It's one of the most common questions about QR codes, usually asked after a printed code has suddenly stopped working. The answer depends on the type of code.
Static QR codes don't expire
A static code contains your content, usually a web address, directly in the pattern. Nothing sits between the code and your website, so there's nothing to switch off. It will work for as long as:
- the destination still exists (if your website or page goes, the code leads nowhere);
- the print is still readable.
Dynamic QR codes depend on the service
A dynamic QR code contains a short link run by the company that made it. Every scan goes through their servers first. That's what lets you change and track the code, but it also means the code only works while that company keeps your short link running.
Codes typically stop working when:
- a free trial ends. Some generators let you make "free" dynamic codes that stop working after a week or two unless you pay;
- a subscription is cancelled or a payment fails;
- a plan limit is reached, such as a cap on scans or codes;
- the provider closes down.
Some services do more than stop the redirect. They send your customers to a page of their own, sometimes with adverts or an upsell.
How to avoid an expired code
Before you print hundreds of copies of a dynamic code, check these five things.
- What happens when a trial ends? Read the help pages, not just the pricing page.
- What happens if you cancel? Are your codes deleted, paused, or redirected somewhere else?
- Are there scan limits? A cap on monthly scans can switch a busy code off at the worst possible moment.
- Is the price clear? Watch out for low introductory prices that renew at a much higher rate, and annual plans you can't cancel.
- Can you export your data? You should be able to download your scan history.
How QR Flip handles it
- Codes work for as long as your account is active. There are no scan limits and no code limits.
- If your trial ends or you stop paying, your codes pause. Anyone scanning sees a plain "not active" page, never adverts. Your codes, settings and history are kept, and everything switches straight back on when you subscribe again.
- One plan, $5 a month, billed monthly. Cancel in a couple of clicks.
Check your existing codes
Not sure whether an old code still works? Scan it. If it opens a page you don't recognise, or a "this code has expired" message, it was a dynamic code whose service has stopped.
You can't edit a code made with a different provider. Make a new code you control, then replace the old one on your next print run.
Create a QR code that keeps working.