Price List on an Online Business Card: Prices, VAT, Menus

Price List on an Online Business Card: Prices, VAT, Menus — Online Business Cards

By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Online business cards for local businesses

Products section or PDF? How to add a price list, menu or brochure to your online business card, keep it current with one edit, and show VAT the way the advertising rules expect.

"How much is it?" is the question every small business hears most. A clear price list on your online business card answers it before anyone has to ask, and keeps answering it at nine at night when you are not picking up the phone. This guide covers the two ways to show prices on a card, how to keep them current, how to show VAT correctly for consumers, and a few layouts that work for common businesses.

Two ways to show prices on your card

Both of our plans give you two places to put prices.

  1. The Products section. Each item gets a name, a photo, a short description and a price. Visitors scroll through them on the card itself.
  2. The Documents section. You upload a file, such as a PDF price list, a menu or a brochure. Visitors open it from the card and can save it to their phone.

Many businesses use both: the products section for the five or six things people ask about most, and a document for the full list.

PDF or products section?

Products section | PDF document

Best for | A short list of main services or items | A full price list, menu or brochure

How it looks on a phone | Built into the card, easy to scroll | Opens as a separate file; small text can be hard to read

Photos | One per item | As many as your layout allows

Updating one price | Edit the item and save | Edit your file, then upload the new version

Saving and forwarding | Visitors see it on the card | Visitors can save or forward the file

Typical use | Hairdresser's main services, trainer's session types | Café menu, wedding brochure, full trade price list

If you only have time for one, start with the products section. It works better on a phone, and most people only want to know the price of one or two things.

Writing prices people understand

A price list is only useful if customers can read it quickly and trust it. These rules help.

  • Use the customer's words. "Full head of highlights", not "FH-HL".
  • Show what is included. "Boiler service, includes a written safety check and a flue test" is more useful than "Boiler service".
  • Use "from" honestly. If most jobs cost more than the "from" price, say what affects the price: "From £60, depending on hair length".
  • Group items logically. By type, size or occasion, not by when you added them.
  • Put the date on documents. "Price list, November 2026" in the title and the file name tells people it is current.

Showing VAT correctly

If your customers are members of the public, the prices you show should include VAT, if you charge it. The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, known as the CAP Code, applies to marketing on websites and social media profiles, and its rule 3.18 says quoted prices must include non-optional taxes and charges that apply to all or most buyers. The ASA's advice on VAT in prices explains how to apply it.

In practice:

  • Selling to consumers: show the full price including VAT. Do not show "£100 + VAT" to the public.
  • Selling only to businesses: you may show prices excluding VAT, as long as it is clear they are for business customers and you show the VAT rate or amount alongside, such as "trade price, plus VAT at the standard rate".
  • Selling to both: show VAT-inclusive prices, because consumers will see them. You can add the ex-VAT price for business customers as well.
  • Not VAT registered: show your price as it is. You do not need to mention VAT.

The same goes for other compulsory charges. If every customer pays a call-out fee, include it in the price or show it just as clearly.

Food businesses

If you show a menu, remember that allergen rules still apply to how you sell food. The Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance for food businesses explains what you need to tell customers. A menu on your card is a good place to say how customers can ask about allergens.

Keeping it current: one edit, everyone sees it

This is the biggest advantage of prices on a card. When something changes, you edit it once from your dashboard, and everyone who opens your card from then on sees the new price. There are no old copies to chase.

A simple routine

  1. Keep a master price list in one file on your computer or phone.
  2. When a price changes, update the master first.
  3. Update the card the same day: edit the product, or upload a new document.
  4. Delete the old document from your card, so customers cannot open the wrong one.
  5. Check your other listings, such as your Google Business Profile services, and change them too.

Worked example: a price rise

This is an Example for a made-up mobile hairdresser, not a real customer.

Each January, Jess puts her prices up. In the past, she sent a message to her regulars and hoped they saw it. Now she:

  • edits the six items in her products section;
  • uploads "Price list, January 2027" and deletes the December file;
  • adds a line at the top of her card: "New prices from 6 January. Bookings made before then keep the old price.";
  • sends her regulars the card link with a short note.

The whole job takes about twenty minutes.

Layouts that work

A café or food stall

  • Products section: the six items you sell most, with prices.
  • Document: "Menu, November 2026", with allergen information on how to ask.
  • Details: opening hours and a line about allergens.

A trade

  • Products section: your main jobs with "from" prices: boiler service, repair call-out, new radiator.
  • Document: "Prices and terms, November 2026", including call-out charges and payment terms.
  • Enquiry form (Business Plan): for anything that needs a quote.

An appointment business

  • Products section: each service with its price and how long it takes.
  • Booking button (Business Plan): straight under the products, so people can book what they have just read about.
  • Document: a full price list for less common treatments.

A market trader

  • Products section: your best sellers.
  • Document: your full range and price list, dated.
  • Details: where you are trading next. Our guide to an online business card for market traders covers stall QR codes and custom orders.

Brochures and wedding guides

Some businesses sell bigger, one-off jobs: weddings, events, kitchens, landscaping. A short brochure as a PDF works well for these. Keep it to a few pages, put the starting prices near the front, and end with a clear next step: "Ask for a quote using the form on our card." Name the file plainly, such as "Wedding flowers guide 2027".

Which plan?

Both plans include the products and documents sections. Brand Presence is £45 and the Business Plan is £90, each paid once. Choose the Business Plan if you also want bookings, enquiry forms or a reviews button next to your prices. Our online business card page shows both side by side. For more on what to put on the rest of your card, read our guide to an online business card for small business. More guides are in the journal.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a price list to my online business card?

Use the Products section for your main items, each with a name, photo and price. Upload a full price list, menu or brochure as a PDF in the Documents section. Both plans include both sections.

Should my prices include VAT?

If your customers are members of the public and you charge VAT, yes. The CAP Code says quoted prices must include non-optional taxes. You can show ex-VAT prices only when they are clearly for business customers, with the VAT rate shown alongside.

How do I update my prices?

Edit the item in your products section, or upload a new document and delete the old one, from your dashboard. Everyone who opens your card from then on sees the new price.

PDF or products section: which is better?

The products section is easier to read on a phone and suits a short list. A PDF suits a full price list, menu or brochure. Many businesses use both.

Can I show "from" prices?

Yes, if they are honest. Make sure the "from" price is one customers can actually get, and say what makes the price go up, such as size, length or time.

Do I need to show allergen information on a menu?

Allergen rules apply to how you sell food, wherever your menu appears. The Food Standards Agency's guidance explains what you must tell customers. At the least, tell customers on your card how to ask about allergens.