Both are trying to solve the same problem — give customers a reason to come back — but they work quite differently, and one usually fits a given business much better than the other.
How a points system works
Customers earn a number of points per purchase, often tied to how much they spend, and redeem points later for a reward once they've built up enough. It's flexible: a business with lots of different products at different price points can reward spending proportionally rather than treating every purchase the same.
How a digital stamp card works
Much simpler: one qualifying purchase earns one stamp, and after a fixed number of stamps, the customer gets a reward. "Buy 9, get the 10th free" is the whole rule. There's no conversion rate to explain and no point value to calculate.
Side by side
| Factor | Points system | Digital stamp card |
|---|---|---|
| Easiest to explain | Takes a sentence or two | One sentence |
| Works well with varied pricing | Yes | Less naturally |
| Works well with one core product | Overkill | Ideal fit |
| Feels tangible to customers | Can feel abstract | Very visible ("7 of 10") |
| Best suited for | Retail with wide product range | Cafes, salons, bakeries, quick-service |
When points make more sense
A points system suits businesses where basket size varies a lot and there isn't one obvious "qualifying purchase" — a general store, a retailer with dozens of SKUs at different prices, or a business that wants big spenders rewarded proportionally more than small ones.
When a stamp card makes more sense
For most local businesses — a cafe, a salon, a bakery, a quick-service stall — customers are usually buying roughly the same thing each time. There's rarely a strong need to weight rewards by spend, and a stamp card's simplicity tends to win: staff can run it without thinking, and customers understand it on sight.
Where Primo fits into this
Primo Rewards is built around the stamp card model specifically because it fits how most local businesses actually sell — a repeatable core purchase, not a huge varied basket. Custom reward rules on Pro and Premium plans still let you tune it to your business without needing a full points engine.