Compliance · 12 min read
Google review cards and Google’s rules: what you can and cannot do
A Google review card is allowed: Google itself tells businesses they can ask customers to visit a review link or scan a QR code. What breaks the rules is the way the card is used: a reward for a review, a card handed only to happy customers, a review written for the customer, or fake reviews. Here is what Google’s policy and UK law say, checked on 9 November 2026, how the optional private rating on a Lumacards page fits in, and what to tell your team.
1. The essentials in 30 seconds
A Google review card complies with Google’s rules when it is offered to every customer, with nothing given in return and no influence on the rating or on what the customer writes.
- Allowed: asking all your customers for a review, by NFC card, QR code or link to your Google review form.
- Forbidden: any incentive in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing a negative one: a discount, a free drink, loyalty points, a prize draw entry.
- Forbidden: review gating, meaning asking only satisfied customers, or using a rating to decide who receives the Google link.
- Forbidden: writing or suggesting the review, suggesting a number of stars, pressuring customers on the premises, review targets for staff, and reviews by staff, family or friends.
- UK law: since 6 April 2025, the DMCC Act 2024 bans fake reviews, concealed incentivised reviews and misleading presentation of reviews; the CMA can fine up to 10 % of global turnover.
- On a Lumacards page: your review links are shown to every visitor, and the optional private rating never decides who sees them.
2. What Google’s review rules actually say
Google lets businesses ask for reviews, provided they offer no incentive and do not try to influence the rating or the content of the review. The rules sit in the Maps User Contributed Content Policy, under “Fake engagement” and “Rating manipulation”, and Google states that reviews breaking them “will be removed from Maps”.
| Rule | Google’s wording (extract) | What it means at the counter |
|---|---|---|
| No incentive | “payment, discounts, free of cost goods and/or services”, for posting a review or for revising or removing a negative one | No free coffee, discount code, loyalty stamp or gift linked to a review |
| No paid reviews | Reviews “paid for, directly or in kind” | No buying reviews, no paying someone to post them |
| No selective asking | Do not “selectively solicit positive reviews from customers” | The card goes to every customer, not only the smiling ones |
| No discouraging | Do not “discourage or prohibit negative reviews” | Never ask an unhappy customer to keep it off Google |
| No pressure | Do not “require or pressure users” to review while on the premises | Invite, then let the customer decide, now or later |
| No requested content | Do not “request that specific content be included” | No suggested text, no “mention my name” |
| No staff quotas | No staff asked to obtain “a certain number of reviews” | No review targets or bonuses per review for the team |
| No conflict of interest | Includes “current or former employment” and personal ties | Staff, owners, family and friends do not review the business |
What Google explicitly allows
- Asking for reviews, by link or QR code. Google’s tips to get more reviews say you can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code. A Google review card is exactly that, printed.
- Encouraging genuine reviews, with no incentive and no attempt to influence the rating or the content.
- Replying to reviews, positive and negative. Google notes in the same help page that a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy to readers.
3. Five ways to break the rules with a good card
A compliant card becomes a problem in five situations: a reward, a filter, a ghost-written review, a fake review, or pressure on customers and staff. Each one is named in Google’s policy.
1. A reward for the review
“10 % off for a review” is the classic case, but a free dessert, an extra loyalty stamp or a prize draw entry count too: Google’s list of incentives starts with “such as”, so treat any benefit tied to a review as one. Offering a refund or a gift for editing or deleting a negative review is explicitly forbidden.
2. A filter in front of Google
Handing the card only to customers who look pleased, or sending only four- and five-star raters on to Google, is review gating: the most common breach, because it feels like good customer service (section 4).
3. A review written, prompted or pre-filled for the customer
No typing or dictating the review, no suggested phrase, no “mention my name”, no suggested number of stars. The customer uses their own phone and their own Google account.
4. Fake reviews and conflicts of interest
Reviews by the owner, employees, former employees, relatives or friends are conflicts of interest. Bought reviews and reviews posted from several accounts by one person are fake engagement, and illegal in the UK (section 5).
5. Pressure on customers, targets for staff
Standing over a customer until the review is posted, or giving staff a target of “ten reviews a week”: both are named in Google’s policy.
4. Review gating: where feedback ends and filtering begins
Review gating is any process that decides who receives the Google review link according to how satisfied the customer seems. Collecting private feedback is fine; using that feedback to decide who sees the Google link is not.
