carry over. A stamp given by mistake can be taken back with Undo, or later in the customer's History if it's since the last reward. To show someone their count, tap Show [name] their card: just their card, full screen. Press and hold to close it.
More for your counter
To make cards with your contact details, see how to make a business card on iPhone. For something customers can buy for a friend, see how to make a gift certificate on iPhone. To tell people about your card, see how to make a flyer on iPhone.
What it costs
Cards, every design, printing, customers, stamps, rewards and each customer's history cost nothing, as many as you like. There's no watermark: nothing is printed on your cards except your card. There's no trial, no sign-up, no account, no ads and no subscription. Stamp Cat Pro, a one-time purchase, adds your logo on the cards, numbered cards you can look up, and your customers as a spreadsheet. More on the Stamp Cat page.
Your cards, customers and stamps are kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share, save or print them. Stamp Cat prints cards and keeps count of the stamps you give. It doesn't take payments or hold money.
Quick answers
How do I make a loyalty card?
Put your business name, a one-line offer, the boxes to stamp and a short line of small print on a business-card-size card. In Stamp Cat, pick your kind of shop, type your words, set the stamps and print ten to a sheet.
How many stamps should a punch card have?
It's up to you. Stamp Cat allows 5 to 20, and its starting cards use 6, 8 or 10 depending on the kind of shop.
Can I print punch cards at home?
Yes. Print on plain Letter or A4, ideally card stock, at 100%, then cut along the light lines. Or use pre-cut business-card sheets of ten.
Do my customers need an app?
No. They carry a paper card that you stamp or punch, and the count lives on your phone.
Try Stamp Cat
Try Stamp Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/stamp-cat