The visible costs
For paper, the visible costs are printing, reprints when you change the design or offer, and stamps or hole punches. They're small, which is exactly why paper feels like the sensible choice.
For digital, the visible cost is a monthly subscription. Eazistamp starts free for one location, and Starter is €18.99 a month for unlimited customers. There's no hardware to buy: staff use a phone or tablet you already have.
Hidden cost 1: rewards nobody earned
Paper stamps are easy to copy, and at a busy counter extra stamps happen. Each free reward that wasn't really earned is pure margin lost. You can't measure this with paper, which is part of the problem.
A digital card closes the gap: only signed-in staff can add stamps, the customer's code rotates so it can't be copied, and a daily limit prevents stacking.
Hidden cost 2: lost and forgotten cards
When a card is lost, the customer loses their progress, and with it the reason to choose you over the place next door. A forgotten card has the same effect: they came in, but the habit didn't get reinforced. These are the visits a loyalty program exists to protect, and paper leaks them.
Hidden cost 3: no way to bring people back
With paper, your only contact with a customer is when they're already in front of you. When a regular stops coming, you don't know, and you can't reach them. A digital card lets you send a welcome message, a quiet-day offer, or a “we miss you” to people who haven't visited in a few weeks.
A simple break-even check
You don't need exact numbers. Ask one question: how many extra visits a month would pay for the subscription? Divide the monthly cost by the margin on an average visit.
For example, if an average café order leaves you €3 of margin, Starter at €18.99 a month pays for itself with about seven extra visits a month across all your customers: roughly one lapsed regular coming back twice. Use your own margin to check.
| Margin per visit | Monthly cost | Extra visits to break even |
|---|---|---|
| €2 | €18.99 (Starter) | ≈10 |
| €3 | €18.99 (Starter) | ≈7 |
| €10 | €18.99 (Starter) | ≈2 |
| €3 | €45.99 (Pro, up to 10 locations) | ≈16 across all locations |
When paper is still the right call
If you trade occasionally, like a market stall or a seasonal kiosk, or you don't want to think about loyalty beyond a friendly gesture, paper is fine. Digital starts to pay off when you have regulars, more than one staff member stamping, or you want to know whether the program is working.