Every café that switches from paper stamp cards to digital loyalty asks the same question first: what happens to my regulars who already have cards halfway full? They've been coming in every morning for three months. They have six stamps. Are they going to feel like you've just wiped out their progress? This guide starts there, answers that, and then walks you through everything else you need to be fully live by Sunday evening.
The short answer on existing paper cards: honour them. It takes about 45 seconds per card in Stempy. The longer answer — including exactly how to handle the conversation at the counter, how to run the switchover without confusing your team, and what a realistic first week looks like — is the rest of this guide.
What you need before you start
You need a Stempy account (start with the 7-day trial — card details required, cancel before it ends and you won't be charged), 30 to 45 minutes on a Friday evening, and access to a printer. You do not need a new iPad, a card reader, any technical knowledge beyond knowing your WiFi password, or any downtime in your café. The switchover can happen around your normal service without disrupting anything.
Step 1: Build your pass — Friday evening, 20 minutes
Log into the Stempy portal and open the pass editor. You'll be asked for a logo, a background colour, and a reward. The three decisions that most directly affect how well your programme performs are: your stamp count, your reward line, and your background colour. On stamp count: for a café with daily or near-daily regulars, 9 stamps with the 10th drink free is the most common setup across Stempy merchants. If your typical regular comes in two or three times per week, 9 stamps means they complete a cycle in three to four weeks — short enough to feel motivating, long enough to be worth your investment in the free item.
On reward copy — and this matters more than it looks: don't write 'Earn your 10th coffee free.' Write 'Your 10th coffee is on us' or 'Your 10th flat white is on the house.' The difference between 'earn' and 'is on us' is the difference between a transaction and a gift, and it changes your redemption rate measurably. We've written about this in detail in another post — Glow Skin saw a 40% redemption uplift from exactly this change. Spend five minutes on this line. It's the most-read text on your entire loyalty programme.
On background colour: if your brand has a strong colour, use it. The pass lives on the customer's lock screen alongside their bank cards and boarding passes. A branded, visually distinctive pass is more memorable than a generic one. If you're unsure, a dark background — deep navy, dark green, near-black — tends to look professional across both iPhone and Android wallet interfaces.
Step 2: Print your counter card — Friday evening, 5 minutes
In the portal, navigate to the QR section and download your counter card. This is an A5 PDF with a large QR code, designed to sit on a café counter or tape to the front of a till. Print it at home, or take the file to a print shop on Saturday morning for a laminated version. Place it in a spot visible to customers as they approach the counter — eye level is better than counter level if you have a tall counter display.
The counter card QR does three things simultaneously: customers scan it to sign up and add the pass to their wallet; staff open the portal app on their phone or tablet and scan the QR on a customer's pass to add stamps; and you can print a second smaller version for any tables or waiting areas. One code handles all three functions from the same design. You do not need separate codes for sign-up and stamping.
Step 3: Brief your staff — Saturday morning, 15 minutes
Your team needs to know three things: where the counter card is (don't let it move from its spot), how to stamp (open the Stempy app on the till iPad or their phone, tap Stamp, scan the QR on the customer's pass — takes under five seconds), and what to say when a customer arrives with a paper card. The third point is the most important.
The answer that works for paper cards is simple and consistent: 'We've upgraded to digital loyalty — it's like a stamp card but it lives in your phone wallet. We'll carry your stamps across. How many have you got?' Then add the corresponding stamps manually in the portal. It takes 45 seconds. The customer leaves with their progress intact and a digital pass they didn't know they needed. In our data, customers who have their paper card progress honoured become some of the most consistent completers of the digital programme.
Brief your team that you don't need to proactively mention the loyalty pass to every single customer — that can feel pushy and slows down service during a morning rush. The approach that works naturally is having the counter card visible and answering the question when customers notice it. Most cafés see a significant portion of their regulars self-enrol within the first week just from seeing the counter card, without staff prompting.
Step 4: Tell your regulars — Saturday morning, one message
If you have a WhatsApp group, Instagram story, Facebook page, or any way of reaching regular customers before the weekend, send one short message: 'We've upgraded our loyalty programme — stamps now live in your phone wallet, no app download needed. Scan the QR at the counter next time you're in and your existing stamps carry across.' That's the whole message. The pass itself explains everything else when they add it.
What to expect in the first week
The first day will feel slower for stamping than paper cards, because your team is learning the flow. By day two, experienced staff can stamp faster digitally than with a physical stamp and ink pad — no cap, no mess, no 'which way round does this go.' The average time from customer showing their pass QR to stamp confirmation is under four seconds once the team is familiar with the motion.
Most cafés running Stempy have 30 to 60 active passes by the end of their first weekend. By the end of the first month, that number is typically 150 to 250 for a café that sees 80 to 120 customers per day. Paper cards don't disappear overnight — you'll be running both formats for two to four weeks during the transition, and that is completely normal. Do not throw away your stamp and ink pad. Just keep it available for the customers who prefer paper. By month two, most of those customers will have switched voluntarily after seeing other regulars use the digital pass.
Common questions from the first day
- What if a customer doesn't have a smartphone? Keep a paper card behind the counter for them. This affects roughly 3–5% of customers in most cafés. It's not worth building a system around, but it's worth being prepared for.
- What if the stamp app is slow or my WiFi drops? The portal app stamps using a short-lived QR validation — it needs a connection. If WiFi drops, switch to mobile data. For persistent signal issues, offline stamping is coming to Stempy later this year.
- Can staff stamp from their personal phones? Yes — invite them as staff users in the portal and they can use the Stempy app on any device. You don't need a dedicated tablet, though a counter-mounted iPad makes high-volume service faster.
- What happens to the stamps if a customer gets a new phone? Wallet passes sync through Apple or Google accounts. When a customer sets up a new phone and signs in to their Apple ID or Google account, the pass restores automatically with full stamp history.
- Can I run a promotion where everyone gets a bonus stamp this week? Yes — in the portal, you can add a one-time extra stamp to all active passes from the Campaigns section. Useful for a quiet week or an anniversary promotion.
The thing that most surprises new merchants isn't the technology — it's how quickly the conversation at the counter changes. Customers who had a coffee-stained paper card living in a coat pocket for six months suddenly have a clean, branded loyalty pass sitting next to their debit card, with a progress bar they can see without hunting through their wallet. That visibility changes how often they think about coming back. It changes the loyalty programme from something passive — a card you remember you have occasionally — into something present every time they open their phone.