Loyalty Apps for Small Cafes and Shops with a Free Starter Plan in Germany

Best Loyalty Apps for Small Cafés and Shops in Germany Compared

Plan terms can change. Check the linked provider pages for current limits and billing before you sign up.

1. Stampy - Best Overall for AI-Powered Customer Loyalty

Stampy combines QR-based stamp cards with rewards, customer visit data, and campaign tools. At checkout, staff scan the customer’s QR code using the Stampy Partner app. Customers can see their stamp balance and how close they are to earning a reward.

Why It Fits Small Cafés

A small café can start with a simple offer, such as buying eight coffees and getting the next one free. Customers know what they're working towards, and staff can explain the reward without holding up the queue. You can also use Stampy to encourage visits during slower hours. For example, if Tuesday afternoons are usually quiet, you could offer an extra stamp during that time.

You can also try different coffee shop marketing ideas, such as limited-time offers and seasonal promotions, to bring more customers in during quieter hours. 

Why It Fits Small Shops

A small pet shop could reward customers who regularly buy food, treats, or other supplies. During quieter months, the owner could also run special offers to encourage another visit.

Stampy can help the shop owner understand which customers visit regularly and which haven't returned for some time. That makes it easier to choose who should receive a particular offer instead of sending the same promotion to everyone.

AI Customer Insights and Campaign Recommendations

Getting customers to join your loyalty program is one thing. Getting them to return is another.

Stampy helps you understand how customers use your loyalty program, including their visits and reward activity. Its AI-powered insights can also help you find customers who haven't visited recently and suggest campaigns based on their activity.

For example, instead of offering a discount to everyone, you could target customers who are close to earning their next reward.

You can learn more about this in our guide on choosing your next loyalty campaign with AI.

POS Requirement

You don't need to change your current POS system to use Stampy. Staff can scan a customer's QR code through the Stampy Partner app to add stamps and manage rewards.

If you want to keep your existing checkout setup, read our guide on running a loyalty program without POS integration.

Best For

Stampy is suitable for cafés and shops that want to use customer visit data to plan targeted campaigns. It helps businesses encourage repeat visits, build customer loyalty, and increase purchases through relevant rewards and offers. 

2. tapja - Best Permanent Free Plan for German Cafés and Shops

tapja gives small German cafés and shops one free program, up to 15 active cards, and two staff accounts. You can choose stamps or points. Customers save the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, and the free plan includes customer management and data export.

Why It Fits Cafés

If you've recently opened a café, you can start by offering digital stamp cards to a few regular customers. For example, customers could collect nine stamps and get their tenth coffee free.

Since the free plan supports up to 15 active cards, it's better suited to a small trial than a busy café with hundreds of customers. You can check the latest limits on the tapja pricing page.

Limitation

Once you hit 15 active cards, the cards you’ve already issued keep working like normal. Your customers won’t notice anything. The only thing that stops is handing out new cards, and for that you’ll need to upgrade.

First Paid Plan

The first paid plan is Starter, and it costs €9 a month before VAT. You can have up to 50 active cards on it. That’s plenty of room if you’re still testing things out.

Best For

tapja works well if you want to run a small pilot using Apple or Google Wallet. You can start with stamps or points, whichever suits your shop better. If you’re not sure yet, you can try one and switch later.

3. FaveCard - Best Free Plan for Unlimited Customers

FaveCard offers one active loyalty card with unlimited customers and stamps on its permanent free plan. Customers use a QR code and access their card through the browser-based Web Wallet. The free plan lets you change the card's colour and stamp count. You can also see basic totals, including how many cards have been issued, stamps collected, and rewards earned. 

Advantage

FaveCard doesn't limit how many customers can join your free stamp card. This makes it useful for cafés and shops that expect their customer list to grow.

The free plan supports one active card. If you want separate loyalty programs, Apple Wallet or Google Wallet passes for new customers, or marketing campaigns, you'll need to look at its paid plans.

Best For

FaveCard doesn't limit how many customers can join your free stamp card. This makes it useful for cafés and shops that expect their customer list to grow.

