1
Customer orders and pays
Customer orders whatever they want — a glass of wine, a full dinner, a spa procedure. Nothing changes at this stage. The loyalty program kicks in when the barista or attendant closes the check.
Loyalty · check threshold + tiered bonus menu
Loyalty program with minimum check
Loyalty program with minimum check
and tiered bonus menu
Spend $5+ — earn a stamp. Reach N visits — pick any tier as a bonus. Two checks in a single model: at the credit step the threshold protects your margin; at redemption the customer picks from S/M/L themselves — no artificial constraints. Ideal for venues with a varied menu, where the average ticket matters and the bonus itself should give freedom of choice.
Built for wine bars with table minimums, spa hotels with paid procedures and add-ons, steakhouses with per-guest minimums. The visit threshold is configured in your currency — the program protects your margin. The S/M/L tiers are configured in the admin panel — the customer picks at the moment of bonus.
19 locales5 min to launchNo customer appThreshold + freedom of choice
Wine bar "Vinarius"
London · Soho, 14 Dean Street
5 qualified visits — pick any bonus
Qualified visits 5 / 5 · min ticket $14
choose freely
Claim bonus — pick from menu
Freedom of choice
All S/M/L tiers open
How it works · Qualified visits
How customers collect stamps
Six simple steps — from payment to credited stamp. Key moment — at step 3 the program checks whether the check exceeds your minimum. Once N qualified visits accumulate — the customer sees the tiered bonus menu and picks themselves.
2
Barista enters the check amount
On the panel, the barista enters the latest check amount — e.g., $17 — and taps "Generate QR". If the amount is below the threshold, the button stays disabled (see step 3).
3
Minimum-check verification
If amount <b>≥ threshold</b> (e.g., $14) — the "Generate QR" button is active, the stamp will be credited. If <b>< threshold</b> — a noticeable red warning appears on the barista panel: "Need $X more for a stamp". The barista can gently suggest the customer add an item.
4
Customer scans with camera
Any smartphone camera. No app for the customer. Scans the QR — and is instantly on their card with one more stamp.
5
New customer — in 10 seconds
First time — customer enters email and instantly gets a magic link. Tap the link — they’re on their card with the stamp already credited. No forms, no passwords.
6
Card updates — and the menu opens
If this was the last stamp before the bonus — the customer instantly sees "Bonus available" and the open tiered menu with all S/M/L. They can claim the bonus right now or come back later — the tiers stay open until the choice is made. Birthday and streak bonuses accrue automatically if you’ve enabled them.
How it works · Bonus redemption
How customers redeem bonuses
Five steps from "I have N qualified visits" to "bonus delivered". The key difference — at the moment of redemption all S/M/L tiers are open and the customer picks what they want right now.
1
Customer opens the tiered bonus menu
Once N qualified visits accumulate — a "Claim bonus" button appears on the card. The customer taps it — the tiered menu opens: <b>S — Wine glass</b>, <b>M — Cheese plate</b>, <b>L — Premium bottle</b>. All three tiers are active simultaneously — no artificial constraints. The customer picks themselves, guided by mood or appetite — without optimising for the "most expensive item", because prices are pre-balanced by you (gap between tiers ≤ 2.5×).
2
A code appears for the barista
After picking an item (e.g., L — Premium bottle), the customer sees a 4-digit PIN and a QR code. Both valid for one minute or one use. Customer shows the screen to the barista — or simply says the PIN.
3
Barista sees the customer’s choice
Barista’s screen shows "Customer picked: Premium bottle (L). Confirm delivery?". The barista doesn’t decide what to give — the customer already made the choice. Quick and transparent, no extra questions at the till.
4
Barista confirms and delivers
One tap — bonus is issued. The customer’s card updates to "Bonus delivered", the qualified-visit counter resets to 0 — and the customer can immediately start collecting toward the next one.
5
Customer sees confirmation
A second after confirmation — the customer’s screen shows "Bonus delivered ✓" and a fresh card is ready with 0 / N qualified visits. No paper receipts, no waiting.
Customer cases
Who’s already using check threshold + tiered menu
Three verticals where it’s equally important to protect margin and give the customer freedom of choice at bonus time: wine bars with table minimums, spa hotels with paid procedures and add-ons, steakhouses with per-guest minimums. Tiers S/M/L are tailored to your menu.
Wine bar "Vinarius"
Krakow · single venue
Threshold $14 · 4 qualified visits3 tiers: S Wine glass · M Cheese plate · L Premium bottle
Average ticket $18. The $14 threshold cuts off "one quick glass and out", encourages a second drink or an appetiser. After 4 qualified visits the customer opens the menu and picks themselves: <b>S</b> — Wine glass ($7), <b>M</b> — Cheese plate ($12), <b>L</b> — Premium bottle ($18). Today they came with a friend — they’ll pick the cheese; next time as a couple — the premium bottle. Freedom of choice instead of a "mandatory" house glass.
