What You Get with TinyCard Premium: Every Feature Explained

TinyCard is free. You can create a card, share it as a link, and the recipient gets a beautiful animated experience. No account, no payment, no catches. That's the product.

Premium exists for people who want more from a specific card. It's a one-time $3.99 payment per card — not a subscription, not a credits system, not a monthly fee. You pay once, and that specific card gets upgraded. Here's everything that changes.

Card lifetime: 14 days → 1 year

Free cards expire after 14 days. For most occasions, that's enough — the recipient opens the card within a day or two, reads the message, and the card has done its job.

But some cards are worth keeping. A wedding congratulations, a milestone birthday, a note from someone far away. Premium extends the card's lifetime to a full year from the date of payment. The link keeps working, the card stays viewable, and no one has to screenshot it before it disappears.

If you upgrade a card that's about to expire, the one-year countdown starts from the moment you pay — not from when the card was created. So even upgrading on day 13 gives you a full year.

Opening animations: flip, envelope, and fold

Free cards use the flip animation. The recipient sees a card face-down with a "tap to open" prompt, taps it, and the card flips over to reveal the message. It's simple and satisfying.

Premium unlocks two additional animations:

Envelope. The card sits inside a dark envelope with a gold seal. When the recipient taps, the envelope flap opens, and the card rises out. There's a moment of anticipation as the flap lifts before the card content is revealed. This one feels the most like opening physical mail.

Fold. The card appears folded in half. Tapping unfolds it to reveal the full message inside. It mimics the experience of opening a traditional folded greeting card.

You choose the animation when you create the card. If you pick envelope or fold on a free card, it saves your choice — if you upgrade later, the animation activates automatically without needing to edit anything.

Gold border and premium seal

Premium cards have a subtle gold border and a small premium seal (✦) on the card itself. The visual difference is intentional but not loud — the card should still feel personal, not branded with "PREMIUM" in large letters.

The gold border uses a warm tone that works with the card's cream background. The shimmer effect catches the eye without being distracting. The overall feel is elevated without being flashy.

No TinyCard branding

Free cards show a small "made with tinycard" footer below the card. It's subtle and doesn't interfere with the card itself, but it's there.

Premium removes this entirely. The card stands on its own with no indication of what service created it. For some senders, this matters — the card feels more personal when there's no service attribution visible to the recipient.

No expiration countdown

Free cards show an "Expires in X days" countdown in the footer. This serves a practical purpose — it lets the recipient know the card won't be around forever — but it also adds a slightly transactional feel to what should be a warm gesture.

Premium hides this countdown. The recipient sees no mention of expiration at all. Since the card lasts a year, there's no urgency to communicate anyway.

Scheduled delivery: up to 1 year ahead

Both free and premium cards can be scheduled — you set a date, and the card stays hidden until then. The recipient can have the link beforehand but can't see the content until the scheduled date.

Free cards can schedule up to 14 days ahead (matching their expiry window). Premium extends this to a full year. This matters for planners — scheduling anniversary cards months in advance, setting up birthday cards at the start of the year, or coordinating a card reveal with a gift delivery that's weeks away.

What doesn't change

Premium doesn't change the core card experience. The same Unsplash photos (or gradient backgrounds) are available. The same message formatting. The same shareable link format. The same edit and delete capabilities.

Premium is purely about presentation and longevity. You're paying for the card to look a little more polished, last longer, and stand on its own without service branding.

Is it worth $3.99?

That depends on the card. A quick "thinking of you" note to a coworker? Probably not — the free version handles that beautifully. A birthday card for your partner, a wedding congratulations for your best friend, a holiday message for your parents? The gold border, premium animation, and one-year lifetime make the card feel like something worth keeping.

The comparison, honestly:

You create the card for free first. If it feels like one worth upgrading, the option is there after creation. No pressure, no popups, no limited-time offers. Just a clear upgrade path for the cards that matter most.