For independent coffee shops and small businesses, digital loyalty programs can modernize the classic punch card. Two popular options are Paperless Perks and Cuppacard. Both let you issue digital loyalty cards, but their approaches and pricing differ significantly. In this comparison we’ll break down pricing, technology, user experience and branding to help you choose the best solution (spoiler: we’ll show why Paperless Perks often wins for small cafes).

Pricing and Plans

Paperless Perks Free Tier:  Generous for starters. Paperless Perks offers a free plan that includes unlimited customers and 200 loyalty stamps per month. This is often more than enough for small shops just testing digital cards.
Cuppacard Free Tier:  Limited small plan. Cuppacard’s free plan is capped at 15 monthly active users. In practice, once you have more than ~15 distinct customers using the card each month, you must upgrade to paid.
Paid Plans: Cuppacard moves quickly to £14.99/month for unlimited customers. In contrast, Paperless Perks’ paid plans start at £6.99/month (for 1,000 stamps) and go up to £19.99 or £39.99 for higher volume. In short, Paperless Perks lets you scale more gradually and affordably.

Bottom line: Paperless Perks’ pricing is more flexible and cost-effective for small coffee shops. Its free tier covers more users (200 stamps vs. 15 users) and its paid plans start significantly lower (£6.99 vs. £14.99).

Stamping Technology (QR vs NFC)

Cuppacard – Tap-to-Stamp: Cuppacard uses an NFC “Cuppatag” that customers tap with their phone to collect stamps. This contactless tap can be very quick and convenient. However, it requires the business to provide the NFC tag and the customer to have the Cuppacard app running.
Paperless Perks – QR Scanning: Paperless Perks uses QR codes embedded in the wallet card. Staff simply open the Paperless Perks business app on their phone and point it at the customer’s digital card (in their Apple/Google Wallet) to stamp. No special hardware or separate app install is needed for the customer – any smartphone camera will do. (Paperless even notes that scanning a QR is “as quick as physically stamping a card”.)

Pros/Cons: Cuppacard’s tap method is very fast but requires NFC equipment and the Cuppacard app. Paperless Perks’ QR system works on any phone without extra gadgets. For a coffee shop with just a few phones behind the counter, QR scanning is simpler and more reliable.

Customer Experience: Wallet Pass vs App

Cuppacard – Multi-shop App: Cuppacard customers download a single app to manage all loyalty cards. This means your shop appears alongside other cafes in the same app. As their marketing says, customers can “keep all your loyalty cards in one convenient app”. They’ll also see deals and promotions from multiple stores in that app.
Paperless Perks – Wallet-Only Card: Paperless Perks uses Apple Wallet/Google Wallet passes. Customers do NOT install any new app – they just add your digital loyalty card to their phone’s wallet. Every time they open their wallet (to check flight passes, tickets, etc.), they’ll also see your card. There’s no competing ads or other brands displayed. The card stays “in their wallet” with your logo, reminding them of your shop each time. Paperless even provides proximity notifications (e.g. when a customer nears your store).

Bottom line: Paperless Perks offers a very app-free, brand-focused experience. Customers get your loyalty card directly in their phone’s wallet, which they already use daily. Cuppacard forces customers to download and open a separate app (where your shop competes for attention with others). For an independent café, the simpler wallet-pass approach is often more convenient and keeps the focus on your business alone.

Branding & Marketing

Paperless Perks cards are exclusively branded for your store. The customer never sees any competitor’s promotions on that card – it’s just you. You can fully customize the look of your digital card (colors, logo, reward stamp design, etc.) to match your café’s branding.
Cuppacard is a walled-garden app. While you can brand your card inside it, customers can also browse other nearby shops and offers within Cuppacard’s interface. This can dilute your brand’s visibility. In effect, Cuppacard acts like a loyalty network or marketplace, whereas Paperless Perks acts like a one-to-one digital punch card.

One advantage Paperless emphasizes is notifications and reminders. Since the card lives in the wallet, you can send (or the system can trigger) reminders and geofenced messages tied to the wallet pass. Cuppacard can send push notifications through its app, but those messages might have to compete with promotions from other stores in the same app.

Ease of Use & Support

Paperless Perks: Staff install one (free) app to scan stamps, and customers use their built-in wallet. It’s “as easy as paper” punch cards – just open an app and scan – with no learning curve for customers. Paperless also provides analytics and advanced loyalty tracking behind the scenes (via their dashboard), similar to other solutions.
Cuppacard: Staff can stamp with a phone tap (if using NFC tag) or QR scan, but customers must register a Cuppacard account and QR. The app provides rich analytics, vouchers and push notifications, but these come with complexity and higher cost.

In summary...

Both Paperless Perks and Cuppacard enable digital loyalty cards for cafes and small shops. Cuppacard’s strengths are its tap-to-stamp feature and integrated multi-store app. Paperless Perks shines with a simpler, more affordable model: a generous free tier, lower entry cost, wallet-based cards (no customer app needed), and focused branding. For an independent coffee shop, Paperless Perks is typically the better fit.

Ready to boost loyalty and keep customers coming back? Try Paperless Perks today – add your store’s loyalty card to customers’ phones in minutes, and let them experience the perks of going paperless! Visit Paperless Perks to sign up and see how easy digital loyalty can be for your cafe.

Paperless Perks vs. Cuppacard: Digital Loyalty Card Comparison