+28% average ticket lift via threshold + repeat visits to "try a different tier"
Spa hotel "Calm"
Prague · 18 rooms
Threshold €50 · 5 qualified visits3 tiers: S Mini-mask · M 30-min massage · L Full treatment
A €50-per-procedure threshold filters out drop-by lookers. 5 real procedures — and the add-on menu opens: <b>S</b> — Mini-mask (€12), <b>M</b> — 30-min massage (€22), <b>L</b> — Full "Relax" treatment (€30). The guest remembers not "another massage session", but "I have an open menu — pick what fits today’s mood". That brings them back for sessions 5, 6, 10.
+41% repeat bookings — guests remember the variety of the bonus
Steakhouse "Beef"
Warsaw · single venue
Threshold 200 PLN · 4 qualified visits3 dessert tiers: S Coffee with cookies · M Signature dessert · L Chef’s tasting plate
Average ticket 280 PLN. The 200 PLN threshold ensures the guest orders a full course, not just a side with coffee. 4 real visits — and the chef’s dessert tier menu opens: <b>S</b> — Coffee with house cookies (40 PLN), <b>M</b> — Seasonal signature dessert (70 PLN), <b>L</b> — Chef’s tasting plate (100 PLN). On a date — they’ll pick L; for a business lunch — S. The bonus size is the customer’s mood, not your decision.
+36% loyalist engagement — they return to "try the L tier"
Flexibility
What you can configure
A program with check threshold and tiered menu is not a fixed template. Here are 8 key settings you adapt to your average ticket, venue format and bonus-menu lineup.
| Visit threshold (minimum check) | Pick an amount in your currency — e.g., $14, 200 PLN, €18 or 700 PLN. We recommend 70-80% of your typical ticket: average $18 → threshold $13-14. The threshold should be hit by a "natural" order but cut off "penny" purchases. Below 50% — the threshold is irrational (almost every order beats it); above 100% — customers abandon the program. Binary rule: check ≥ threshold = +1 stamp, otherwise — 0. |
| Tiered bonus menu (S/M/L) | Configure 2-5 tiers (we recommend 3 — Small / Medium / Large) with items in each. For example: S — Wine glass, M — Cheese plate, L — Premium bottle. Important: the price of items in different tiers must not differ by more than 2.5×. If S items cost $4 and L items cost $32 — everyone always picks L, and freedom of choice becomes an illusion. Balanced: S=$7, M=$12, L=$18. The customer picks by mood, not by calculator. |
| Number of qualified visits for a bonus | 5 — most popular value (5 qualified visits ≥ threshold = the bonus menu opens). We recommend 3 to 8 visits. Threshold change doesn’t affect already earned stamps. In this model stamps are not tagged by tier — the customer can visit with different ticket sizes ($14, $20, $24) and at redemption time still pick any S/M/L tier. |
| Currencies without subunits | JPY, KRW, HUF, ISK — currencies where subunits aren’t used. You set the threshold as a whole number (e.g., 5000 JPY), without unnecessary zeros and decimal points. The program automatically formats numbers correctly for all 19 locales. |
| Transparent counter for the customer | On their card the customer sees: how many qualified visits are accumulated (e.g., 3 / 5), what the S/M/L tiers from your menu look like, and how much remains until the menu opens. Transparency removes "surprises" at the till: if the check is below the threshold — the customer already knows this visit won’t count (or adds an item themselves). |
| Anti-fraud (rate-limit) | Every QR is single-use and lives for a minute. The barista enters the check amount through a closed field — the customer can’t enter their own. Binary threshold check is done on the server — the customer can’t "trick" the threshold even if they know its value. Multiple-QR-per-minute-from-one-IP protection rules out automated attempts. |
| Boosters: birthday + streak | Toggle in campaign settings — no extra tier, no mode change, no extra campaigns. Birthday and streak bonuses open the tiered menu directly, regardless of the minimum check (the customer gets the right to pick from S/M/L even without qualified visits). |
Bonus · Birthday
Birthday bonus
The fastest way to boost loyalty — without discounts or margin loss. Customer adds birthday on first card add and automatically receives a gift in their birthday week. The birthday reward opens the tiered menu directly, regardless of the minimum check (the customer can pick from S/M/L even without qualified visits).
1-click toggleCustomer activity threshold±3 days around birthdayFlexible reward- Bonus stamps right to the card — customer gets a free bonus in their birthday week
- Anti-freeloader — only customers who bought N bonuses overall get the gift
- Flexible window — exactly on the birthday or a week around it (your choice)
- Fully automatic — no email blasts, no extra barista work, no separate campaigns
+34%more returns in birthday week vs control group (median across our venues)
Birthday week
+5 stamps gift
Active Nov 15-21. Your card already received bonus stamps — your next visit will be the sixth.
