Overview
Each Perkstar pricing plan includes a specific number of "active cards"—the maximum number of loyalty programs you can run simultaneously. While you can design and prepare as many loyalty cards as you want, only a limited number can be live and available to customers at any given time, based on your subscription plan.
Active card limits by plan:
Starter Plan: 1 active card
Growth Plan: 3 active cards
Scale Plan: 10 active cards
What you can do:
Design unlimited loyalty cards in your dashboard
Activate cards up to your plan's limit
Deactivate old cards to make room for new ones
Upgrade your plan for more active cards
Run different card types simultaneously within your limit
Test and refine card designs before activating them
Why this matters: Understanding your active card limit helps you plan your loyalty strategy, decide which programs to run simultaneously, and determine when you might need to upgrade to support multiple customer segments or locations.
What Is an "Active Card"?
Active vs. Inactive Cards
Active card:
A loyalty card that is live and published
Customers can install it in their wallets
Transactions can be processed through the scanner
The card appears in your customer-facing channels
Counts toward your plan's active card limit
Inactive card:
A loyalty card that is designed but not published
Exists as a draft in your dashboard
Customers cannot see or install it
No transactions can be processed
Does not count toward your plan limit
Key insight: You can create and save as many card designs as you want. The limit only applies to how many can be active (live) at the same time.
Active Card Limits by Plan
Starter Plan: 1 Active Card
What you get:
One loyalty program running at any given time
Ability to design multiple cards but only publish one
Full access to all 8 loyalty card types for your active card
Best for:
Single-location businesses
Businesses testing their first loyalty program
Simple, focused loyalty strategies
Seasonal businesses that run one program at a time
Example use case: A coffee shop runs a stamp card loyalty program. They can design holiday-themed variations and switch between them seasonally, but only one card can be active at any time.
Growth Plan: 3 Active Cards
What you get:
Three loyalty programs running simultaneously
Ideal for multiple locations or customer segments
Mix and match any combination of the 8 card types
Best for:
Businesses with 2-3 locations (one card per location)
Single location with multiple customer segments
Businesses testing different loyalty approaches
Seasonal rotation with overlap periods
Example use cases:
Multi-location: A salon chain with 3 locations runs a separate stamp card for each location
Customer segments: A restaurant runs a stamp card for lunch customers, a cashback card for dinner customers, and a membership card for VIP regulars
Product categories: A boutique runs a discount card for clothing, a reward card for accessories, and a gift card program
Scale Plan: 10 Active Cards
What you get:
Ten loyalty programs running simultaneously
Support for extensive multi-location or multi-segment strategies
Maximum flexibility for complex loyalty ecosystems
Best for:
Multi-location businesses (4+ locations)
Businesses with diverse customer segments
Complex loyalty strategies with multiple tiers
Franchise operations
Businesses with multiple brands or product lines
Example use cases:
Large franchise: A coffee chain with 8 locations runs one stamp card per location plus corporate-wide reward and gift card programs
Multi-tier strategy: A spa runs separate cards for services, products, memberships, referrals, and seasonal promotions across multiple locations
Multi-brand: A business group runs different loyalty programs for their restaurant, café, and retail store
Checking Your Current Active Card Usage
How to See Your Active Cards
Log in to your Perkstar dashboard
Navigate to Cards or Loyalty Programs section
Look for status indicators:
Active/Published: Cards currently live and counting toward your limit
Draft/Inactive: Cards designed but not published (not counting toward limit)
Check your plan usage:
Most dashboards show "X of Y active cards used"
Example: "2 of 3 active cards" (Growth plan with 2 cards currently live)
Visual indicators:
Active cards typically show with green status badges or "Live" labels
Inactive cards show as "Draft," "Inactive," or "Unpublished"
Your current usage appears in your plan/billing settings
What Happens When You Reach Your Limit
Activation Button Becomes Unavailable
When you've used all your active card slots:
What you'll see:
The Activate button on inactive cards appears greyed out
Hovering may show a tooltip: "Active card limit reached"
You cannot publish additional cards until you free up a slot
What you can still do:
Continue designing and preparing new cards
Edit existing inactive cards
Manage and modify your active cards
Process transactions on active cards
What you cannot do:
Activate additional cards beyond your limit
Publish new loyalty programs
Make inactive cards available to customers
Example scenario: You're on the Growth plan (3 active cards) and currently have three stamp cards running—one for each of your locations. You design a new cashback card for a promotional campaign, but the Activate button is greyed out. You need to either deactivate one of your existing cards or upgrade to the Scale plan to activate the new cashback card.
