# QR code for a giveaway > Point the code at an entry form URL carrying a source parameter per placement, and enforce the rules server-side — a printed QR is public, copyable data, so it cannot limit entries to one per person or prove anyone stood in your venue. Print the terms URL beside the code, not only behind it. Source: https://useqr.app/docs/marketing/qr-code-for-a-giveaway · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup. --- ## The mechanics A giveaway QR code is a URL code pointing at an entry form, with one addition that costs nothing and pays every time: a **source parameter per placement**, so you learn which poster, counter or event actually produced entries. ``` https://example.com/win?utm_source=qr&utm_campaign=spring&utm_content=store-window https://example.com/win?utm_source=qr&utm_campaign=spring&utm_content=till-card https://example.com/win?utm_source=qr&utm_campaign=spring&utm_content=event-booth ``` Generate the set in one pass with the [bulk generator](/bulk) from a spreadsheet of placements; the [UTM how-to](/docs/how-to/how-to-add-utm-parameters-to-a-qr-code) covers parameter conventions. Keep the form to the minimum fields your prize fulfilment genuinely needs — every extra field costs entries, exactly as with [newsletter signups](/docs/marketing/qr-code-for-a-newsletter-signup). ## What the code cannot enforce This is where giveaway plans usually go wrong. A printed QR code is **public, copyable data**. Anyone can photograph it, screenshot it, or post it to a deals forum, and each copy works exactly like the original. Therefore the code itself cannot: - **Limit entries to one per person.** Deduplication is the server's job: confirmed email, one entry per address, and whatever further checks your volume justifies. Naive IP limits punish shared networks and stop nobody determined. - **Restrict entry to people physically present.** The URL works from anywhere on earth the moment someone shares it. If "in-store only" matters, say so in the terms and verify at redemption — or hand out codes physically (a unique code per printed card, generated in bulk) rather than displaying one shared code. - **Expire.** The printed code works forever; the closing date is enforced by the form refusing late entries. Take the form down or switch it to a "closed" page the day entries end — a live form behind a stale poster collects entries you must then honour or awkwardly reject. Plan for entries from beyond the venue as the default case, not an edge case. Related fraud patterns and countermeasures are covered in [preventing coupon QR fraud](/docs/ecommerce/preventing-coupon-qr-fraud). ## Terms and conditions discipline Prize promotions are regulated in many jurisdictions — eligibility, age limits, no-purchase-necessary rules, closing dates. Two practical rules for the printed piece: 1. **Print the essential terms and the full-terms URL on the artwork itself**, beside the code — not only on the page behind it. A person must be able to see what they are entering before scanning. 2. **State the closing date on the print.** Posters outlive campaigns; a date on the artwork is the cheapest defence against entries into a dead giveaway. ## The moment after entry The confirmation screen is the highest-attention moment you will get — use it. An instant small win (a [coupon code](/coupon-qr-code) for 10% off today) converts entrants into customers whether or not they win the prize, and gives people a reason to have entered honestly. Write the entry CTA the same way: "Win a year of coffee — 20 seconds to enter" follows the [call-to-action rules](/docs/marketing/qr-code-call-to-action). Before printing, decode the final artwork with the [validator](/validate) and check the parameters survived the design process intact. ## FAQ ### How do I run a giveaway with a QR code? Point the code at an entry form with a tracking parameter per placement, keep the form short, and print the key terms and closing date beside the code. Enforce entry limits and deadlines on the server — the code itself cannot. ### Can a QR code limit entries to one per person? No. The code is public data anyone can copy and reshare, so it cannot identify people or count entries. Deduplicate server-side — confirmed email is the usual baseline — and treat one-per-person as a terms condition you enforce at draw time. ### How do I stop people entering without visiting the store? A displayed code cannot prove presence — the URL works from anywhere once shared. Either accept remote entries, verify presence at redemption, or hand each visitor a card carrying a unique single-use code generated in bulk. ### What should be printed next to a giveaway QR code? The prize, the effort ("20 seconds to enter"), the closing date, and the terms URL. Legibility of the offer before scanning both raises entries and keeps the promotion on the right side of prize-promotion rules. ## Try it - https://useqr.app/url - https://useqr.app/coupon - https://useqr.app/validate - https://useqr.app/bulk