1
Regular order
Customer orders coffee as usual. Nothing changes at this stage — the loyalty program kicks in when they’re ready to pay.
Loyalty Program · Tiered (S/M/L)
Tiered Loyalty Stamp Card for Café:
Tiered Loyalty Stamp Card for Café:
drink size = bonus type
Tiered stamp card for cafés: every stamp is tagged with the drink size (Small, Medium, Large). Buy Large — get Large free. A small espresso doesn’t earn rights to an XL cappuccino — that’s fair for regular premium-size buyers.
Works for any business with sizes or tiers: cafés (S/M/L), dessert shops (mini/standard/premium), juice bars (250/500/1000 ml). Regulars who buy XL deserve XL bonuses — not Espresso.
19 locales5 min setupNo app for customersBonus matched to purchase tier
Café "Brewmaster"
Odesa · Derybasivska, 8
5 same-size coffees — sixth on the house
Collected 4 / 5 · Medium · 4/5 · 1 stamp to bonus
1 more day · +1 Medium · Cappuccino
tier tag
Get bonus (available after 5/5)
Customer’s loyalty card in browser with 4 of 5 Medium stamps collected
Tiered stamp card
Each stamp with size tag collects stamps
Six simple steps — from ordering coffee to a credited stamp. Each step takes seconds, nothing new to learn for either the customer or the barista.
2
Barista shows QR
One tap on the cashier tablet — and a QR code appears on screen. No extra hardware, no printing, no paper cards.
3
Customer scans with camera
Any smartphone camera — Android or iPhone, doesn’t matter. No app to install, no registration.
4
Returning customer — instant
If the customer has used yours or any other Costless card before — the stamp is credited instantly. The counter changes from 4/5 to 5/5 right before their eyes.
5
New customer — in 10 seconds
First time — customer enters email and gets a link instantly. They tap the link — and they’re on their card with the stamp already credited. No forms, no passwords.
6
Card updates in real time
If that was the last stamp before the bonus — customer immediately sees "Bonus available". Birthday gift and streak reward are credited automatically if you’ve enabled them.
Six simple steps — from ordering a drink of a specific size to a tagged stamp. Cashier picks the product they just made — the tier is set automatically.
Customer orders a drink of a specific size Customer orders Cappuccino (Medium) or Frappe (Large) — as usual. Loyalty isn’t engaged yet; it kicks in at checkout.
Cashier picks the product and generates a QR
1
Customer opens card with bonus
Customer sees the "Bonus available" indicator, a 4-digit PIN, and a QR code on their card. Both are valid for a minute or until first use. Customer shows the screen to the barista — or just says the PIN aloud.
2
Barista scans the code
On their panel, the barista taps "Issue bonus" and scans the customer’s QR (tablet camera) or enters the 4-digit PIN. In the 5+1 model there’s no tier choice — the barista hands over a drink from your menu based on the customer’s pick.
3
Screen shows — bonus request
On the barista’s screen — "Customer wants a bonus. Confirm or refuse?". Fast and without extra detail.
4
Barista confirms
One tap — and the bonus is processed. The customer’s card updates to "Bonus delivered", the collected stamps are spent on this bonus — and the customer can immediately start a new card.
5
Customer sees confirmation
A second after confirmation — the customer sees "Bonus delivered ✓" on their screen and a new card is ready for the next round. No paper receipts, no waiting.
On the panel, the cashier picks the specific product they just made for the customer (e.g., Cappuccino). The tier level (Small/Medium/Large) is determined automatically by the chosen product — the cashier doesn’t think about sizes separately.
Who’s already using the 5+1 model
Three verticals where a fixed-stamp card works best: businesses with simple menus where every visit is roughly equal in value.
Café "Brewmaster"
Lviv · one location
5 stamps to bonuscoffee only
Regular customer has coffee every morning — gets a stamp, every 5 days a free drink. Barista learns the system in 5 minutes on day one.