Solutions: Getting More Active Cards
Option 1: Deactivate an Existing Card
If you don't need all your current active cards running simultaneously:
Step 1: Choose which card to deactivate
Review your active cards
Identify cards with low usage or seasonal programs that are ending
Consider temporarily deactivating cards that aren't currently needed
Step 2: Deactivate the card
Navigate to the card in your dashboard
Click Deactivate, Unpublish, or Set to Inactive
Confirm the deactivation
Step 3: Activate your new card
The Activate button should now be available on your inactive cards
Select the card you want to make live
Click Activate or Publish
Important considerations:
Customers who have the deactivated card installed can still view it, but it won't receive updates
No new customers can install a deactivated card
You can reactivate the card later if you have available slots
Transaction processing stops for deactivated cards
Best practice: Deactivate seasonal or promotional cards when they're no longer needed rather than leaving them active year-round.
Option 2: Upgrade Your Plan
If you need more active cards running simultaneously:
Step 1: Review plan options
Growth Plan: Upgrades from 1 to 3 active cards
Scale Plan: Upgrades to 10 active cards
Check pricing page for current rates and features
Step 2: Upgrade through settings
Navigate to Settings → Billing or Plan in your dashboard
Click Upgrade Plan
Select your new plan (Growth or Scale)
Review the pricing and feature changes
Confirm and complete payment
Step 3: Activate additional cards
After upgrading, your new active card slots are immediately available
Return to your inactive cards
Click Activate on the cards you want to make live
Prorated billing: If you upgrade mid-cycle on a monthly plan, you'll only pay the difference for the remainder of the current month. The following month, you'll be charged the full new plan rate.
When to upgrade:
You consistently need more active cards than your current plan allows
You're expanding to additional locations
You're launching multiple loyalty programs for different customer segments
Seasonal programs overlap and you need cards active simultaneously
Option 3: Contact Support for Higher Limits
If you need more than 10 active cards (beyond Scale plan limits):
When to contact support:
You operate more than 10 locations
You run complex multi-brand loyalty ecosystems
You need custom enterprise solutions
You're an agency managing programs for multiple clients
How to contact support:
Access support through your dashboard
Explain your business needs and how many active cards you require
Provide details about your locations, customer segments, or use case
Support team will discuss custom pricing and solutions
What support can offer:
Custom plan configurations
Higher active card limits
Enterprise pricing structures
Specialized support for complex setups
Best Practices for Managing Active Card Limits
Strategic Card Planning
Before activating cards:
Audit your needs: How many distinct loyalty programs do you genuinely need running simultaneously?
Consider customer overlap: Could multiple customer segments share one card with different reward tiers?
Plan seasonally: Which cards need to be active year-round vs. seasonally?
Location strategy: Do all locations need separate cards, or can some share?
