QRCR.us

Dynamic QR codes · pay per scan
Sign in with Google
Guide

Do QR codes expire?

Published · by Support Team

Short answer: the QR code itself never expires. A QR code is just a picture that encodes some text, usually a web address. Ink does not have an expiry date, and neither does the encoding. What can expire is whatever that text points to: a web page that gets moved, a domain that lapses, or a QR service's redirect link that stops answering when you stop paying. Whether your code is at risk depends entirely on which of those it encodes.

The two kinds of QR code, and which one can die

A static code encodes your final address directly, for example https://example.com/menu. It works for as long as that exact page exists. Nobody can switch it off, but nobody can update it either: move the page and every printed copy is dead. Static codes from free generators are the safest thing to print if the destination will genuinely never change.

A dynamic code encodes a short redirect link owned by a QR service, such as qrco.de/abc, bit.ly/xyz or qrcr.us/r/abc. The service forwards each scan to your real destination, which you can change at any time. That flexibility comes with a dependency: the code lives only as long as the service keeps forwarding. If you are asking whether your code "expires", this is the kind you are worried about, and rightly so. We explain the distinction in more depth in dynamic vs. static QR codes.

How to tell which kind you are holding

Scan the code with your phone and read the address that appears before you tap it. If it is your own domain, it is static. If it is a short link on somebody else's domain, it is dynamic, and the next question is what that provider's terms say about codes on a lapsed, free or trial plan. Most people never read that part until a printed code goes dark.

The five ways a "non-expiring" code stops working

1. A free trial ended. Many QR generators are free to create but dynamic by default, and the dynamic redirect is the paid product. When the trial closes, scans land on an upgrade page instead of your site. This is the single most common cause of the "my QR code expired" search.

2. A subscription lapsed. A card expired, a plan was cancelled to save money, or the person who set it up left. Depending on the provider, every code on the account can stop redirecting at once, sometimes after a grace period, sometimes immediately. If you use Bitly, we wrote up what happens to Bitly QR codes when you cancel.

3. A scan cap was hit. Some free tiers allow a fixed number of scans per code or per month, after which the code stops resolving until the counter resets or you pay.

4. The destination moved. Static and dynamic codes alike break when the page behind them is deleted or renamed. With a dynamic code you fix this in a dashboard in ten seconds. With a static one you reprint.

5. The provider disappeared. Rare, but it happens: a generator shuts down or changes domains, and every short link it ever issued stops answering. There is no fix except reprinting, which is why the provider's business model deserves a moment's thought before you print ten thousand of anything.

If your code has already stopped, the 60-second diagnosis in why did my printed QR code stop working? will tell you which of these you are dealing with.

Making a code that lasts

If the destination will never change, print a static code to a URL on a domain you own and control. It cannot expire, and it costs nothing. Just be honest with yourself about "never": menus, prices, event details and campaign pages all change.

If it might change, use a dynamic code, and choose the provider by asking one question: what happens to my printed codes when I stop paying? The honest answers range from "they keep working" to "they redirect to our upgrade page". QRCR.us's answer is that a code pauses rather than dies: you buy scan credits once, they never expire, and a code whose owner runs out of credits shows a short "paused" page until they top up. Nothing is deleted and nothing needs reprinting. There is no plan to lapse because there is no plan.

Whichever you pick, test the printed proof before the full run. Our five-minute pre-print check covers size, contrast and the mistake that costs the most: printing a trial code.

More guides