QR Code Ideas and Types (What You Can Encode)
QR codes can hold a URL, contact card, WiFi login, payment and more. Learn the common QR code types and creative ways to use them for business.
A QR code can encode almost any short text, but a few standard formats let phones act on it automatically — opening a link, saving a contact, or joining WiFi. The data you encode determines what happens on scan.
Common QR code types
- URL — the most common; opens a website or landing page
- vCard — saves name, phone and email straight to contacts
- WiFi — connects to a network without typing the password
- Email / SMS — pre-fills a message to send
- Plain text — shows any note or code
- Payment — many wallets encode a payment request
Ideas for business
Put a URL code on packaging, a menu code on tables, a vCard on a name badge, a review-link code on receipts, or a WiFi code in a café. Track scans by pointing the URL at a page with analytics.
Create one now
Encode any of these with the QR code generator. For a network login specifically, see How to make a WiFi QR code. Comparing formats? See Barcode vs QR code.