The recommendation: 5 or 6 stamps for most single-location washes
A 5-stamp threshold (the 6th wash free) is the better default for most flat-price car washes: it pays out fast enough that customers stay engaged, while the discount it represents — roughly 17% averaged across the cycle — is still sustainable on a typical 25-35 SAR wash. A 10-stamp threshold cuts that discount to about 9%, protecting more margin, but takes noticeably longer for a customer to feel like they're making progress.
The right choice depends mostly on visit frequency. A wash whose regulars come weekly or more can afford the 10-stamp threshold, since the reward still arrives within two or three months. A wash whose regulars come every few weeks should stay at 5 or 6, or the free wash starts to feel more like a rumor than a reward.
The two thresholds, side by side
The discount math follows a simple rule: if a customer pays for N visits and gets the (N+1)th free, the discount across the full cycle is 1 divided by (N+1).
| Threshold | Discount across cycle | Visits to first reward | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 stamps (6th free) | ~16.7% | 6 | Lower-frequency regulars, faster payout wanted |
| 8 stamps (9th free) | ~11.1% | 9 | A middle ground for moderate visit frequency |
| 10 stamps (11th free) | ~9.1% | 11 | High-frequency regulars, margin-sensitive pricing |
A concrete example at a 30 SAR wash price
On a 30 SAR flat-price wash, a 5-stamp threshold means the customer pays 150 SAR across 5 washes and gets the 6th free, for an effective 180 SAR of value delivered against 150 SAR paid — the 30 SAR reward is 16.7% of the total. A 10-stamp threshold means 300 SAR paid across 10 washes for an 11th wash worth 330 SAR of value, making the 30 SAR reward only 9.1% of the total.
For a customer visiting every two weeks, the 5-stamp card pays out in about 10-12 weeks; the 10-stamp card takes 20-22 weeks, or roughly five months. Five months is long enough that many customers will have forgotten the reward exists by the time they earn it, which is the practical reason most single-location washes should lean toward 5 or 6 rather than 10.
- Regulars visit weekly or more → 10-stamp threshold still pays out within ~2.5 months
- Regulars visit every 2-3 weeks → 5 or 6-stamp threshold keeps the reward within reach
- Margin is tight on a low-ticket wash → lean toward 10 stamps to protect the discount rate
- Launching a new program and want visible early wins → start at 5 stamps, adjust later if needed
Why payout speed matters more than the discount percentage
It's tempting to optimize purely for the smaller discount, but a reward that never feels close enough to reach doesn't change behavior — it just sits unused on the card. The entire point of a loyalty stamp is the visible countdown; a customer glancing at "3 of 5" is a meaningfully different experience from "3 of 10," even though the second is objectively cheaper for the wash.
This is also the 7.5%-vs-27% lesson in a different form: a program only works if customers stay engaged with it, and a threshold that feels too far away is one more way engagement quietly drops, even before scanning discipline becomes the issue.
Setting the stamp threshold in the dashboard
The threshold is one setting on the card, changeable at any time, though changes typically apply going forward rather than retroactively resetting progress already earned.
- Estimate your regulars' visit frequency
Ask a week of returning customers when their last wash was, and take the median.
- Pick 5-6 stamps for slower cycles, 8-10 for faster ones
Match the threshold to how often your typical regular actually returns.
- Check the discount against your ticket price
1 / (threshold + 1) is the rough discount rate across the full cycle.
- Set the threshold on the card design screen
Configure the stamp count when building or editing the card in the dashboard.
- Print the QR poster once the threshold is final
Avoid changing the number right after launch, since it undercuts the visible countdown customers are watching.
What doesn't change no matter which threshold you pick
Whichever number you choose, the mechanics stay the same: no POS or till integration, so staff scan the card on an ordinary phone to add each stamp, no SMS channel, and the reward-redeemed trigger fires automatically once the threshold is hit, sending a wallet lock-screen message without any manual step. Free supports 1 stamp card at whatever threshold you set, up to 100 customers; Growth and Premium remove the customer ceiling if the program outgrows it.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 5-stamp or 10-stamp car wash card better?
5 stamps (6th wash free) suits most single-location washes — it pays out fast enough to keep customers engaged, at roughly a 17% discount. 10 stamps cuts that to about 9% but takes much longer to pay out, which only works well for high-frequency regulars.
What discount does a 5-stamp threshold represent?
Paying for 5 washes and getting the 6th free is roughly a 16.7% discount averaged across the full cycle — the free wash divided by the total number of washes delivered.
How long does a 10-stamp card take to pay out?
For a customer visiting every two weeks, about 20-22 weeks, or roughly five months. That's long enough that many customers lose track of the reward, which is why most single-location washes should default to a shorter threshold unless regulars visit weekly or more.
Can the stamp threshold be changed after launch?
Yes, from the card design screen in the dashboard, though changes typically apply going forward rather than resetting progress customers have already earned. It's easier to launch with a shorter threshold and lengthen it later than to disappoint customers by moving the goalpost further away.
Does the reward-redeemed message send automatically?
Yes. Once a customer hits the stamp threshold, the reward-redeemed trigger fires automatically as a wallet lock-screen message, with no manual step from staff.