≈ 17% equivalent discount on coffee — standard "loyalty" margin
Ice Cream "Lizka"
Mall network · 4 locations
7 stamps to bonusone card across all locations
Single SKU at $3-4. Every 8th scoop is free. Card works across the whole network — customers are recognized at all locations of the same owner.
+38% repeat visits between locations over 2 months
Vegan Food Truck "Green Leaf"
Kyiv · mobile location
5 stamps to bonusstreak enabled
Operates at different city spots. 5+1 + streak: 5 stamps for a free lunch; 3 visits in a row within a week — extra +1 bonus.
3.4× increase in "regulars" thanks to the streak mechanic
Notable features
What makes the tiered model fair
Three key points that guarantee fairness for every customer category — from newcomers to regulars who always buy XL.
XL unlocks S/M/L
Collected 5 Large stamps — you can claim Large, Medium, or Small as your bonus. The XL regular gets flexibility, because they already "overpaid" for it. The reverse doesn’t work: Small stamps unlock only Small. Nobody gets a bonus they didn’t "earn" with their purchase.
Unlimited number of tiers
Technically you can configure any number of tier levels — 2, 3, 5, 10. In practice we recommend S/M/L for cafés or 4 levels (mini/standard/premium/signature) for dessert shops. More than 5-6 confuses both customers and cashiers.
Birthday bonus — lowest tier
In tiered mode, the birthday gift is automatically tied to the cheapest item from the lowest tier (e.g., Small Espresso). This guarantees that even a brand-new customer with no accumulated stamps can claim the gift — they won’t hit the lower-tier-only restriction.
Flexibility
What you can customize
The 5+1 program isn’t a fixed template. Here are 7 key settings you can tailor to your format, your menu, and your audience.
| How many stamps per visit | Default — one stamp per visit, regardless of how many drinks are in the order. Fair math for a simple-menu café. On paid plans you can switch to "stamp per drink" for wider menus. |
| Bonus threshold | 5 is the most popular value. Can be set from 2 to 50 stamps: 3+1 for premium, 8+1 for mass-market. Changing the threshold doesn’t affect already-earned stamps. |
| What to give as a gift | By default — any drink from the menu. Can be restricted: price cap (up to $2), category (espresso only), or a list of specific items. |
| Anti-abuse protection | Each QR is single-use and lives for a minute. No customer can get "extra" stamps deliberately — scanning the same QR twice yields "code already used". |
| One card across the whole network | Multiple locations? Customers collect stamps everywhere on a single card. No separate cards per shop, no manual data migration. |
| Boosters: birthday + streak | Toggle in campaign settings — no extra plans, no mode switching, no separate campaigns. Details in the two sections below. |
| Analytics and export | Stamps issued, bonuses redeemed, top customers, peak weekdays. CSV export — share with managers or accountants. |
| Number of tier levels | Technically — unlimited. You can set up 2, 3, 5, 10 tiers. In practice, more than 5-6 levels confuses customers and cashiers — we recommend S/M/L for cafés or 4 levels (mini/standard/premium/signature) for dessert shops. |
Bonus · Birthday
Café «Brewmaster» Odesa · single location
5 stamps to bonus · 3 tiers
Espresso/Cappuccino/FrappeCustomer A — daily Espresso fan → 30 S-stamps in a month → 6 free Espressos. Customer B — Frappe once a week → 4 L-stamps → not at the bonus yet. Each gets the bonus at the tier they actually buy.≈ 17%effective discount on coffee — standard "loyalty" margin, but fair by tier- Dessert «Sweet Spot»
- Dnipro · single location
- 6 stamps to bonus · 4 tiers
- mini/standard/premium/signature
+34%Tiers: mini $2, standard $4, premium $6, signature $9. Premium-fan regulars get a premium dessert free. Standard-tier customers stay at their level — fair to everyone.
average ticket of regulars via tier-fair bonuses
Juice Bar «Live Juice»
Lviv · single location
5 stamps to bonus · 3 sizes250/500/1000 ml
+45%
Still What you can customize
What you can customize
The tiered 5+1 program isn’t a fixed template. Here are 8 key settings you can tailor to your menu, your tiers, and your audience.