Progress5 / 5 · bonus available
Streak this week
Still 1 day to bonus: +1 stamp for 7-day streak
1 day to bonus: +1 stamp for 7-day streak
Bonus · Regularity streak
Streak
bonus
Reward for regularity — the best way to turn occasional visitors into daily ones. Customer sees the "X days in a row" counter right on their card, and that builds the habit of coming back.
Custom visit threshold
Custom period
Custom bonus
Soft-fail
Bonus threshold — e.g., 7 visits in 7 days (one each day of the week)
- Reward type — extra stamps to card or instant free bonus
- Soft-fail — one missed day doesn’t reset the streak, just pauses it
- Counter visible right on the card — that itself is the motivation
3.4×increase in visit frequency for streak-bonus customers vs standard 5+1
Comparison
Costless 51 vs alternatives
A check threshold and a tiered menu separately are common in loyalty programs, but both together without mandatory third-party POS — that’s rare. Costless is the only one in the SMB range offering check threshold + S/M/L menu without enterprise licensing.
| Feature | Costless 51 | Loopy Loyalty | Stamp Me | Loyverse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Check threshold for stamp + tiered menu together | ✓ built-in | ✗ via scripts | ✗ via add-ons | enterprise custom |
| No mandatory third-party POS | ✓ fully free | iiko POS only | ✗ iiko/SberFood | own POS |
| Localization | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ RU only |
| Birthday + streak built-in | ✓ | via add-ons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Starting price | free | enterprise | enterprise | $59-499/mo |
Overview
Watch in 90 seconds
Full cycle — customer orders for $11 → red warning "Need $3 more for a stamp" → customer adds an appetiser → green check → stamp credited. After 5 qualified visits — the customer opens the S/M/L tiered menu and picks themselves. Voice in English, subtitles in 19 languages.
Check threshold + tiered menu · Costless 5+1
Pricing
Fair price. Free start.
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
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Common questions
What people ask before launch
Everything about the "check threshold + tiered menu" model — how the threshold works, how to set up S/M/L tiers, how it differs from tiered stamp cards and the cumulative-with-tiers model.
How does this differ from tiered stamp cards where each stamp is tagged with a tier?
This is the model’s key difference. In a tiered stamp card every stamp is tagged with the tier you bought — if most visits were on "cheaper" items, you only get the "cheaper" bonus. In this model stamps are not tagged: you simply count qualified visits (≥ threshold), and at the bonus moment the customer can pick any S/M/L tier, regardless of which items they actually ordered. Better for venues with a varied menu where the customer values freedom of choice rather than the "correct" bonus for the "correct" visits.
How does the check threshold (minimum check) work?
The barista enters the check amount after payment. If it’s ≥ the threshold — a stamp is credited. Below the threshold — no stamp; a noticeable red warning appears on the barista panel: "Need $X more for a stamp". You configure the threshold in the admin panel: for a wine bar with an $18 average ticket — threshold $13-14; for a steakhouse with $26 — threshold $20.
Is total spend stored, like in the cumulative model?
No. In this model we store the number of qualified visits (≥ threshold), not total spend. One $14 visit and one $32 visit are 2 qualified visits, not $46. If you need cumulative progress ("$100 — and the bonus menu opens"), pick our cumulative-with-tiers model — there spend accumulates by check amount, with no binary threshold.
How many tiers do people typically configure?
The standard is 3 tiers (S / M / L), because that maps best to the emotional logic of "small / medium / large". 2 to 5 tiers are supported. Important: prices in different tiers must not differ by more than 2.5×. Otherwise everyone always picks the most expensive, and freedom of choice becomes an illusion. Balanced: S=$7, M=$12, L=$18.
How do I set the threshold — and can I change it after launch?
The threshold is configured in the campaign admin panel. Usually — 70-80% of the typical ticket. Yes, you can change it any time: this doesn’t affect already earned stamps (current cards continue with the old threshold to bonus, new qualified visits count with the new one). Lets you experiment — try $14, switch to $16 — without losing existing customer loyalty.
What about currencies without subunits (JPY, KRW, HUF)?
All currencies are supported, including those without subunits. You set the threshold as a whole number (e.g., 5000 JPY or 800 HUF), without unnecessary zeros and decimal points. The program automatically formats numbers correctly for all 19 locales.
Can I change the model later?
Yes. In the admin panel you can switch the model — campaign and customer history is preserved, accumulated stamps stay on the cards. A handy scenario: launch in the "check threshold + tiered menu" model and after a few months switch to "stamp per spend amount + tiers" (cumulative model) if customers ask for more transparent progress with cumulative sums.
Launch your check-threshold + tiered-menu program in 5 minutes
Free tier · 1 location · unlimited customers · threshold and tiers in your currency. No app. The threshold protects your margin, the S/M/L tiered menu gives the customer freedom of choice at bonus time. Birthday gift and streak bonus — on paid plans.
Create card free →No credit cardCancel any timeYour data — yours forever