Digital or paper stamp card?

In short

The paper card is the cheapest start: ready to use immediately, with no technology at all. But it often ends up in a drawer or the trash, and you never learn who comes how often. A Wallet stamp card stays on the smartphone, can send push messages and delivers reporting — without an app download. Your own customer app only pays off for complex loyalty programs with a large budget.

Comparison table

Eight criteria, three routes — honestly compared.

Criterion	Wallet stamp card (reloop)	Paper card	Your own customer app
Cost	from €0/month	printing costs, ongoing	high development costs
Setup time	a few minutes	instantly	months
App download required	no — Apple & Google Wallet	no	yes
Loss & forgotten-at-home rate	low — the card stays on the smartphone	high — gets lost or left at home	medium — the app often gets deleted again
Push messages	yes, straight to the Wallet	no	yes
Measurability & reporting	yes, dashboard with stamp statistics	no	yes, depending on implementation
GDPR effort	low — EU hosting, templates included	none (not digital)	high — full responsibility is on you
Fraud protection	staff scan, every stamp logged	low — stamps easy to fake	high, depending on implementation

Digitize your paper card

What concretely changes when you switch.

Moving from paper to Wallet is not an IT project: you set up your program once, print the QR code and put it on the counter. Your guests scan, save the card to their Wallet — done. The flow at the counter stays just as fast, only the ink pad is replaced.

Stamps via staff scan instead of an ink pad — tamper-proof and logged.
The card is always with them: in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet instead of a drawer.
You see in the dashboard how many stamps and repeat visits your program brings.
Push messages bring inactive guests back — something paper can’t do.

An honest take

Who is reloop made for — and who isn’t it for?

reloop is a digital loyalty stamp-card system for local businesses — no native customer app. Guests scan a QR code and save their stamp card straight to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Staff add stamps with a quick scan, rewards are redeemed digitally, and the dashboard shows repeat visits and campaigns. Operated by candybytes GmbH (Linz) with GDPR-compliant EU hosting — for cafés, restaurants, salons and multi-location businesses across the DACH region.

A great fit for

Local businesses looking for a digital loyalty card their guests can use without downloading an app.
Coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants, takeout spots, hair salons, and beauty studios.
Small multi-location chains that want to manage stamps, rewards, and promotions in one place.
Teams that want to launch in minutes with QR-code onboarding and staff scanning — right inside Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.
Businesses in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland that need GDPR-compliant EU hosting and a data processing agreement (DPA).

Less of a fit for

Companies that absolutely need their own native customer app with custom content.
Enterprises with a deeply integrated CRM or complex points logic spanning many channels.
Businesses expecting a fully POS-native loyalty system with no separate scan step.

Just give the switch a try.

Set up your digital stamp card in a few minutes — free, with no app download for your guests. You can phase out the paper card in parallel.

Start for free Calculate ROI

Comparison: Wallet vs. your own app All alternatives at a glance View pricing

Launch your digital stamp card without an app project.

Create your first card, test it in the wallet and get your team up and running with staff scanning.

Start for free Book a multi-location demo

Ready for a stamp card your guests will actually use?

Try the digital wallet stamp card yourself or start for free with your first program.

Start for free Add the demo card to your wallet Book a multi-location demo

Digital loyalty cards right inside Apple & Google Wallet — no app, no paper. Turn first-time customers into regulars.

Apple Wallet is a trademark of Apple Inc. Google Wallet is a trademark of Google LLC. reloop is not an official partner of Apple or Google.

Digital stamp cardor paper card?