Design first, activate later:
Create all your card designs in advance
Test designs and settings while inactive
Only activate when you're ready to launch to customers
Keep successful templates as inactive cards for future reuse
Maximizing Limited Active Card Slots
For Starter Plan (1 active card):
Run one highly effective program year-round
Design seasonal variations and switch between them
Use one card type that best serves your core business goal
Leverage custom fields to segment within a single card
For Growth Plan (3 active cards):
Strategy 1: One card per location (up to 3 locations)
Strategy 2: Different cards for different customer segments (new customers, regulars, VIPs)
Strategy 3: Mix of ongoing program + seasonal promotions + referral card
Strategy 4: Core loyalty card + gift card + membership/subscription card
For Scale Plan (10 active cards):
Location-based distribution (one per location)
Tiered programs (bronze, silver, gold membership cards)
Product category cards (services, products, packages)
Seasonal rotation with multiple active at once
Specialized cards (referral, gift, subscription, promotional)
Seasonal and Promotional Card Management
Rotation strategy:
Plan your calendar: Identify when seasonal promotions start and end
Design in advance: Create all seasonal cards before their launch dates
Activate on schedule: Make seasonal cards active at the start of promotion
Deactivate promptly: Remove seasonal cards when promotions end to free up slots
Save templates: Keep inactive seasonal cards as templates for next year
Example annual rotation:
January-March: New Year fitness promotion card active
March: Deactivate fitness card, activate Spring sale card
June: Deactivate Spring card, activate Summer rewards card
October: Deactivate Summer card, activate Halloween promotion
November-December: Holiday gift card and special rewards active
This approach lets you run multiple campaigns throughout the year while staying within your active card limit.
When to Consider Upgrading
Signs you need more active cards:
You frequently deactivate cards to make room for new ones
You're unable to run desired programs simultaneously
You're opening additional locations
You want to test multiple loyalty strategies concurrently
Customers ask for programs you can't activate due to limits
You're manually rotating cards more than once per month
Return on investment: Calculate whether additional active cards will generate enough additional revenue to justify the plan upgrade. Consider:
Revenue per location/segment with dedicated loyalty program
Customer retention improvements from targeted programs
Staff efficiency with location-specific cards
Marketing effectiveness of segment-specific offers
Troubleshooting
Activate button is greyed out even though I have available slots
Check plan billing: Ensure your subscription is active and paid
Count active cards: Manually verify how many cards show as "Active" or "Published"
Browser refresh: Reload the page to sync latest status
Contact support: If you definitely have available slots, technical support can investigate
I deactivated a card but still can't activate a new one
Wait for sync: Give the system 1-2 minutes to process the deactivation
Refresh dashboard: Reload the page to see updated status
Check card status: Verify the card shows as "Inactive" not just "Paused"
Clear browser cache: Sometimes cached data shows outdated status
Customer still has a card I deactivated
Expected behavior: Previously installed cards remain in customer wallets even after deactivation
What changes: The card won't receive updates and new customers cannot install it
Customer experience: Existing installations become static; no new stamps/points can be added
Communication: Inform customers when programs end and deactivate cards
I upgraded but don't see more active card slots
Payment confirmation: Verify upgrade payment processed successfully
Account sync: Log out and back in to refresh account permissions
Check billing section: Confirm new plan shows in Settings → Billing
Contact support: If payment succeeded but limits didn't update, support can resolve
Can't decide which card to deactivate
Review usage data: Check transaction volume for each active card
Seasonal relevance: Deactivate off-season promotional cards
Customer impact: Consider which cards have the most active users
Business priority: Align with current business goals and campaigns
Need more than 10 active cards but don't want full enterprise pricing
Contact support: Explain your specific needs
Explore alternatives: Sometimes one card with segmentation can replace multiple cards
Phased approach: Consider whether all programs need to be active simultaneously
Custom solution: Support may offer intermediate options between Scale and enterprise
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as an "active card"? An active card is any loyalty card that is published and live—meaning customers can install it and you can process transactions. Inactive (unpublished) cards you've designed but not activated do not count toward your limit.
Can I design more cards than my plan allows? Yes. You can design and save as many loyalty card templates as you want. The limit only applies to how many can be active (published) at the same time.
Can an active card be any of the 8 card types? Yes. Your active cards can be any combination of the 8 available types: stamp cards, reward cards, cashback cards, gift cards, multipass cards, membership cards, discount cards, and coupon cards.
What happens to customers who have a card I deactivate? The card remains in their wallet but becomes inactive. They can still view it, but it won't receive updates and no new transactions can be processed. New customers cannot install the deactivated card.
Can I temporarily deactivate a card and reactivate it later? Yes. You can deactivate cards to free up slots and reactivate them later as long as you have available active card slots. This is useful for seasonal programs.
