A Big-Chain Points Program – Sized for Small Businesses
Big-chain points programs
$300+/month on enterprise platforms. 12–24 month contracts. POS integration required. Coalition programs keep your customer data.
Stempely
Free to start. No contract. No POS system needed. Your customer data belongs to you.
Every month without a loyalty program = regulars drifting to the chain down the street — because they earn rewards there.
What is a points program alternative for small businesses? Programs like Starbucks Rewards, supermarket points or airline miles all run on one simple principle: customers collect points, get a reward and come back. The principle works — but the way big chains build it (custom apps, enterprise loyalty platforms, POS integration, long contracts) is out of reach for a small shop. Stempely gives you exactly this principle: customers collect stamps on a digital punch card via QR code or NFC, redeem rewards, and you send push notifications to customers who haven't been in for a while — from $0, without a contract, without a POS system, GDPR-compliant.
Stempely is software from Germany, built for local businesses — coffee shops, bakeries, boutiques, hair salons, restaurants and more.
Small business owners who wanted a “real” points program — and chose Stempely
"I priced out a loyalty platform like the big chains use. Two-year contract, $300 a month, POS integration. For my coffee shop? Forget it. With Stempely I was live in 5 minutes – for free."
M. K.
Coffee shop owner
"My customers kept asking why I don't have rewards like the big stores. An enterprise program was never an option. Stempely is exactly what I was looking for – simple, affordable, it just works."
S. B.
Boutique owner
"The idea behind points programs is good: collect, get a reward. But the enterprise versions are unaffordable for small shops. Stempely does exactly that – affordable and without the contract trap."
T. W.
Bakery owner
The honest comparison
Big-chain points programs vs. Stempely — which fits your business?
Points programs work — for Starbucks, Target and the big supermarket chains. But if you run a bakery, a coffee shop or a boutique, you need a solution made for you.
$300+
monthly cost of a typical enterprise loyalty platform — plus setup and POS integration
$0
to start with Stempely — free plan, no contract
5 min
setup with Stempely — print the QR code, put it by the register, done
What studies show: According to Harvard Business Review, acquiring a new customer costs 5–25x more than retaining an existing one. Points programs work — but only when they are within reach. Stempely makes the same principle usable for every business, regardless of size or budget.
The big-chain principle, made simple:
Programs like Starbucks Rewards have proven that collect-and-reward works — tens of millions of members speak for themselves. The problem is not the principle, but the access. Stempely takes this proven concept and makes it usable for every business owner: no minimum contract, no POS system required, no sharing data with third parties. Same psychology, built for your shop.
The full comparison: big-chain points programs vs. Stempely
8 criteria that matter for your business — honest and without marketing fluff.
| Criterion | Big-chain points program | Stempely |
|---|---|---|
| Cost / month | From $300 (enterprise platform) | From $0 (Premium: $14.99) |
| Minimum contract | Often 12–24 months | None – cancel monthly |
| Setup time | Weeks (POS integration, custom app) | 5 minutes |
| Privacy (GDPR, CCPA) | Extensive purchase tracking, often partner sharing | Yes – anonymous stamp data |
| Own customer data | Coalition programs keep it | Yes – belongs to you |
| Push notifications | Only via your own custom app | Directly to your customers |
| Suitable for small businesses | No – built for large chains | Yes – built for it |
| POS system required | Yes – compatible system mandatory | No – a QR code is enough |
Free forever · GDPR-compliant · Set up in 5 minutes
The problem: big-chain points programs aren't made for you
Sarah runs a small boutique. She priced out the kind of loyalty platform the big retailers use — 24-month minimum contract, $300+ a month, complicated POS integration. For her small shop? Impossible.
Sarah knows her regulars would love a rewards program. Collect, get a reward — just like at the big chains. But those programs need infrastructure built for corporations. Sarah has neither an IT department nor the budget.
So she set up a digital punch card with Stempely instead. Her regulars come back regularly. She can see in the dashboard who hasn't been in for weeks and sends a push notification: “We miss you — double stamps this week!” Of 14 inactive customers, 5 come back the same week. In a coalition points program, Sarah would never have known — because the data belongs to the program, not to her.
QR code by the register, customers scan with their phone, after 8 visits they get 15% off. No contract, no POS system, $0 to get started.
What makes big-chain points programs impossible for small businesses:
- Long minimum contracts — no flexibility for seasonal businesses
- Monthly costs from $300 — more than most small shops spend on marketing
- Mandatory POS integration — no compatible system, no access
- In coalition programs, customer data belongs to the program — not to you
- Complex onboarding — weeks of waiting before you can start
- Purchase data shared with partner brands — your customers become the product
What Stempely gives you instead:
- No contract — stop any time, no notice period
- Free for up to 25 customers — every feature included, push notifications too. After that, Premium for $14.99/month
- No POS system needed — just print a QR code, done
- Your data belongs to you — no sharing, no profiling
- Live in 5 minutes — no technician, no onboarding process
- GDPR-compliant — anonymous stamp data, no personal information
What a coalition points program won't show you — your own dashboard
This is what your Stempely dashboard looks like
A real-time overview of all your regulars: who is active, who needs a reminder, who is close to a reward.
