QR codes on your own domain: what happens when you change plans, cancel or switch providers

A QR code on your own subdomain, such as qr.yourcompany.com/menu, often sits on table stands, posters and packaging for years. So it is worth asking what happens when something changes later: the plan, the contract term or the provider. The short version: the domain is yours, and printed codes should not fail because of it.

Changing plans: existing codes keep working

How many own domains you can connect depends on the plan. Free and Gastro Starter have none, Gastro Pro and Marketing Starter one, Marketing Pro three, Gastro Expert five, Marketing Expert ten and Agentur 50. If you move to a smaller plan, this is what changes:

• Domains that are already connected stay connected. The codes on them keep working, and scans are counted as usual.
• You can only create new codes on as many domains as the new plan allows. For all others you pick the sameqr.com/r/… address, or you do not create the code at all.
• A domain can only be removed once no codes are left on it. That way a printed code is never switched off by accident.

Cancelling: what to sort out first

Printed codes are what suffers most when a link leads nowhere. Before cancelling, check which codes are still in circulation: which ones hang on tables, in flyers, on vehicles? We give no figures here for what happens to codes above your allowance, that is a matter for the plan terms. One thing is certain: a code you no longer operate should no longer be in circulation.

Never delete the CNAME while codes are printed

The CNAME is the bridge from your subdomain to the service. Delete it and the forwarding stops at once, and the HTTPS certificate can no longer be renewed. The printed code then points to an address that leads nowhere. So only delete the record once the last code has been replaced or collected, or once it already points to the new provider.

Switching providers: how to move

Because the domain is yours, you are not tied to one provider. If you want to switch later, you point the CNAME to the new provider. The printed codes then keep working if the new provider can serve the same paths on your own domain. Ask about that before switching, ideally with a list of your paths, such as /menu or /k3x9aq72mf.

• Export the old provider’s paths or copy them from the dashboard.
• Create the same paths on the same domain at the new provider.
• Only then change the CNAME and scan with a phone.
• Keep the old account until everything has been checked.

If you are moving to Same-QR

If you had short links on your own domain at the old provider, such as go.company.com/abc, you import the codes with the migration assistant: in the dashboard go to “QR Codes”, then the tile “Move from another provider”. The file (CSV or XLSX) needs a column “Alter Kurzlink” (old short link). Then you connect the domain and change the CNAME, and the printed codes forward without reprinting.

It is different for short links on the provider’s own domain, such as qrco.de or l.ead.me. These cannot be taken over, because the address belongs to the old provider. You have two ways: change the destination at the old provider to the new address (a bridge, as long as that account runs) or reprint.

Frequently asked questions