How to Make a Google Review QR Code for Receipts and Table Cards

The direct answer: what the rule says and where it comes from

A Google review QR code is a printed square that opens your business's review form when a phone camera reads it. The code itself is only a picture of a web address. The address is the review link that Google gives you inside your Business Profile, so the QR code is only as correct as that link.

The rule that matters most is not technical. Google's Maps User Contributed Content Policy, in the section on prohibited and restricted content, says that merchants may not offer incentives such as payment, discounts, or free goods or services in exchange for a review. The same section bars offering something in return for changing or removing a negative review, and it bars discouraging negative reviews or asking only happy customers for feedback. These are Google platform rules, not statute law, but Google can remove reviews and act on a profile when it finds them broken.

In the United States there is also a federal rule. The Federal Trade Commission's Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, published as 16 CFR Part 465, was announced in August 2024 and took effect on 21 October 2024. Its section 465.4 covers buying positive or negative reviews, and it treats a reward as conditional when the condition is expressed or implied. A receipt that says "leave a five-star review and get 10 percent off" falls inside that prohibition. Businesses outside the United States should check their own consumer protection law, but the same idea appears in most places: you may ask, you may not pay for a particular outcome.

Asking every customer for an honest review is allowed. Google's own help pages describe placing a review link or QR code on receipts, in thank-you emails, and on a counter display as ordinary ways to request reviews.

How the QR code is made, step by step

The process is short, but the order matters. You need a Business Profile that you can manage, and the desktop browser route described in Google's Business Profile Help pages.

1. Open a desktop browser, sign in with the Google account that manages the profile, and open your Business Profile.
2. Select Read Reviews, then Get more reviews. In some layouts this is the share icon next to the review panel.
3. Copy the review link. This is the address that will sit behind the QR code.
4. Right-click the QR code in the same panel and choose Save image as. Keep the file in PNG or a vector format if your printer accepts it.
5. Place the code on your own card or receipt design. Do not change the code's modules, colours or the quiet zone around it.
6. Send a proof to the printer and print a test sheet at the real size before the full run.

If you do not want to use the desktop panel, the free QR code generator on this page can turn a review link into a printable code. Paste the link Google gave you, not a guessed address. Some sites offer a Place ID route, but Google does not document a public URL built from a Place ID, so treat that route as a fallback and test it before you print.

Sizing the code for table cards and receipts

Size follows distance. A guest scanning from a table will hold the phone a different distance away from the card than a customer holding a receipt. The working rule is the 10:1 ratio: the printed code should be about one tenth of the scanning distance, and most printed codes should not go below 2 cm square. Print at 300 dpi or higher, and keep a clear white margin, called the quiet zone, on every side. The ISO/IEC 18004 standard for QR codes sets this quiet zone at four modules wide.

These figures are rules of thumb from printing guides, not a standard that a regulator sets. They work for most cafes, salons and shops. If your guests scan from farther away, enlarge the code.

Worked example: a café with table cards and receipts

Take a café in Lisbon that prints A6 table cards, which measure 105 mm by 148 mm, and a receipt roll that prints 80 mm wide. Guests sit about 40 cm from the card while they scan. Using the 10:1 rule, 40 cm divided by 10 gives 4 cm, so a 5 cm code gives some margin and still fits the card with room for a short line of text such as "Scan to review us". On the receipt, customers scan at about 30 cm. That gives 3 cm, so the café chooses a 3 cm code and leaves a clear margin under the total.

The café owner then tests a printed receipt on the actual thermal printer. Thermal printers can blur fine detail, so a code that looks sharp on screen can scan badly on paper. If the test fails, the code is made larger or the margin is widened before the next print run. The owner does not change the wording of the review link.

The phone test before you print

Test with the printed item, not the file on screen. Use at least two phones: one recent model and one older phone, if you have one. Test both the normal camera app and a second scanning app, because some phones read codes differently.

Test from the distance a real guest will use. Hold the phone at the distance you worked out, in normal light, at the table or counter where the card will sit. Try a dim corner and a bright window. The code should open in the browser within a second or two. If it does not open, make it larger, increase the white margin, or print with a darker ink.

Test the logged-out case too. Open the code on a phone that is not signed in to the owner's Google account. The review form should open for a normal customer, and the business name shown should match the listing.

Check the link opens the right business listing

A review code that opens the wrong place is the most expensive mistake, because reviews then land on another business or a duplicate listing. Check three things before you approve the print run.

First, compare the business name and address shown after the scan with the name and address on your Business Profile. Second, if you run more than one location, confirm that each location has its own code and that the code for one shop does not open another shop's listing. Third, scan the code once a week for the first month, and again after any change to the business name, address or category, because a change to the listing can change what the link shows.

Cases that change the answer

Several situations change what you should do. None of them changes the core rule that the code asks for a review without paying for one.

• Several locations: each location needs its own review link and its own printed code. A single code for a group of shops can send reviews to the wrong place.
• Staff who make the request: an employee can hand out cards, but the Maps policy does not allow staff to be given a number of reviews to collect. In April 2026, a trade publication reported that Google added this restriction, and it also barred asking staff to solicit reviews that name a specific employee. Check the current policy before you brief staff.
• Gated feedback: a card that asks "How did we do?" and sends only happy guests to the review form is prohibited under Google's policy. Send the same invitation to every customer, not a selected group.
• Rewards: a discount, free item or prize for leaving a review is not allowed under Google's policy. In the United States, 16 CFR 465.4 also treats a conditional reward as prohibited, even if the reviewer discloses it.
• No Business Profile yet: you cannot make a review link until the profile exists and you can manage it. Creating and verifying a profile comes first.
• Unusual review volume: a sudden burst of reviews after a campaign can look like manipulation under Google's policy. Ask steadily, to all customers, rather than in one push.

Common mistakes

Most failed codes come from a small set of errors. The first is printing a code from a shared link that someone else created, which may point to a different place. The second is shrinking the code to fit a small card and then cutting the white margin, which stops it scanning. The third is printing on glossy or shiny paper where light reflects off the code.

The fourth mistake is putting the code where the guest cannot easily hold a phone, such as on a high shelf or behind glass. The fifth is adding a logo or artwork over the middle of the code. A small logo can work on some codes, but test it first, and keep the quiet zone clear.

The last mistake is the wording. Writing "Leave a review and win a prize" turns a request into a reward, which the policy does not allow. Keep the words plain: "Scan to review us on Google" is enough.

What to check with your manager, HR or a lawyer

If you are an employee, check your employer's rules before you print anything with the company's name on it. Ask who owns the Business Profile, who may create the code, and who approves the wording. If a manager asks you to ask customers for a certain number of reviews, or to use a particular phrase, check that request against Google's policy first.

If you run a business, ask a lawyer who knows consumer law in your country to review any reward, discount or prize linked to a review. Check the local rules on promotional offers, data handling if you collect email addresses with the code, and any sector rules that apply to your trade. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission's rule in 16 CFR Part 465 is the official text to read, and the Federal Register publishes it.

This explains the rule in general terms; it is not legal or tax advice for your case.

How employers take routine review and HR work off staff

Much of the routine work around reviews and staff records is repetitive: sending requests after a visit, checking that a link still opens, filing a monthly report and matching a payroll file to a timesheet. AiStaffo builds AI workers that take over this kind of routine work, such as data entry, follow-ups, reconciliations and reports, and it offers free tools that help owners and HR teams do the same work faster. A person still checks the output, sets the wording of any request, and decides what to do about a complaint.