Do I lose my card design if I deactivate it? No. Deactivating a card only changes its status from "live" to "inactive." The design, settings, and configuration are preserved. You can reactivate it anytime (assuming you have available slots).
What happens to customer data when I deactivate a card? Customer data is preserved. Transaction history, balances, and customer profiles remain intact. If you reactivate the card, everything continues from where it left off.
Can I activate a new card before deactivating an old one? No. You must be within your active card limit to activate new cards. Deactivate an existing card first to free up a slot.
How do I know how many active cards I'm currently using? Check your dashboard's Cards or Loyalty Programs section. Most interfaces show "X of Y active cards" in your plan overview or billing settings.
If I upgrade mid-month, can I immediately activate more cards? Yes. As soon as your plan upgrade processes, your new active card limits are available immediately.
Can I have different active cards at different locations? Yes. This is a common strategy, especially for Growth (3 locations) and Scale (10 locations) plans. Each location can run its own dedicated loyalty program.
Do I need separate active cards for each location? Not necessarily. One active card can serve multiple locations if you're comfortable with customers using the same loyalty program across all locations. Location-specific cards offer more targeted experiences.
What if I need more than 10 active cards? Contact Perkstar support to discuss enterprise solutions and custom plan configurations that accommodate higher active card limits.
Can I change my active cards as often as I want? Yes, but consider customer impact. Frequently deactivating cards that customers have installed can be confusing. It's better to plan your active card strategy thoughtfully and make changes deliberately.
Is there a difference in features between active and inactive cards? No. The card type, features, and settings are the same. The only difference is whether the card is published (active) or unpublished (inactive).
Can I test a card before making it active? Yes. While designing cards, you can preview how they'll look and configure all settings. However, actual transaction processing only works once the card is active.
Will upgrading my plan affect my existing active cards? No. Upgrading only increases your available active card slots. Your currently active cards continue running without interruption.
Can I downgrade my plan if I have too many active cards? You'll need to deactivate cards to get within your new plan's limit before the downgrade can take effect. The system will prompt you to adjust your active cards.
Do staff accounts count separately, or is it just loyalty cards? Staff accounts (available on Growth and Scale plans) are separate from active card limits. Growth allows 10 staff users and 3 active cards. Scale allows 25 staff users and 10 active cards.
If I'm on Starter and need just one more active card, should I upgrade to Growth? Yes. If you need 2-3 active cards, Growth plan is the appropriate upgrade. It also includes automation, team access, and other features beyond just additional active cards.
Understanding Your Plan Features
Review Plan Details Regularly
It's always wise to review the features included in your plan to understand any limitations and ensure your current plan aligns with your business needs.
Where to review plan features:
Dashboard: Settings → Plan or Billing section
Pricing page: Visit Perkstar's pricing page for detailed comparison
Support documentation: Help center articles explaining plan differences
Key features to check:
Active card limits (1, 3, or 10)
Number of locations supported
Staff user accounts allowed
Notification capabilities (manual, automated, or custom)
Advanced features (API access, custom fields, referral programs)
When to review:
Before launching new loyalty programs
When expanding to additional locations
Before seasonal campaigns requiring multiple active cards
Quarterly as part of business planning
When experiencing limitations in your current plan
Getting Help
Need to upgrade your plan? Navigate to Settings → Billing in your dashboard, or contact support for assistance with plan selection and upgrade process.
Need more than 10 active cards? Contact Perkstar support to discuss custom enterprise solutions tailored to your business needs.
Questions about which plan is right for you? Review the Pricing Plans article or book a demo with Perkstar's team to discuss your specific loyalty strategy and requirements.
Technical issues with activating/deactivating cards? Contact support through your dashboard with details about which card you're trying to activate and any error messages you're seeing.
Pro tip: Plan your loyalty card strategy in advance. Design all your cards upfront, but only activate the ones you need running right now. This keeps your options open and prevents you from hitting your active card limit unexpectedly when you want to launch a new promotion or program.