Should a barbershop use a stamp card or a points card?

Use a stamp card if every haircut costs the same

A barbershop charging one flat price for every haircut should use a stamp card, not a points card — one stamp per visit, a free cut after a fixed count, with no arithmetic for the customer or the barber to track. Points only earn their extra complexity when the price list genuinely varies from service to service, which most single-service barbershops don't have.

The distinction matters because a points card that tracks riyals spent adds a layer neither side needs if every visit is already worth the same amount — it's solving a problem that a uniform price list doesn't have.

Stamps vs points, side by side

Both mechanics are available on Growth and Premium; only stamp cards are available on the Free plan.

The reward math at three common price points

A 6th-cut-free stamp card discounts roughly 14% of six haircuts' total revenue, regardless of the price on the ticket, because the discount percentage only depends on the stamp count, not the price.

• 25 SAR haircut, 6th free: ≈14% discount over six visits
• 35 SAR haircut, 6th free: ≈14% discount over six visits — the price cancels out of the percentage
• 45 SAR haircut, 6th free: ≈14% discount over six visits, same as above
• A points card at the same 25–45 SAR range needs its own rate (e.g. 1 point per riyal, reward at 300 points) rather than a single clean percentage

The one case where points win for a barbershop

Points earn their place once a shop's price list genuinely spans a wide range — a 30 SAR haircut next to an 80 SAR full grooming treatment, for example. A stamp card would credit both the same single stamp, effectively discounting the cheaper service more than the expensive one in proportion. A points card tied to riyals spent (say 1 point per riyal) fixes that automatically, since the customer earns proportionally more from the higher-priced service.

Most single-service barbershops — haircuts only, or haircuts with a same-priced beard trim add-on — don't reach that threshold and are better served staying on stamps.

Setting up whichever mechanic fits

Both card types are created the same way in the dashboard, just with a different set of fields to fill in.

1. Step 1: decide based on your actual price list

   List every service you offer with its price — if they're within roughly 20–30% of each other, choose stamps.

2. Step 2: set the stamp threshold or points rate

   For stamps, pick a visit count (commonly 6). For points, set a per-riyal rate and a redemption threshold.

3. Step 3: add your logo and shop colors

   The card design step is identical for both mechanics, so this doesn't affect the choice.

4. Step 4: print a QR poster for the till or mirror

   Enrollment works the same way regardless of card type — a ten-second scan-and-add-to-wallet flow.

5. Step 5: brief every barber on the rule they'll be applying

   Stamps need one number (the threshold); points need the rate, so brief the team accordingly.

What doesn't change between the two

Whichever mechanic you choose, the card lives in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, works across every branch on one dashboard, and carries the same notification triggers — welcome on enrollment, a message when a stamp or point is added, one on reward redemption, and a 14-day win-back if the customer goes quiet. None of that depends on stamps versus points; it's the same automation layer underneath either mechanic.

One limit applies equally to both: Waya has no POS or till integration, so a barber scans the customer's card by hand after the cut whether the card counts stamps or points — there's no automatic detection of a sale either way.