Switch QR code providers without reprinting: the bridge method

The problem: The short link belongs to the old provider

Anyone who wants to switch QR code providers without reprinting quickly encounters a technical detail: A dynamic QR code does not contain your destination, but rather a short link from your provider. Only their server then redirects the scan to your website, your menu, or your PDF. The short link resides on the provider's domain, and only there is it determined where it points.

A new provider cannot take over this short link. However, what you have control over is the destination. And that is exactly what the bridge method is built on.

How the bridge works

You recreate your QR codes at Same-QR. Then, at the old provider, you enter the new Same-QR short link as the destination for each QR code instead of your website. A scan then proceeds as follows: printed QR code → old short link → Same-QR → your destination. For guests and customers, nothing changes; they end up in the same place as before.

• No reprinting all at once: The old printed materials remain valid.
• From now on, you manage all destinations in one place, namely in Same-QR.
• Scans will also be counted at Same-QR from the time of the switch.
• New printed materials receive the Same-QR code directly, without detours.

Step by step

• Inventory: List every QR code at the old provider with its name, current destination, and location where it is printed.
• Create QR codes in Same-QR: individually or via spreadsheet. The destination is always your actual website, not the old short link.
• Test: Scan every new Same-QR code once before you make any changes.
• Change the destination at the old provider: enter the new address sameqr.com/r/…, save, and scan the printed QR code.
• Produce new printed materials only with Same-QR codes.
• Cancel only after the old QR codes have been replaced or are rarely scanned anymore.

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.

How long the bridge must stand

The bridge only works as long as the old short link continues to forward. At many providers, this is tied to an active subscription. According to the help, FAQ, and pricing pages of the providers (as of October 2026), QR TIGER and Uniqode deactivate dynamic QR codes when the subscription ends, QR.io and QR Code Generator PRO after the end of the trial phase. So for the duration of the bridge, you pay two providers.

How long this takes depends on your printed materials. A menu is often reprinted once a year anyway, a flyer is gone after a campaign, a sign on the facade stays for years. Plan the replacement by importance: What is scanned the most and hangs the longest is replaced first.

Some providers keep some QR codes active after cancellation. According to pricing pages, at Hovercode these are the first 3 dynamic QR codes, and at QRCodeChimp after falling back to the free plan, the last 10. According to the help centre of Flowcode, the QR codes there continue to scan to the last destination after cancellation. For these QR codes, the bridge can also remain without a subscription.

When the bridge doesn't work

• Static QR codes: The destination is embedded directly in the image and cannot be changed. If you own the destination address, you can set up a redirect to the Same-QR link there. Otherwise, only a reprint helps.
• Subscription already ended: If the old QR code is already deactivated, you usually cannot edit its destination anymore. Then you can either reactivate it with the old provider or replace it.
• Custom domain at the old provider: Here you don't need a bridge. The domain belongs to you, you can redirect it after the switch via your web space or a redirect rule at your DNS provider path for path to the Same-QR links.

For completeness: Same-QR itself does not offer its own short link domain, the QR codes run via sameqr.com. So that you don't face the same question again, the rules after the end of the subscription are fixed with us.

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