Saving a stranger's number just to ask one question is friction most people skip past, which is why a WhatsApp chat that opens without that step gets used. A customer can ask about a price, book a slot, or send a photo of the problem straight from a scan.
A QR code makes that possible: enter your number with its country code, add a first message if you want one already typed in, and the code is ready. Put it on a counter, a van, or a flyer, and the flyer itself tells you where an enquiry came from. The code is made in your browser, costs nothing, and keeps working for as long as the number does.
Building a WhatsApp chat code
Write the number in international format
Start with the country code and drop the leading zero you dial at home. A UK mobile written 07700 900123 becomes 447700900123. Spaces, dashes and the plus sign are removed for you.
Add a first message
Type what the customer should send, for example: Hi, I saw your van and would like a quote. They can edit it before sending, but most people send it as it is.
Scan it with and without WhatsApp
Scan the preview and check that WhatsApp opens a chat with the right number and the message in the text box. A phone without WhatsApp gets a web page asking to install it, so print the number as text too.
Download for the surface
Choose SVG for vans, signage and anything a print shop enlarges. PNG is fine for a menu, a flyer or a social post.
WhatsApp's built-in QR code compared with a wa.me code
WhatsApp already makes QR codes: the QR icon next to your name in Settings shows one that adds you as a contact, and the WhatsApp Business app offers a short link with a QR code under Business tools. Both work. A MakeQR code differs in ways that matter on print.
It survives a reset
WhatsApp lets you reset your in-app code, and the old one stops working. A wa.me code depends only on your phone number.
Print-ready files
You get an SVG that stays sharp on a van door, in your colors and with your logo, instead of a screenshot of an in-app code.
A message per placement
Give each flyer, sign or product its own pre-typed message, and you can tell enquiries apart without any tracking.
WhatsApp Business QR codes for teams and several numbers
A wa.me code opens a chat with one number, whichever app answers it, including a shared inbox on the WhatsApp Business Platform. With several numbers, such as sales and support, make one code per number and label each clearly.
If you want a single code, a Pro link page can list several WhatsApp chat links, each with its own button.
What the WhatsApp code contains
A wa.me link, which is WhatsApp's official click-to-chat address: the number as digits, then the message after ?text= with spaces and punctuation encoded. A long message makes a denser pattern, so keep it to one sentence.
https://wa.me/447700900123?text=Hi%2C%20I%20saw%20your%20van%20and%20would%20like%20a%20quoteWhere WhatsApp codes work and what size to print
Counter stands, shop windows, vans, business cards, packaging and receipts all work. People scan from about ten times the code's width: a 25 mm code on a card reads at about 25 cm, while a van door seen from three meters needs 30 cm or more, on matte rather than glossy vinyl. Print the number beside it for people who would rather call.
Print it at least 25 mm (2.5 cm) wide
Common WhatsApp code mistakes
Keeping the national leading zero
A number starting with 0 is not an international number, and WhatsApp reports it as invalid. Add the country code and drop the zero.
A personal number on a public sign
Once it is printed on a van, that number gets messages for years. If you may separate work and private life later, use a WhatsApp Business number or a dynamic code.
A paragraph as the first message
Long pre-typed text makes the code dense and the chat awkward to start. One sentence is plenty.
Static or dynamic for WhatsApp?
If the number is yours for the long run, a static wa.me code is free, permanent and opens the chat directly.
Choose dynamic for vehicles, signs and packaging that outlive a phone contract, or when chats may move to a new number or a team inbox. The printed code keeps working. It needs a free account; the first two dynamic codes are free forever, and each shows its scan count.
How dynamic QR codes workWhatsApp codes in daily use
- An electrician puts a code on the van door with the message: I need a quote for electrical work.
- A bakery prints a code on its cake order form so customers can send a photo of the design they want.
- A tutor adds a code to a noticeboard flyer that opens a chat starting with: Hi, I am asking about maths lessons.