Stamp Cards – Accounting for Free Items

A classic stamp card: "Buy 9 lunch coffees, get the 10th free." The guest collects a stamp per coffee, and when the card is full, a free coffee awaits.

The question: How do you book that free coffee?

Two accepted models exist in Swedish accounting — both are used in practice, and which you choose depends on how you want to see the result in reports.

The clear starting point: No accounting liability

Just like loyalty points, a stamp card is not a booked liability. Why?

• It is not a multi-purpose voucher under VAT Act Ch 5 § 40 (the guest cannot exchange stamps for cash)
• The right to the free item is conditional on new purchases (the 9 paid coffees)
• Stamps are non-transferable

Therefore neither issuance nor stamping is booked in the general ledger. The full stamp history lives in the stamp card ledger as an operational log.

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Model A: Discount (recommended by Vendion)

When the guest redeems the free coffee, it's treated as a 100 % discount on the coffee's list price.

Scenario: Guest buys 9 coffees at 50 SEK + gets the 10th free

Coffee 1–9 (booked as usual):

DR 1910 (Cash)                   450.00 SEK
   CR 3002 (Beverage revenue)         401.79 SEK
   CR 2620 (Output VAT 12 %)           48.21 SEK

Coffee 10 (the free reward, separate transaction):

DR 1910 (Cash)                     0.00 SEK    -- guest pays nothing
DR 3910 (Stamp card discount, rev red) 50.00 SEK *
   CR 3002 (Beverage revenue)          44.64 SEK
   CR 2620 (Output VAT 12 %)            5.36 SEK

* Alternative: treat stamp card discount as order discount:
DR 1910 (Cash)                     0.00 SEK
   CR 3002 (Beverage revenue)           0.00 SEK
   CR 2620 (Output VAT 12 %)            0.00 SEK
   (zero-order, no voucher rows — Vendion default)

Why two variants? Because Vendion produces a voucher when the order is paid (even if payment = 0), and there's a zero-row policy. In Vendion default it's a zero-order without GL impact, but you can choose to book the reward's list value as discount on 3910 — this gives you visibility in reports for how much stamp card rewards you've given away.

Pro: Simplest, matches how other discounts are booked. Con: Cost of raw materials (beans, milk) still lands on 4010 via inventory/purchases, so margin looks correct at the bottom line.

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Model B: Promotional expense

Alternatively, the reward's list value can be booked as a marketing expense (account group 5900) instead of revenue reduction.

Coffee 10 (the free reward):

DR 5940 (Marketing, customer loyalty) 50.00 SEK
DR 1910 (Cash)                         0.00 SEK
   CR 3002 (Beverage revenue)              44.64 SEK
   CR 2620 (Output VAT 12 %)                5.36 SEK

Here you say: "I sold a coffee for 50 SEK but gave it to the customer as a marketing expense."

Pro: Visually separates marketing expense from operations. Con: VAT gets tricky — Skatteverket may require withdrawal tax (uttagsbeskattning) because the coffee is no longer a "turnover against consideration" but a gift. This is the main reason Vendion recommends Model A.

Legal note on Model B: According to VAT Act Ch 2 § 2, a withdrawal (uttag) occurs if goods are taken for private use, for staff, or for purposes outside the business. Stamp card rewards are normally interpreted as part of the sales transaction itself (the guest has "paid" for the 9 coffees in advance by qualifying), so no withdrawal taxation. But the line is blurry. Contact your accountant if unsure.

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Practical: What does Vendion do for you?

Vendion uses Model A as default. When a stamp card reward is redeemed:

1. The reward is added as an order row priced at 0 SEK (flagged as a stamp reward)
2. The order totals 0 SEK for that row
3. The stamp card ledger is updated – 10 stamps are deducted from the card
4. The general ledger isn't touched for that reward row — but all paid coffees before have already been booked normally

Consequence in SIE export:

• 9 × 50 SEK coffee → 450 SEK revenue + 48.21 SEK VAT
• 10th coffee → 0 SEK revenue, 0 SEK VAT
• Raw material cost 10 × ~8 SEK = ~80 SEK lands on 4010 via inventory purchase (not Vendion)
• Net margin: 450 − 80 = 370 SEK; effective margin 82 % instead of theoretical 84 % (if all 10 paid)

This is the "real cost" of the stamp card program — a margin degradation in operating economics, not a booked liability.

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When does an actual cost arise?

The cost for the free coffee is the raw materials (beans + milk + cup). This is already booked when you purchase the coffee from your supplier (account 4010/4012). Stamp card redemption creates no new cost — it decouples your revenue from the raw material cost.

If you want to see total cost impact of your stamp card program, go to Analytics → Stamp Cards. The report shows:

• Number of redeemed rewards per month
• Total deferred revenue (list value of redeemed rewards)
• Estimated raw material cost (if you set cost_price on menu items)

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When are expired stamp cards booked?

Suppose the guest has 7 stamps on a card that expires after 12 months. They never reach 10. What happens?

Answer: Nothing in the general ledger.

• The stamp card ledger marks the stamps as expired
• Guest's stamps reset
• No GL row — stamps were never booked

This differs from expired gift cards (DR 2421 / CR 3960), because gift cards are a liability and stamp cards are not.

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Summary

Tip for the owner: If your accountant asks — say you follow Vendion's default, treating the reward as a revenue-reducing part of the full transaction (the 9 paid + 1 free is a combined "stamp card product"). This is the pragmatic model Swedish restaurants have long used.