Static vs Dynamic QR
Static means the same printed code is scanned many times. Dynamic means a new payload is minted for a ticket. EMVCo encodes that as Tag 01 = 11 or 12. The Point of Initiation article is the on-the-wire companion to this operations page.
Static operations
Low setup: print once. Customer types amount. Reconciliation is weaker because every payment shares the same destination with no invoice in the QR unless you add Tag 62 later (unusual on paper).
Dynamic operations
POS or app creates POI 12 plus Tag 54. Better matching to orders, more moving parts, must recompute CRC every time.
Do not confuse the two pages
This page is for product managers choosing a flow. Tag 01 11 vs 12 is the bit that must match that choice. If they disagree, wallets mis-handle amount entry.
Try both in the studio
Generate 11 without amount and 12 with amount, decode both, scan both. That ten-minute test beats another paragraph of theory.
Recon and refunds
Static QR refunds often need the original issuer RRN from the acquirer, not something in the QR. Dynamic QR with a bill number in Tag 62 can match your order id immediately. Choose based on how you refund, not based on which page ranked on Google.
When static is the wrong product
High-value electronics, table-service restaurants with itemized bills, and any flow that already has an order id should not rely on the customer typing 1850 versus 18500. Use dynamic 12.
When dynamic is wasted cost
A tea stall with no POS and no order numbers does not need a billed QR. Static 11 plus staff watching the amount screen is enough if overlay risk is managed.
Mapping to Tag 01
Read the Point of Initiation page before you ship. This page will not repeat the 11/12 bit table; it will keep repeating that operations and bits must match.
Choose from refunds and tickets, not from SEO
Static 11-codes are cheap and survive a power cut. Refunds usually need the acquirer RRN, not something in the QR. Dynamic 12-codes with Tag 54 and a Tag 62 bill number match your order id immediately and reduce “customer typed 18500 instead of 1850.” High-value electronics and itemized table service should not rely on keypad amounts. A tea stall with no POS often should.
The wrong reason to pick dynamic is “Google likes the word dynamic.” The wrong reason to pick static is “we already printed 400 stickers” if those stickers are collecting amount disputes. Operations owns the choice; Tag 01 must match it.
Leaving both codes on the counter
The day you turn on billed QR you must change Tag 01 to 12, start sending 54, and retire the old 11 plate. Guests will scan whichever symbol is closer to the till. Dual live codes are an incident, not a migration strategy. Cover or destroy the sticker the same day the POS screen goes live.
Screen QR that still encodes 11 without 54 is not “dynamic” just because pixels move. Dynamic means the payload is for one transaction (method 12) and the amount is in the string. Animate a static payload and you have a blinking sticker.
Idempotency and fraud monitoring differ
Hosts should treat 12-codes as single-use even if the customer scans twice. Static 11-codes are inherently multi-use; monitoring then looks at velocity toward one MAI, not at QR uniqueness. Mixing those models in a fraud engine produces either false declines on stickers or replays on billed QR.
Test both shapes in the studio. Keep two QA payloads labelled 11-no-amount and 12-with-amount. Re-scan after every generator release. Mapping to bits is on the Point of Initiation page; this page stays on the shop-floor choice.
Print cost versus dispute cost
Static looks cheaper until you count keypad mistakes and overlay replacement. Dynamic looks expensive until you count the POS you already run. Write the expected ticket value and dispute rate on the same slide as Tag 01. Then implement the bits. EMVCo’s QR specs describe the encoding; they do not tell you which product to sell. We do not either — we show both so you can verify them.
Affiliation reminder: this toolkit is independent. Official definitions live on emvco.com. Operator: Pankaj Kalra.
Finance and ops on the same slide
Static lowers print cost; dynamic lowers keypad dispute cost. Put both numbers on the same decision memo with Tag 01 written explicitly. If finance picks static but the POS already prints tickets with totals, you will collect “customer paid wrong amount” tickets forever. If ops picks dynamic but the shop has no order ids, Tag 62 will be empty and recon will still be painful. The encoding follows the business choice, not the other way around.
Seasonal and campaign QR
Pop-up stalls and festival booths often want static stickers for speed. Ticketed events with assigned seats often want dynamic billed QR tied to Tag 62. A campaign that prints static codes but advertises fixed prices on a menu board is still static — do not call it dynamic because the menu changed. Rename the business model, then rename Tag 01.
Metrics that should move when you switch
After moving static → dynamic, keypad amount disputes should fall and Tag 62 match rate in settlement should rise. If neither moves, you probably left 11 on the sticker. Measure before blaming wallets.
Sticker inventory
Treat obsolete static plates like obsolete keys: collect and destroy them when billed QR goes live so night staff cannot accidentally display the wrong POI.