35 years' experience and customer care, printing since 1992
all our plastic cards are proudly printed in England Proudly printed in England all our plastic cards are proudly printed in England
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Promotional Scratch Cards

Hand someone a scratch card and they scratch it, usually on the spot. That is why they work at exhibition stands, in till queues and in customer mailings.

CP Cards prints plastic scratch cards with a unique code or message under each panel, for retailers, exhibitors, hospitality groups and HR teams running staff incentives. Manufactured in England since 1992.

What goes under the panel

Whatever the promotion needs: a discount code, a prize message, a PIN for redeeming online, or a polite “not this time”. We print the hidden wording from a spreadsheet, so every card can say something different and you decide exactly how many winners there are.

Panel sizes and positions

Panels come in most sizes and can go anywhere on the card, provided they stop at least 4mm from the edge. We can put several panels on one card, for a pick-one-of-three game or a code and a prize on the same card. Nothing can be printed on the panel itself, so the instruction goes beside it. The scratch-off panel guide has the details.

A card with a job after the scratch

Because the card is 760 micron PVC rather than paper, it can have a second life once it has been scratched: a discount card carrying the code it revealed, a membership card, or a gift card with its PIN hidden under a panel.

How to Order

  1. Tell us the quantity, the number of panels and what goes underneath
  2. Send your artwork and a spreadsheet of the hidden codes or messages
  3. Approve a free digital proof
  4. Cards printed and dispatched in 7 working days from proof approval and payment

Minimum order 25 cards. Standard turnaround 7 working days from proof approval and payment.

Keeping a promotion on the right side of the law

Under the Gambling Act 2005, a promotion where people pay to take part and the winners are decided by chance can be an unlicensed lottery. Offering a genuine free way to enter is the usual way businesses avoid that, and the ASA publishes guidance on free entry routes. If a purchase is involved anywhere in your promotion, check the rules before you print the codes.

When paper scratch cards make more sense

If the card will be thrown away the moment it is scratched and you need tens of thousands, paper scratch cards are the cheaper choice. Plastic earns its place when the card has a job to do afterwards, as a discount card, a membership card or a gift card, or when it is going in a mailing that should feel worth opening.

Content reviewed by the CP Cards team, September 2026.

Printed for promotions and incentives

Scratch cards are printed alongside the gift cards and discount cards we produce for retailers and hospitality businesses across the UK. You approve a free photorealistic proof by email before we print, and we can post a printed proof card if you want to test the scratch panel yourself.

Scratch Card FAQs

Can every scratch card have a different code?

Yes. We print the hidden wording from a spreadsheet, so every card can carry its own code or message.

Can we have more than one scratch panel on a card?

Yes. One or several panels can go on each card, provided each stops at least 4mm from the edge.

Can text be printed on the scratch panel?

No. The instruction goes beside the panel, and the wording underneath is revealed when it is scratched.

Can a scratch card also work as a gift card?

Yes. A gift card with its PIN or code under a scratch panel is one of the most common uses.