Google’s wording is “selectively solicit positive reviews”. The UK regulator reaches the same conclusion from another angle: its guidance describes cherry-picking as including “encouraging just those who are satisfied to leave reviews”. The test is simple: would an unhappy customer have been offered the same Google link, in the same way, at the same moment?
| Set-up | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Card in every bill folder, page showing the Google link to everyone | Compliant | Every customer receives the same invitation |
| “Rate us” first: 4–5 stars sent to Google, 1–3 stars sent to a private form | Gating, forbidden | The rating decides who sees Google |
| Staff hand the card only to customers who seem happy | Gating, forbidden | The filter is human, but it is still a filter |
| Google link shown first to everyone, optional private rating underneath, link unchanged whatever the rating | Compliant | Feedback is collected, but it decides nothing |
| Satisfaction e-mail to all customers, Google link only in the reply to high scorers | Gating, forbidden | Same mechanism as the “rate us first” screen |
| Private rating only, no review link for anyone | Not gating | Nobody receives the link, so nobody is selected; but it is no longer a review card |
| Card printed “Happy with us? Review us on Google” | Avoid | The wording invites only the satisfied; prefer “Tell us how we did” |
One trap: a “private rating only” page is fine, but pairing it with a Google card kept behind the counter for customers who rated you well rebuilds the filter by hand.
5. UK law: the DMCC Act 2024 and the CMA guidance
UK consumer law applies on top of Google’s policy. Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 lists fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews among the practices that are unfair in all circumstances, enforced directly by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
What the Act bans
Paragraph 13 of Schedule 20 to the DMCC Act 2024 covers three behaviours:
- Submitting or commissioning a fake consumer review, or a review that conceals the fact it was incentivised.
- Publishing reviews in a misleading way, for example publishing positive reviews while failing to publish or removing negative ones, or giving positive reviews greater prominence.
- Publishing reviews without reasonable and proportionate steps to prevent and remove banned reviews, for instance on your own website.
What the CMA guidance adds
The CMA’s fake reviews guidance (CMA208, 4 April 2025) gives examples that matter to a business with a review card:
- Asking a member of staff to write a review counts as commissioning one.
- Inviting customers in general to leave a review, without steering what they say, is not prohibited.
- Making the resolution of a complaint conditional on the customer not leaving a negative review interferes with negative reviews, and so does encouraging only satisfied customers to write.
Where UK law and Google differ
The CMA guidance accepts, in principle, an incentivised review that is clearly disclosed and reflects a genuine experience. Google does not: it removes incentivised reviews from Maps whatever the disclosure. Your reviews live on Google, so Google’s stricter rule is the one to follow: no incentive at all.
What is at stake
- Fines: since the regime came into force, the CMA can fine a business up to 10 % of its global turnover for breaching consumer protection law.
- Visible sanctions on Google: following undertakings given to the CMA in January 2025, UK businesses found boosting their rating with fake reviews receive a warning alert on their Google profile and can have their review function deactivated; repeat offenders can have all their reviews deleted for six months or more.
These rules apply to the business that asks for and publishes reviews. This is a practical summary, not legal advice.
6. The Lumacards private service rating, explained honestly
A Lumacards review page can include an optional private service rating, from 1 to 5 stars, that is never published. When it is switched on, it sits below your review links, and it never decides who sees the Google button.
You choose one of three settings in your dashboard:
| Setting | What the visitor sees | Google review link |
|---|---|---|
| Review sites only (default) | One button per review site you add: Google, Tripadvisor, TheFork, Booking.com and others, up to four | Shown to everyone |
| Review sites and service rating | The same buttons first, then the private 1–5 star rating underneath | Shown to everyone, before the rating, whatever rating is given |
| Service rating only | The private rating alone, with no review site link | Shown to no one: an internal feedback tool, not a Google review card |
What happens on the customer’s phone
- The review buttons are part of the page from the moment it opens. Their display does not depend on a rating, a cookie or a click.
- The customer can ignore the rating and go straight to Google. If they rate, a short follow-up question (what they liked, or what was missing) tells you what to work on; it changes nothing in the buttons above.
- Once the rating is sent, only the rating block changes, to a thank-you message. The Google button stays on screen, identical, whether the rating was 1 or 5.
- A note under the rating tells the customer that it goes to you directly and is not published.
- If you wish, you receive an e-mail when a rating of 1 or 2 stars comes in, so that you can react quickly. The customer is not redirected anywhere.
What does not exist, by design: no “4 or 5 stars go to Google, the rest to a private form” rule, and no setting for any reward linked to a review.
What remains your responsibility. The page cannot filter, but it cannot stop a filter built around it. Offer the card to every customer and never add text promising anything in exchange for a review.
What it costs
Everything is paid once, for one, two or three years, with no subscription: the review page can be ordered on its own, and printed QR code cards, NFC cards and table tents come with two years of page included. Current prices, in your currency, are on our NFC and QR code Google review card page, with its optional private service rating. The review page is one of our Link Cards, part of the wider range of digital cards.
