Overview

The Enable QR code for benefits setting controls whether the system adds a special QR code to identification cards (student cards, staff/employee cards, and partner cards) that can be used to confirm a cardholder’s active membership status. This QR code is intended for use with discount programs, promotions, or other benefits offered by organizations that partner with the institution. The setting is found in the general application settings, under the card-related configuration options, and applies to the whole institution.

By default, this setting is turned off. Institutions that do not run any partner discount or benefit programs linked to their cards do not need to change it.

What This Setting Does

When this setting is turned on, the system automatically generates an additional QR code – separate from the card’s main identification QR code or barcode – for cards, called the Benefits QR code. This code does not carry personal or sensitive information by itself; instead, when it is scanned, it opens a simple verification screen that confirms whether the cardholder is a valid and currently active member of the institution.

When the setting is turned off (the default), cards are issued without this additional benefits QR code. If the setting is later turned off after having been used, the benefits QR code is also no longer shown on card views or printouts, even if it had been generated before.

In simple terms: this setting is the on/off switch for the ‘discount and benefits verification’ feature on cards. It does not affect the card’s normal identification QR code or barcode, which continues to work as before regardless of this setting.

Where It Is Used

This setting is located in: Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings, under the label ‘Enable QR code for benefits’.

Its effect is visible or used in the following places:

• Card Template design: when creating or editing a card template, ‘Benefits’ becomes available as one of the QR code types that can be placed on the card layout. This option only appears once this setting is enabled.
• Student cards, teacher/employee cards, and partner cards: the benefits QR code can be generated for any of these card types in the same way.
• Digital wallet cards (for example, a card added to a mobile phone’s wallet app): if a ‘Benefits’ pass type is used for the digital card, it relies on the QR code produced by this setting.
• The public verification page that opens when a partner scans the benefits QR code. This is a simple, no-login web page meant to be opened on the partner’s own phone or scanning device (see the ‘Enable external verification page for benefits’ setting in the Notes section, which must also be enabled for this page to be reachable).

Business Logic / Behavior

• Default value: disabled (off) for all institutions unless specifically turned on.
• Scope: this setting applies at the institution level and can vary by language, so wording shown to cardholders can be localized, while the underlying on/off behavior stays consistent for the institution.
• Cards must already exist (or be created through the normal card issuing process) for a benefits QR code to be added to them. Cards created after this setting is turned on will include the benefits QR code as part of that process. Cards that were already issued before the setting was enabled will not automatically receive a benefits QR code – they would need to be reissued or regenerated.
• Turning this setting on makes the ‘Benefits’ QR code type available for use, but by itself it does not make the verification screen publicly reachable when someone scans the code. A companion setting, ‘Enable external verification page for benefits’, must also be turned on. If that companion setting is left off, scanning the benefits QR code will simply display a message that access is not permitted, instead of showing verification details.
• When the verification page is reachable, it only displays the specific pieces of information the institution has chosen to show (for example, name, photo, card number, or similar details) – this is controlled by a separate setting – and it always shows whether the card or membership is currently Active or Inactive, so a partner organization can immediately tell whether a benefit should be honored.
• Each time a benefits QR code is scanned and checked, the institution keeps a record of that check, which can help the institution understand how actively its partner benefit program is being used.

Example(s)

Example 1

Riverside Academy issues identification cards to all of its students. The school has arranged a partnership with a nearby bookstore, which offers a discount to Riverside Academy students who present a valid student card. The school administrator turns on ‘Enable QR code for benefits’, so every new student card produced afterward automatically includes a Benefits QR code alongside the regular card QR code. When a student visits the bookstore, the shop assistant scans the Benefits QR code with a phone. The screen that opens confirms the student’s name, photo, and that their enrollment status is Active, and the assistant applies the discount.

Example 2

Northfield University runs a ‘Community Perks’ program together with a few businesses near its campus, such as a coffee shop and a print shop. Because this setting works the same way for students, teaching staff, and partner organizations, the university’s administration turns it on once, and the ‘Benefits’ QR option becomes available on the card templates used for students, staff, and partner cards alike. Everyone covered by the program can then use the Benefits QR code on their own card to receive the agreed discounts at the participating businesses.

When to Use

When to Enable

• The institution runs, or plans to run, a discount or benefits program with external partner organizations (shops, services, gyms, and similar) that should be able to verify membership status by scanning a card.
• The institution wants an easy, self-service way for partners to confirm that a cardholder is currently active, without giving those partners any access to the institution’s own systems.
• Digital wallet cards are used and need to include a distinct benefits verification code.

When to Disable

• The institution has no partner discount or benefit programs linked to its cards.
• Cards are used purely for identification or access-control purposes, and no external party needs to verify membership status.
• The institution prefers to manage discount or benefit validation manually, or through a different program, and wants to avoid adding an extra QR code to the card layout.

Notes

Related Settings

• Enable external verification page for benefits (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings – EnableExternalVerificationPageForCardsBenefits): must also be enabled for the benefits QR code to actually open a verification screen when scanned; otherwise scanning shows an access-denied message.
• External verification page properties for benefits (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings – ExternalVerificationPagePropertiesForCardsBenefits): controls which cardholder details are shown on the verification screen.
• Add also the CardID property in QR code for benefits (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings – AddAlsoTheCardIdPropertyInQrCodeForBenefits): adds an extra identifying reference to the benefits QR code for more precise verification.
• Auto create cards upon entity creation (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings – AutoCreateCardsUponEntityCreation): determines whether cards, and therefore benefits QR codes, are generated automatically when a new student, staff, or partner record is created.
• ID format settings for student, teacher, employee, and relative cards (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings): determine the general format shown on the cards on which the benefits QR code would appear.

Prerequisites

• Card issuing must already be set up, and cards must exist or be set to be automatically created for students, staff, or partners.
• For the benefit verification to work end-to-end when a code is scanned, ‘Enable external verification page for benefits’ should also be turned on.
• If physical cards are used, the ‘Benefits’ QR type must be added to the relevant card template design after this setting is enabled, so that it appears on printed cards.

K-12 Mode vs Higher Education Mode

This setting works the same way regardless of whether the institution is configured for K-12 mode or Higher Education mode (the mode controlled by the ‘Enable Configuration for Higher Education’ setting). There is no difference in behavior between the two modes: the benefits QR code feature is available for student cards, teacher/staff cards, and partner cards equally in both configurations. This is confirmed based on how the feature is configured, not an assumption.

General Note

The wording used in the settings screen describes this feature as: ‘Here you can enable or not the cards functionality for QR code benefits.’ This confirms that the setting is specifically about turning the benefits-related QR code functionality for cards on or off, separate from any other card functionality.