1.281
Gesamtkunden
6.316
Total stamps
3.114
Rewards redeemed
Live
Stamps today
Real production data. Customer data shown anonymized. In a coalition points program you don't see this data — it belongs to the program.
What big-chain points programs don't give you
4 moments only possible with your own loyalty program
These are not features. These are real situations a small business owner never gets inside someone else's points program.
The real math
Big-chain points program vs. Stempely — what does it really cost?
Enterprise loyalty platform / year
$3,600+
$300/month minimum plus setup costs plus POS integration. In coalition programs, the customer data belongs to the program, not to you.
Stempely Free / year
$0
Every feature, including push, win-back, NFC and statistics – free for up to 25 customers. No contract, no credit card.
Stempely Premium / year
$159
From your 26th customer: unlimited customers and multiple locations. $14.99 per month — a fraction of an enterprise program, with full control over your data.
Enterprise points program: pay $3,600+ a year and give up control. Stempely: invest $0–$159 and control everything yourself.
A fraction of what a big-chain program costs — and your data stays with you
Choose Your Plan
All features free for up to 25 customers. Then Premium.
Stempely
- Up to 25 customers
- Digital loyalty card
- QR code scanner
- Contactless stamps (NFC)
- Send offers & reminders
- Statistics
- QR code with logo
- Customer list
- More visibility with web
- Priority support
Franchise
- Everything in Premium
- Multiple locations
- Custom terms
- Dedicated account manager
All prices incl. VAT.
8 common questions: points program alternative for small businesses
Why aren't big-chain points programs an option for small businesses?
Programs like Starbucks Rewards or supermarket points cards run on custom apps and enterprise loyalty platforms. Those platforms typically mean contracts of 12–24 months, monthly costs from around $300, and a compatible POS integration. For a bakery, a coffee shop or a boutique, that is neither economically nor technically feasible.
What does Stempely do differently?
Stempely is built specifically for small, local businesses. No POS system needed, no minimum contract, no data sharing. You set up your loyalty program in 5 minutes – via QR code or NFC card. Customers save the digital punch card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, or use the free Stempely app, and redeem their reward with you. The principle is the same as the big points programs – without the corporate hurdles.
What does Stempely cost compared to a big-chain points program?
Stempely is free for up to 25 customers – with every feature, including push notifications and win-back. From your 26th customer, Premium costs $14.99 per month. Enterprise loyalty platforms start around $300 per month plus setup fees and POS work. For a small business, that's a difference of thousands of dollars per year.
Do I need a special POS system for Stempely?
No. Stempely works completely independently of your POS system. You print a QR code and put it by the register – done. Customers scan with their phone. Alternatively, you can use an NFC tag. No integration, no IT, no technician.
Is Stempely privacy-compliant (GDPR, CCPA)?
Yes. Stempely does not process personal customer data such as names or email addresses. Customers remain anonymous, and data is hosted in the EU under GDPR. Unlike coalition points programs, which collect extensive purchase data and share it with partners, all data stays with you – and only anonymized stamp data is stored.
Does Stempely share my customer data?
No. At Stempely, your customer data belongs to you – and only you. Coalition points programs share purchasing behavior with partner brands. At Stempely there is no data sharing, no advertising profiles, no third parties. Your customers collect stamps with you – period.
Can my customers really get started in 30 seconds?
Yes. Your customers simply scan your QR code with their phone camera and add the loyalty card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet – or they use the free Stempely app (iOS or Android), which adds push notifications. They collect stamps from the very first scan. No account, no registration, no personal data. Most customers join on their first visit.
Can I switch from another loyalty solution to Stempely?
Yes. No technical migration is needed – you simply set up your Stempely profile and get started. If you already have regulars, you can manually add their existing stamps in the dashboard. You're live in 5 minutes – with no dependency on your old provider.
"I priced out a loyalty platform like the big chains use. Two-year contract, $300 a month. For my coffee shop? Forget it. With Stempely I was live in 5 minutes — for free."
— M. K., coffee shop owner
Your loyalty program. Your customers. Your data.
No enterprise contract, no POS overhaul, no data sharing. Your rewards program for regulars is live in 5 minutes.
The free plan stays free — no expiry date, no catch.
Start now — no contract, no credit cardFree to start · GDPR-compliant · Set up in 5 minutes
Also available directly as an app