Stamps per visit
1 visit = 1 stamp with a tier tag. The cashier picks the specific product (e.g., Cappuccino) when generating the QR — the product already belongs to a tier you set up in advance. Each tier has its own progress bar on the customer’s card.
Bonus threshold
5 — the most popular value. We recommend 1 to 50 stamps: 3+1 for high-priced tiers (signature drinks), 10+1 for cheaper ones (Espresso). If you change the threshold, already-earned stamps stay; new scans count toward the new threshold.
What to give as a gift
In tiered mode, you set up a list of products in each tier ahead of time (e.g., S = Espresso/Americano, M = Cappuccino/Latte, L = Flat-White-XL/Frappe). The customer picks an item from the tier where they have enough stamps. Lower-tier substitution works: XL stamps unlock S/M/L, but S unlocks only S.
Anti-abuse protection
Each QR is single-use and lives for a minute. The cashier picks the product through a closed selector from your menu — the customer can’t influence it. You can’t delete a product that already has stamps — first deactivate the product; deletion is allowed only after all its stamps have been used.
- Reward type — extra stamps on the card or an instant free drink
- Soft break — one missed day doesn’t reset the streak, just pauses it
- Counter is visible right on the customer’s card — that’s the come-back motivation
3.4×increase in visit frequency for customers with streak bonus vs standard 5+1
Comparison
Costless 51 vs SmartCafe, Loyverse and paper cards
The loyalty-card market for indie cafés has three main players. Here’s the exact difference, without marketing fluff.
| Capability | Costless 51 | Loopy Loyalty | Stamp Me | Loyverse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Localization (UA/RU + 17 other languages) | ✓ 19 locales | ✗ EN only | ✗ UA/RU only | UA + RU |
| No app for the customer | ✓ just a browser | Costless 5+1 | ✗ vs alternatives | Tier-tagging stamps is a rare feature. It’s offered by enterprise POS (iiko, $$$) or gift-card platforms without a visual stamp card. Costless is the only one in the SMB segment with true stamp-to-tier tagging. |
| No POS requirement | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ Tier-tag on the stamp (S/M/L) |
| in SMB segment | ✓ | partial | ✓ | ✗ |
| Starting price | free forever | $25/mo | ~$20/mo | free (POS required) |
Tier progress updates
On the card, the customer sees a separate progress bar for each tier. If that was the last stamp for a tier — «Bonus Medium available» appears. Birthday gift and streak reward credit in parallel. in 90 seconds
Five steps from "I have a bonus!" to "bonus delivered". The customer picks the product themselves from a tier-aware menu — fair and transparent.
Loyalty Card That Just Works · Costless 5+1
Pricing
Customer A buys Espresso → accumulates Small stamps → free Espresso. Customer B buys Frappe → accumulates Large stamps → free Frappe. Fair to both. Tier-Aware Stamps · Costless 5+1
Pay only when the program brings you customers. Free tier — forever, no expiration, no hidden conditions.
