Switch QR code providers without reprinting

Why switching providers is even an issue

Anyone who wants to switch QR code providers without reprinting must know one thing: A dynamic QR code does not contain your destination, but rather a short link from your provider. Their server forwards every scan. The short link resides on the provider's domain, and no other provider can take it over. If the subscription ends there, many providers stop forwarding the QR codes.

What you control yourself is the destination behind the short link. The first two paths are built on this.

Path 1: The bridge via the old provider

You create your QR codes anew at Same-QR and change the destination of each QR code at the old provider to the new Same-QR link. A scan then runs from the printed QR code via the old short link to Same-QR and on to your destination. New printed materials get the new Same-QR code directly; you replace the old ones gradually.

The bridge holds as long as the old provider continues to forward, usually as long as your subscription there is active. Some providers keep a portion of the QR codes active after cancellation. How this is regulated by each provider is described in the bridge guide and on the page "Switch to Same-QR" at sameqr.com/wechseln/en.

Path 2: Your own domain, if you had one with the old provider

Some providers offer their own short link domain in higher plans, e.g., qr.yourcompany.at. If you used such a domain, it belongs to you. After switching, you forward it via your web space or a forwarding rule at your DNS provider path by path to the new Same-QR links. Then you no longer need the old provider, and the printed QR codes continue to work.

Important: Same-QR itself does not offer its own short link domain. The new QR codes run via sameqr.com/r/…, optionally with a self-chosen, descriptive link. Path 2 therefore only works with a domain you already had with the old provider.

Path 3: Reprint at the next cycle

Menus, flyers, and packaging are regularly reprinted anyway. If you switch shortly before such a date, simply print the new QR codes immediately. Until then, the bridge holds. For static QR codes, where the destination is directly in the image, reprinting is often the only way, unless you own the destination address and set up a redirect there.

What you need to clarify before switching

• List of all QR codes: Name, Destination, old short link, location of print.
• When does the old subscription end, and what cancellation period applies?
• What does the old provider do with the QR codes after the subscription ends?
• Can the scan statistics be exported beforehand?
• Are files like the menu with the old provider? Then download them.

How the move to Same-QR works

The easiest way is the migration assistant under Dashboard → “QR codes” → “Move from another provider”: it reads your list as a CSV or Excel file, lets you assign the columns name, destination URL, old short link and labels, and creates the QR codes, as many as your plan allows. Afterwards you download a list “old short link → new Same-QR link”, which is exactly what you need for the bridge. An overview of switching is at sameqr.com/wechseln/en.

Afterwards, you update the destinations with the old provider, test the printed QR codes, and only cancel there once the important printed materials have been replaced. Step-by-step instructions are available for QR Code Generator PRO, QR.io, QR TIGER, Uniqode, QRCodeChimp and Hovercode.

At Same-QR, the end of a subscription is handled as follows: QR codes within the quota of your new plan continue to run unchanged – in the free plan, the two oldest. QR codes beyond that are deactivated by us only after a 14-day grace period, and you will receive three emails beforehand (7, 3, and 1 day before). Deactivated does not mean deleted: The QR code shows a notice instead of the destination when scanned and works again as soon as your plan covers it.

Frequently asked questions