Your QR code trial is ending. Will your printed codes keep working?
You made a few QR codes on a free trial. You printed them on menus, flyers or a sign. Now an email says the trial ends soon. Here's what usually happens next, what to look for in the rules, and how to keep the codes that matter working.
Has a code already stopped? Fix a QR code that stopped working instead.
First: is it a fixed code or an editable one?
There are two kinds of QR code. Ending a trial can turn off an editable code, but not a fixed one.
- A fixed code (often called static) holds your content in its dots: the link, the Wi-Fi details or the contact card. It doesn't depend on a paid plan with the maker. The link, Wi-Fi details or other content still needs to be correct and available.
- An editable code (often called dynamic) holds a short link on the maker's site. When someone scans it, the maker's server sends them on to your page. That's what lets you change where it goes after printing. It's also why it can stop when your account ends.
A quick check: scan the code and look at the link your phone shows before it opens. If it's a short address on the maker's site, not your own page, it's most likely editable. Fixed or editable? Here's the difference.
What usually happens when a trial ends
Every maker sets its own rules, but most fall into a few patterns:
- The code opens the maker's page instead of yours. Often it's a notice that the code isn't active, sometimes with an offer to make a code of your own.
- The code shows an error page.
- The code keeps working for a while, then does one of the above.
Some makers also show ads on codes made on a free or trial plan. Fixed codes you made during the trial usually keep working, because scanning them never touches the maker. Why a fixed code never expires.
Five things to check before the trial ends
Look in the maker's help center or terms. Searching them for "trial", "expire" and "cancel" usually finds the right page.
- Is there a grace period? Some makers keep codes working for a set number of days after a trial or a plan ends. Others stop them the same day.
- What will people see when they scan? A notice, an error page, or an ad.
- Is your data kept, and for how long? That includes the codes themselves and their scan history.
- Can you bring the codes back later? Some makers turn your codes back on the moment you pay, even months later. Others don't.
- Will the trial turn into a paid plan by itself? Some trials just end. Others start billing you unless you cancel.
How to rescue a code before it lapses
- List where each code is printed. Start with what is hardest or most expensive to reprint: signs, packaging and printed menus.
- Decide if you'll ever need to change it. If not, make a fixed code to the same page. Many makers give these away free, and so do we, with no sign-up.
- If you need to change it later, keep an editable code. Either pay for the plan you're on or move to another maker. Moving usually means a new printed code. Only a code made on your own domain can move with you.
- Download your scan history while you still have access, if it matters to you.
- Test the new code before a big print run. Scan it from the scan distance people will really use, and leave a clear border around it. Printing QR codes that scan. How big to print a QR code.
How ovbq handles it
There's no trial to run out. Our Free plan includes 2 editable codes and counts the first 1,000 scans each month. After that, reaching the scan-count limit does not switch off your code; we just stop counting. Saved pauses and access restrictions still apply.
If you stop paying for Pro or Business, nothing changes for 30 days, and we email you reminders. Then your 2 oldest website-link codes stay on Free, live or paused as you left them. Other codes show a notice; any continue action follows the code's access restrictions. A reprint guarantee of up to $250 per account backs that, and a few exceptions, such as a chargeback, are in Terms section 13.
What happens if you stop paying has the full timeline, and pricing has the plans.
Related guides
- My QR code stopped working: if a trial has already ended and a code no longer opens your page.
- Fixed or editable codes
- Why a fixed code never expires