QR code expired or deactivated?
The print is fine. The account behind the short link stopped, and these steps bring it back or move it somewhere safer.
When a scan opens an expired or deactivated page, the printed pattern still works: it holds a short link, and the company that runs that link has switched it off. This happens when a trial ends, a plan is cancelled, a payment fails or the service closes. Bring it back by reactivating the account, or by asking that company to point the short link at your own website. If neither is possible, the code has to be replaced, and a sticker over the old print buys time until the next run.
Read the signs first
-
Read the short link
Scan the code below. The first part of the link names the domain that forwards it, and that domain belongs to the company that made the code. Note it down before you contact anyone.
-
Read the page it shows
Many services name the reason on the stopped page: a finished trial, a missing payment or a closed account. That line tells you which fix is the right one.
-
Find the account
Search your inbox for the domain from the link. The sign-up mail or the last invoice names the account e-mail, the plan and when it ended.
-
Note when it stopped
Ask the people who saw the print when scans last worked. A stop on a round date points to a trial or a renewal; a stop for every code at once points to a closing service.
Read the link inside the code
Point the camera at the print or upload a photo. The code is read on your device, the link appears as text and nothing is opened.
Why a code shows that page
-
A free trial finished
Trial codes forward while the trial runs. Printed in week one, they switch to the stopped page when the trial ends, often after the flyers are out.
-
A payment failed
An expired card or a declined renewal moves the account into a hold. Codes usually come back as soon as the payment goes through.
-
The plan was cancelled
Cancelling a plan, or moving to a smaller one, can switch off every code above the new limit, including codes someone else in the team printed.
-
The service is closing
When a QR service shuts down, its short links stop for good on the closing date. Plan the replacement before then, while the links still answer.
Bring it back with the company that runs it
-
Reactivate the plan
Sign in and renew the plan or update the card. It is usually the quickest fix, and printed codes forward again within minutes. Check the price and the billing period first.
-
Ask for a permanent redirect
Write to their support with the short link and ask them to forward it to your own page for good, even without a plan. Some companies agree; keep their reply.
-
Export your codes and destinations
Ask for a list of every code with its short link, its destination and its scan history. You need it to replace codes one by one and to keep your numbers.
-
Ask when the service closes
If the company is shutting down, ask for the exact last day and whether the short-link domain will be handed over or kept forwarding. Plan the reprint around that date.
Move to a code you control
-
Make the replacement
Create the new code in our free generator with the same destination. A fixed code holds the address itself and stays working with no account at all.
-
Cover the old print
Print the new code as a sticker at least the size of the old one and place it over the old code. Our sticker and label templates come in common sizes.
-
Keep editable codes on your own domain
Put editable codes on go.yourbrand.com. The domain stays yours, so every printed code can follow you if you ever change services.
Fix it in the app
Print with confidence next time
-
Print fixed codes for links that stay
A website, a menu file or a Wi-Fi login rarely changes. A fixed code for it is free, never stops and needs no plan.
-
Read the lapse rule before the print run
Our lapse-rules tracker quotes what common vendors say happens to codes when payment stops, with a source for every row.
-
Know how ours handle a lapse
A failed payment starts a 14-day grace period, and a paid plan's codes can be reactivated for 12 months after it ends.
Questions and answers
What does it mean when a QR code is expired?
The pattern on the print is unchanged. It holds a short link, and the company behind that link has switched it off, usually because a trial or plan ended.
Can an expired QR code be reactivated?
Usually yes, by renewing with the company that made it. Codes then forward again within minutes, as long as that company still keeps them.
Can I point an expired code at a new address myself?
Only through the account that made it. The short link lives on that company's domain, so only that company can change where it goes.
What if the QR service is shutting down?
Export your codes and destinations before the closing date, replace the codes that matter most first, and cover old prints with stickers until the next run.
Do fixed QR codes expire?
No. A fixed code holds the address itself, so it opens that address for as long as the page exists, whatever happens to any account.
How big should a replacement sticker be?
At least as large as the old code, with a light margin around it, so the old pattern is fully covered and phones read only the new one.