Paper stamp card or digital? What printing really costs

What printing costs

A stamp card is usually the size of a business card, 85 × 55 millimetres. On 26 September 2026 we used an online printer's price calculator to work out the cost of single-sided colour printing on 300 gsm matt paper, with standard production time. Stamping also needs a rubber stamp; we looked up its list price in the maker's web shop.

Prices on 26 September 2026. Sources at the end of the article.

So a card costs about ten forints, and a stamp lasts for years. There is no point saving on printing, because there is nothing to save.

What the printer's invoice does not show

A paper card's cost does not arise at the printer but at the counter and with the customer. Five items that appear on no invoice:

• The lost card

  Whoever leaves the card at home or loses it collects nothing that day, or starts a new one. Losing a half-full card annoys exactly the people who come most often.

• The copyable stamp

  Anyone can order a round stamp for a few thousand forints. How many stamps on a card are genuine cannot be checked at the counter.

• The blind spot

  A paper card does not tell you how many regulars you have, how often each one comes, or who has stopped coming. If a customer never returns, you do not even know.

• The reprint

  When the reward, the number of stamps or the logo changes, the cards already out there do not change with it. A new offer needs a new card, and the old ones keep coming back for months.

• The silent card

  A paper card comes with no contact details. For a quiet week, a new product or a birthday, there is nobody to tell.

When paper is enough

Not every shop needs a digital card. Paper can be a good choice if:

• you have one simple reward and do not plan to change it;
• you do not want to message your customers, only thank them for their loyalty;
• you do not mind not knowing how many regulars you have or who has stopped coming;
• there is no smartphone, tablet or internet at the counter.

But if you want to know who your regulars are, or to reach someone who has stopped coming, paper cannot help.

What a digital card costs

A digital card needs no printer. The customer scans the QR code on the counter, enters an e-mail address, and the card is on their phone, in Google Wallet too on Android. The system makes the QR-code poster with your rewards on it: you print it once.

The counter needs no new device either: staff scan the card with their own phone or a tablet. Only they can give a stamp, under their own login, so a copied stamp is no longer a problem.

Loyaltee starts on a free plan, with no card needed, and the free plan does not expire. How many customers and which features each plan includes is on the pricing page.

Plans and prices

Switching from paper to digital

1. 1

   Print the poster

   After signing up you set what earns a stamp and what the reward is, and the system makes the QR-code poster.

2. 2

   Let paper run out

   There is no need to recall the paper cards already out there. Whoever brings one can fill it; new customers get the digital card.

3. 3

   Say it at the counter

   One sentence from the person at the counter is worth more than any poster. If the customer does not want to scan the QR code, staff can sign them up with their e-mail address.

How the counter works