7. Placement: where the card goes so every customer sees it
Place the card where every customer passes, not where staff choose who receives it. A table tent or a plaque is seen by everyone by design; a card handed over must reach everyone, at the same step of the visit.
| Business | Fixed support (seen by all) | Handed-over card (given to all) |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant, café, pub | Table tent on every table | A card in every bill folder, not only for the tables that complimented the food |
| Hair and beauty salon | Plaque at the reception desk | A card with every receipt |
| Shop | Plaque or table tent beside the till | A card in every bag or parcel |
| Hotel, B&B | Plaque at reception | A card in every room or with every check-out invoice |
| Tradesperson, home services | None needed | A card left with every invoice or job sheet |
- Same step for everyone. “With the bill” is a rule staff can apply; “when the customer seems pleased” is a filter.
- Leave the card where it is after a complaint. Remove the problem, not the table tent.
- Print neutral wording. “Review us on Google”, “Tell us how we did” or “Tap or scan to leave a review”. Never “Give us 5 stars”, and never an offer.
- Keep the link editable. If your Google link changes, a card leading to an editable address avoids reprinting: see dynamic and static QR codes.
For the set-up itself (review link, card or table tent, first five steps), read our practical guide to the NFC Google review card.
8. What staff should say, and what they should never say
Staff can invite every customer to leave a review and explain how the card works; they must not offer anything, suggest a rating or content, single out happy customers or push.
| Say this | Not this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| “If you’d like to leave us a review, just tap your phone on this card or scan the code.” | “Leave us five stars and your next coffee’s on us.” | Incentive and suggested rating |
| “Whatever you thought, we read every review.” | “Only if you enjoyed it, mind!” | Selective solicitation |
| “No rush, it works whenever you have a minute.” | “Could you do it now, while I wait?” | Pressure on the premises |
| “Your honest opinion helps other customers decide.” | “Could you mention my name, or the new menu?” | Requested content, staff identification |
| After a complaint: “I’m sorry, let’s put this right.” | “We’ll refund you if you don’t post anything.” | Discouraging a negative review |
| After a no: “Of course, thanks for coming in.” | Asking a second time | Pressure |
Three team rules to write down
- No targets, no bonuses per review. Measure reads and reviews for the business, not for each employee.
- Staff and family do not review. Not under their own name, not under anyone else’s, not from the shop’s phone.
- Hands off the customer’s phone. Showing where to tap is fine; typing, choosing stars or pressing “post” is not.
9. Compliance checklist for your team
Run this checklist before you put the first card out, then once a month: it takes ten minutes and covers every rule above.
Before launch
- The page opened by the card shows the Google link to every visitor, with no rating or form in front of it.
- If the private rating is on, it sits below the review links and changes nothing in them.
- The printed wording is neutral: no stars requested, no offer, no “happy with us?”.
- No promotion, loyalty scheme or prize draw mentions reviews, on the card, the page, social media or the till.
- One support per point of contact, and a written rule for when the card is handed over (“with every bill”).
- The team has the agreed sentence and the three team rules.
Every month
- Compare reads per card: one read far less than the others may be badly placed, or handed out selectively.
- Reply to every review, positive and negative, without offering anything in exchange for a change.
- Check that no member of staff, relative or friend has reviewed the business.
- Re-read Google’s policy page: it changes, and the version that counts is the current one.
10. Frequently asked questions
Is a Google review card allowed by Google?
Yes. Google says businesses can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code. The card must be offered to every customer, with no incentive and no influence on the rating or the content.
Can I offer a discount or a free drink for a Google review?
No. Google forbids payment, discounts or free goods and services in exchange for a review, and removes the reviews concerned. Treat a prize draw entry or loyalty points the same way.
Can I give the review card only to happy customers?
No. Asking only satisfied customers is review gating, which Google forbids; the UK CMA guidance treats it as cherry-picking.
Is asking for private feedback before the Google link review gating?
Only if the feedback decides who sees the Google link. On a Lumacards page, the review links come first and stay identical whatever rating is given.
Can staff help a customer write their review?
Staff can show where to tap or scan. They must not write or suggest the review, ask for their name to be mentioned or suggest a number of stars.
Does the DMCC Act apply to a small business collecting Google reviews?
Yes, it applies to traders of any size in the UK: since 6 April 2025 it bans fake reviews, concealed incentivised reviews and misleading presentation of reviews.
What happens if Google finds incentivised or fake reviews?
Google removes them from Maps. In the UK, a business found boosting its rating with fake reviews can also receive a warning alert on its profile and lose the ability to receive new reviews.
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