The free plan supports one active card. If you want separate loyalty programs, Apple Wallet or Google Wallet passes for new customers, or marketing campaigns, you'll need to look at its paid plans.

4. SumUp Loyalty - Best for Shops Already Using SumUp

SumUp Loyalty can reward visits, spending, or eligible product purchases. Customers download SumUp Local and link a payment card. When they pay with that card at a participating business, they can collect rewards automatically.

Advantage

Customers can collect stamps or points automatically when they pay with an eligible card linked to SumUp Local. Staff don't need to scan a separate loyalty card for every qualifying purchase. 

SumUp offers its loyalty program without an extra loyalty subscription fee for eligible merchants. However, normal payment processing fees still apply.

Before choosing it, check which payments qualify for rewards and how customers redeem them at your checkout. Some register features may require an additional paid plan.

Best For

SumUp Loyalty suits cafés and shops that already use SumUp and want customers to earn through linked card payments.

5. Bonice Best Free Wallet-Based Loyalty App

Bonice offers up to 30 active cards on its free plan. Customers scan a QR code at the counter, enter their name and email address, and save the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

Advantage

The free plan allows 30 active cards, and that’s a bigger allowance than several competitors offer without charging. If you’re a small shop that just wants to get started without paying, that extra room helps. You can test the whole thing with real regulars before you think about upgrading.

Best For

Bonice is a good fit if your regulars already use their phone’s wallet and you want room for up to 30 active cards. Try the full sign-up on both iPhone and Android before putting up the QR code. Staff should know where customers will find the card when they return.

6. Treubar - Best for Testing Loyalty Before Paying

Treubar offers up to 20 customer passes at one location on its permanent free plan. Customers save their card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

Why It Works

You can start with 20 regular customers and see how well the digital card works in your shop.

Ask staff whether adding stamps is easy during busy hours. You can also check whether customers return to collect more stamps and redeem their rewards.

If the program works well, you can upgrade to allow more customers to join.

Advantage

The Start plan costs €7.99 per month, excluding VAT, and allows unlimited customer passes. This makes it a relatively affordable upgrade once you've used all 20 free passes. 

Best For

Treubar suits single-location cafés and shops that want to test a Wallet card with a few regulars first.

7. Treuli - Best for Receipt-Based Points

Treuli is a digital loyalty app that lets customers earn points by scanning QR codes on their receipts. The points are based on how much they spend, making it a good option for cafés and shops where purchase amounts vary. Customers can collect points and exchange them for rewards without downloading an app. 

Why It Stands Out

It lets customers earn points by scanning a QR code on their receipts. This can work well for shops where customers spend different amounts on each visit.

For example, an art supply shop could give more points to someone spending €50 than someone buying a €5 sketchbook. Customers can then use their collected points towards rewards.

Main Limitation

Treuli's free plan supports up to 10 customers, so it's mainly useful for testing the system.

You can use it to see whether customers understand how to scan receipts and collect points. If you want to offer the program to more shoppers, the Starter plan costs €39 per month and supports up to 250 customers.

Best For

Treuli suits shops that want higher-value purchases to earn more points and can use receipt scans at checkout.

Which Loyalty App Is Best for Your Café or Shop?

The right app depends on how your customers shop and what you want your loyalty program to do for you. If all you need is a basic stamp card, FaveCard lets unlimited customers join for free. Bonice, tapja, and Treubar suit you if you’d like customers to save cards in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. SumUp Loyalty works well if you already use SumUp, and Treuli gives out points based on receipt scans.

Those apps do the job of collecting stamps or points. But if you want your loyalty program to actually bring people back, Stampy is the one to pick. It’s the only app on this list built around AI. It reads your customers’ visits and reward activity, points out who hasn’t been back in a while, and suggests campaigns based on what people really do. So instead of giving everyone the same discount, you can target the customers who are one stamp away from a free coffee.

Stampy is also easy to set up. You keep your current till, and staff just scan a customer’s QR code to add stamps. You can start with one simple reward and build from there as you learn what works. For a café or shop that wants more than a stamp card, that’s hard to beat.