Most Popular
Business
$69 /mo
- 10 locations
- 10 campaigns
- 20 baristas
- All 6 stamp modes
- Full + export
Explore other loyalty mechanics
Coffee Shop Loyalty Card — Digital Punch Card | CostlessDigital punch card for coffee shops. Scan QR to collect 5 stamps, sixth drink free. No app, no paper cards. Launch in 5 minutes. Free forever.Store Loyalty Program: Stamp per Item in Receipt | CostlessLaunch a loyalty stamp card for your bookstore, pet shop or bakery: customers earn a stamp for every item in the receipt. No app needed, no POS. Free forever.Restaurant Loyalty: 1 Stamp per $5 in Receipt | CostlessRestaurant loyalty by receipt amount: every $5 earns 1 stamp, 5 stamps unlock a free bonus. No customer app required, 5-minute launch.Tiered Restaurant Loyalty: Per-Item Stamp Tier | CostlessTiered loyalty program for restaurants with mixed orders. One scan = N stamps, each tagged with its own tier based on the actual item.Hotel/Spa Loyalty: $5 = 1 Stamp + Tiered Bonus | CostlessStamp-per-receipt loyalty with tiered bonus menu (S/M/L). For hotels, spas, restaurants with mixed menus. Customer picks bonus from any tier.Restaurant Loyalty: Spend $50 for Free Dessert | CostlessCumulative loyalty for restaurants with variable ticket size. Customer spends $50 across visits, gets a free dessert. No app, no POS.Cumulative loyalty program with tiered bonus menu | CostlessCumulative loyalty with tiered bonus menu. Customer accumulates spend across visits, then picks any item from Small/Medium/Large tiers.Loyalty Program with Minimum Check Threshold | CostlessLoyalty with minimum check for cafés, gas stations, bars. Stamps credit only if check exceeds threshold. No app, launch in 5 minutes.Visit-Tier Loyalty Program: Tiered Bonus Menu | CostlessLoyalty with minimum check + tiered bonus menu for wine bars, spa hotels, steakhouses. Stamp only for qualified visits. Customer picks S/M/L bonus.
FAQ
What people ask before launching
Everything you should know about the 5+1 model — threshold, security, why we deliberately don’t support Wallet, how to prevent abuse.
What is a leveled card and how is it different from a regular 5+1?
In a regular 5+1 all stamps are equal. In a leveled card the stamp has a "size" — fixed to a specific tier (Small/Medium/Large), and the customer gets a bonus only from the same tier or lower (with the option to substitute for a lower tier).
What if a customer collected 4 Large and 4 Small stamps?
No bonus yet. The 5+1 threshold counts separately for each tier. As soon as 5 stamps of any tier accumulate — the corresponding bonus opens. On the card, the customer sees a separate progress bar for each active tier.
How does lower-tier substitution work?
If the customer collected XL stamps (highest tier), they can pick a product from the highest tier or any lower tier — XL unlocks Medium and Small. The reverse direction doesn’t work: Small stamps unlock only Small. That’s fair: a regular XL buyer deserves flexibility, not artificial restriction.
How does the cashier mark the tier when issuing a stamp?
The cashier doesn’t pick a tier directly — they pick the specific product they just made (e.g., Cappuccino from your menu). Each product already belongs to a tier you set up in the admin panel (Cappuccino → Medium). The stamp’s tier level is determined automatically — the cashier doesn’t get confused with S/M/L.
Can I change tiers in the middle of a campaign?
Yes, tiers can be edited in the admin panel. Existing stamps keep their tagging — if a customer collected 4 Medium stamps, they remain Medium even if you rename the tier. But you can’t delete a product that has stamps — first deactivate the product; deletion is allowed only after all stamps for it have been used.
How many tiers do you recommend?
Technically — unlimited. In practice, more than 4 tiers confuses customers and cashiers — we recommend S/M/L (3 levels) for cafés or mini/standard/premium/signature (4 levels) for dessert shops. If you only have 2 price points — you might prefer the simple mode without tiers.
How much does a loyalty program for a coffee shop cost?
Free plan — $0 forever: 1 location, unlimited customers and stamps. Paid plans (from $12/month) — up to 3 locations, analytics, CSV export. No commission per bonus — only a fixed subscription or nothing.
Does the tiered program work for businesses other than coffee shops?
Yes — any business with price tiers: dessert shops (mini/standard/premium/signature), smoothie bars (250/500 ml), barbershops (haircut/styling/SPA). Main condition: at least 2 distinct price levels.
Launch your 5+1 card in 5 minutes
Free tier · 1 location · unlimited customers. No app, no POS integration. Birthday gift and streak bonus — on paid plans.
Create card for free →No credit cardCancel anytimeYour data is yours forever