- A first-order discount for people who've never tried you.
- An app download offer with a QR code that goes straight to the app store.
- A referral code. The customer keeps the top and passes the tear-off to a friend.
- A unique code printed on every single card, so each one can only be used once.
Tear-Away Cards for Parcel Inserts and Promo Codes
A tear-away card is a printed card with a perforated line across it. The big part tells the story. The small part tears off and carries a code. For national online brands that code is the reason the card exists, because it turns a parcel insert into something you can count at checkout.
Who uses tear-away cards
ParcelPush clients such as HelloFresh and DoorDash use tear-away cards in parcels to hand out offers and promo codes. The format suits any brand that sells online and wants a printed offer in people's hands at home. That covers meal kits and subscription boxes, food delivery apps, online pharmacies and pet food stores.
Most of these brands spend their budget on screens. A card that arrives inside a parcel someone was waiting for gets read and very often kept. The tear-off goes on the fridge or in a wallet, and the code is there when they're deciding what to order on Friday night.
National reach through ParcelPush
ParcelPush places your cards inside parcels sent by other online stores, going to homes right across Australia. You choose the type of online store your card rides with, and it never goes into a competitor's box. One print run can cover the whole country. We print in Sydney and hand the cards straight over, so there's no extra freight leg between the printer and the insert team. Why we print locally has more on that.
What goes on the tear-off
Make QR codes at least 2 cm across and test the link before anything goes to print. Print a short web address and the code in plain text as well. Plenty of people would rather type it in than scan.
Tracking redemptions by code
This is where tear-aways earn their keep with online brands. Give the whole insert run its own code and your checkout data shows exactly what the parcels brought in. Use a different code for each batch and you can compare offers or designs against each other.
Go one step further and print a unique code on every card. Each code can be loaded into your system as single use, which stops one code being used over and over and tells you exactly how many cards were redeemed. There's a "Unique Codes" option in the quote form. Send us the code list as a spreadsheet and we'll match it to the print file.
How we make them
We print on card and perforate it after printing. The perf has to be strong enough to survive a parcel warehouse and a courier van, and weak enough that someone can tear it without hunting for scissors. Getting that balance right for the stock is most of the job, so we test the tear on your actual card before the full run.
Typical layouts and sizes
| Layout | Size | What it's good for |
|---|---|---|
| DL with one tear-off at the bottom | 99 x 210 mm | The classic. Offer on top, code card below |
| DL with two tear-offs | 99 x 210 mm | One code to keep and one to pass to a friend |
| A5 with a card-sized tear-off | 148 x 210 mm | Room for a full menu or product range plus a 90 x 55 mm code card |
| A6 with a strip along one edge | 105 x 148 mm | Small satchels, with a short code strip to keep |
| Super Size DL with a tear-off | 240 x 130 mm | More room for food or product photos |
The tear-off is usually business card size, 90 x 55 mm, because it fits in a wallet and people already have somewhere to put those. DL and A6 go into most satchels without folding. A related option is a printed carrier with a plastic card glued on, such as a gift or membership card. It's in the quote form as "Carrier With Card Attached".
Tear-aways work in letterboxes too, and LetterboxPush can deliver them if you want to add a local drop around a new delivery area.
Typical example jobs
These are typical examples of tear-away work for national brands, without client names.
A subscription box brand wants existing customers to bring in friends. DL tear-away on 350gsm, a thank you on the top and a referral voucher on the tear-off. Every voucher carries its own unique code, so the brand can see which new sign-ups came from a card.
A food delivery app is launching in new suburbs and wants downloads. Super Size DL with a large food photo, a QR code to the app store and a first-order code on the tear-off. ParcelPush puts the cards into parcels going to the launch areas.
An online pharmacy wants people to come back for their next order. A6 with a code strip along one edge, printed on 300gsm matt so it fits the smallest satchels. A separate code from their email campaigns shows which channel brought the reorder.
A pet food brand tests two offers against each other. Two DL designs printed in one job with different codes, one leading with money off the first bag and one with free delivery. Redemptions at checkout decide which design gets reprinted.
Frequently asked questions
What is a tear-away card?
A printed card with a perforated line, so part of it can be torn off and kept. For parcel inserts the tear-off usually carries a promo code or a QR code.
Why do online brands use tear-away cards in parcels?
The card arrives in a parcel the customer was waiting for, so it gets opened at home and looked at. The tear-off gives people a reason to keep the code. ParcelPush clients such as HelloFresh and DoorDash use them to hand out offers and codes.
Can each card have its own unique code?
Yes. We can print one code per batch or a different code on every single card. Unique codes can be set up as single use in your system so every redemption can be counted.
Can you print QR codes on tear-away cards?
Yes. Keep them at least 2 cm across, test the link before print and add the code or a short web address in plain text for people who won't scan.
Will the perforation survive the parcel journey?
Yes, when the stock and the perf are matched. We use card of 300gsm or more for most tear-aways and test the tear on your card before the full run.
Where do ParcelPush parcels go?
To homes right across Australia. ParcelPush places your cards in parcels sent by other online stores, so one print run can cover a national campaign.
Get a quote
Choose "Tearaway" in the quote form and put the size and the number of tear-offs in the comments. Tick "Unique Codes" if every card needs its own. We'll send back a quote and a print date.