Loyalty Punch Cards

What it's for

A punch card gives a regular customer a reason to come back to you instead of the place down the road. Buy nine coffees, get the tenth free; wash your car eight times, the ninth is on the house. Cafes, bakeries, pizzerias, ice cream stands, car washes, salons, smoothie bars and farm stands all use them, because they are cheap to run, easy for staff and something the customer can see filling up. We will help you choose a layout and word the reward, then send a proof before anything is printed.

Size, paper and printing

Loyalty cards are business card size, 3.5 by 2 inches, or a 2.5 inch square, printed in full color on both sides: your logo and the reward on one side, the punch or stamp spaces on the other. The 3.5 by 2 inch card starts on the writable stock, with an uncoated back that takes a pen, a stamp or a set of initials; the coated card is there too if you punch holes and never write on it. Design yours online from a punch card template, or upload a finished file.

How punch cards bring people back

A loyalty card works on a simple idea: once someone has a few punches, they would rather finish the card than start over somewhere else. The reward does not have to be large; it has to be clear, and the first punch should come on the first visit so the card already feels started. Hand one to every new customer, keep a stack at the register, and ask your staff to offer it with each purchase rather than wait to be asked.

Punch, stamp or initial it

There are three common ways to mark a card. A shaped hole punch (a star, a heart, a coffee cup) is quick and hard to fake, and it works on either stock. A small rubber stamp with your logo is neat and suits a salon or a bakery. Initials or a date written in each box need a back that takes a pen, which is why these cards start on the writable stock. Whichever you use, keep the spaces at least a third of an inch across so a punch lands inside them.

Setting the reward

Pick a reward your customers want and your margins can carry: a free drink, a free wash, a free cone, a dollar amount off a service. Eight to ten visits is typical for something bought every week; five or six suits a haircut or a detailing job. Say the reward in plain words on the card, add "one punch per visit" if that is your rule, and consider an expiration line so old cards do not turn up years later.

Layouts by business

The templates include a coffee shop card with ten rings, and punch and stamp cards drawn for a car wash, a pizzeria, an ice cream stand, a juice bar, a salon, a bakery and a farm stand, each with its reward line and room for your logo. Change the colors, the icon and the number of visits to fit your own program, and put your address, hours or website on the other side so the card doubles as a business card.

Keeping the program simple for staff

The best programs take no training. Keep one punch at each register, tell staff exactly when to punch (one per visit, or one per purchase over a set amount), and decide what happens when a card is full: the customer hands it in, gets the reward and a fresh card. When you change the reward or the design, reorder with the new wording; we keep your file on hand, so a reorder is quick.

How ordering works

Design it online: start from one of our templates or your own logo, or upload a print-ready file in the designer, and see the price for every quantity as you go. The price is for the whole order, from 250, and the more you order, the less each one costs. We check every file and send a proof within 1 business day, and nothing is made until you approve it. It is ready to pick up or ships 4 to 5 business days after you approve the proof. Rush orders are printed the next business day, with no separate proof: the design on your screen is what prints. See how rush printing works. Pick it up free at our Hopewell Junction shop, or we ship it anywhere in the US.

Questions about loyalty punch cards