A stamp card rewards frequency. A points card rewards spend. The right choice is almost always determined by the variance of your average ticket size.
Low variance? Stamps
If every customer spends roughly the same amount every visit — a coffee shop, a car wash, a salon with a fixed-price cut — a stamp card wins. It's simpler, faster, and the reward feels larger because it's attached to a visit count the customer already tracks in their head.
High variance? Points
If ticket size varies by more than 2x — restaurants, boutiques, bike shops — a points card wins. A stamp card under-rewards your biggest spenders and over-rewards your smallest. A points card scales the reward to the spend, and customers perceive it as fair.