Free Plan vs Free Trial: Which Is Better?

The choice between a permanent free plan and a free trial depends on how much time you need to test the app and what you want to get out of it. Both options have their benefits, but they suit different business needs.

Permanent Free Plan

A permanent free plan makes sense when you want one reward and need time to see whether customers will use it. Look at the cap before printing a QR sign. If you expect 50 sign-ups in the first week, a 15-card plan works better as a pilot with invited customers.

Free Trial

A free trial makes sense when you’re prepared to pay if the tools help. Use the trial to test something you could keep doing. Run one reward, have staff record visits during a normal shift, and check whether enough members return to give you a useful picture. If most shoppers visit once a month, a 30-day trial may tell you more about sign-up and checkout than long-term retention.

What Should a Small Café or Shop Compare Before Choosing?

Customer Limits

Not every app counts customers in the same way. Some limit active cards, while others limit the number of registered customers or issued passes.

Before signing up, check what happens when you reach the free limit. Can existing customers still collect stamps? Will you need to pay to add new customers?

It's also worth checking whether you can download your customer data if you decide to switch providers later.

Digital Stamps or Points

Digital stamps work well for cafés where customers usually buy the same type of product. For example, you can offer one stamp for every coffee and a free drink after ten stamps.

Points may work better for shops where customers spend different amounts. Someone spending €50 could earn more points than someone spending €10.

In Germany, you may see these programs described as digitale Stempelkarte or digitales Bonusprogramm.

Whichever option you choose, make sure customers understand how they earn rewards. You can also read our comparison of stamps and points before deciding.

Customer App vs Wallet

Try joining the program as a customer and reopening the card later. An Apple or Google Wallet pass can suit people who already save tickets and cards there. A browser card can work for shoppers who prefer a link. A dedicated app can give customers a place to track rewards and see offers. The guide to loyalty apps, wallet passes, and paper cards explains how each works.

Customer Insights and Campaigns

If you're running a simple coffee stamp card, you may only need to know how many stamps customers collect and how often they claim rewards.

But if your goal is to bring back customers who haven't visited recently, you'll need more information. Look for an app that helps you understand customer visits and see whether people return after receiving an offer.

POS Requirements

Ask a staff member to run through a sale, add a stamp or points, and redeem a reward. Repeat the test on the devices you use on shift. If you prefer to keep rewards tied to payments, check what happens when a shopper uses cash or a card they haven’t linked.

First Paid Upgrade

Compare the monthly price, VAT, location and customer limits, staff accounts, and campaign allowances. Include the cost of the reward itself. 

For a free coffee card, estimate how many qualifying drinks you sell before each free one and what that drink costs you to serve.  Our guide on loyalty program costs explains this in more detail. 

When a Free Loyalty Plan Is Enough

A free plan can cover a small café that offers one stamp per qualifying coffee and a free drink after eight stamps. If staff use the card consistently and regulars can find it when they come back, you have what you need to run the offer. 

Revisit your options when you’re close to the card limit, or customers start asking to earn rewards at another location.

When a More Advanced Loyalty App Makes Sense

As your business grows, you may want to know more than how many stamps customers collect.

For example, which customers visit every week? Who hasn't returned in a month? Which rewards are people claiming most often?

This is where a loyalty app like Stampy can be useful. You can use customer visit data to understand shopping habits and plan offers for different groups.

If some regular customers haven't visited recently, you could send them a special offer and see whether they return.

For more ideas, read our guide on winning back inactive customers.

Conclusion

Choosing a loyalty app for your café or shop doesn't have to be complicated. Start with what your business needs and how you want to reward customers.

If a simple digital stamp card is enough, apps like FaveCard, Bonice, and tapja are worth exploring. If you need more control over customer rewards and want to understand what brings people back, consider a platform with more detailed customer insights.

Stampy brings digital stamp cards, customer insights, and loyalty campaigns together in one app. You can start with a single reward and explore more features as your business grows.