The scanner in the Wave Connect app has three tabs, and each one does a different job. Pick the tab that matches what is in front of you: a paper business card, an event badge, or a QR code. It works at any conference or trade show: no organizer badge kit, no event API, no rental hardware, and no agreement with the venue.
The three scanner tabs
Business card is for paper business cards and requires a Pro plan. Take a picture of the card and Wave Connect reads the details printed on it and saves the contact record. Saving the record does not use credits, and you can scan as many paper cards as you like. If you want the fields the card does not show (verified business email, direct phone number, job title, LinkedIn profile), open the contact and tap Enrich. That uses 1 credit ($2.50). If Auto-enrich new contacts is switched on under Settings, Billing, new paper-card contacts are enriched automatically at the same cost.
Event badge is for conference and trade show badges. A badge usually shows only a name and a company, and nobody wants just that, so every badge scan runs the deep enrichment automatically: 4 credits ($10 at the standard rate), with the enriched, CRM-ready lead included. Wave Connect reads the name and company printed on the badge with the camera. It does not read the badge's QR code or barcode, so it works on any badge from any organizer, and there is no scan-only option on this tab.
LinkedIn / QR is for LinkedIn QR codes and the QR code of any digital business card, including Wave Connect, Popl, Blinq, and HiHello. Wave Connect reads the contact from the code and enriches it. Most of these codes already carry an email, phone number, or LinkedIn profile, so the enrichment uses 1 credit ($2.50). If the code only carries a name and company, the deep search uses 4 credits ($10), the same as a badge.
Can I scan a badge with the Business card tab?
No. The Business card tab is built for paper cards and does not read event badges. Use the Event badge tab for badges. Badge scans use 4 credits because a badge only gives us a name and a company, and enrichment runs on every badge scan.
How a scan works
Open the scanner in the Wave Connect app and choose the tab for what you are scanning.
Take a picture of the card or badge, or point the camera at the QR code.
Wave Connect reads the text it finds: the details on a paper card, or the name and company on a badge.
Waterfall Lead Enrichment finds the verified business email, phone number, job title, and LinkedIn profile. This runs automatically on the Event badge and LinkedIn / QR tabs, and on paper-card contacts when you tap Enrich or have Auto-enrich switched on.
The lead is saved to your contacts and synced to your CRM.
What a scan costs
The cost follows how much Wave Connect already knows about the contact: 1 credit when the contact has an email, phone number, or LinkedIn profile, and 4 credits for a deep search from just a name and company. The app shows the cost before you confirm.
Event badge: 4 credits ($10), enrichment included.
LinkedIn / QR: 1 credit ($2.50) when the code carries contact details, 4 credits ($10) when it only carries a name and company.
Business card: saving the card record does not use credits (Pro plan). Enriching the contact uses 1 credit ($2.50).
The same 1-credit enrichment works on contacts who share their details through your digital business card's lead form. Every new account starts with free trial credits: 10 for individual users, 20 for org and team workspaces. If enrichment cannot find verified contact details, you are not charged, and duplicates are not charged either. When your balance reaches zero, the Event badge and LinkedIn / QR tabs pause until you add credits in the app. See How Event Lead Capture Pricing Works in the Event Lead Capture collection for plans and rates.
No internet at the venue?
Scan anyway. Captures are stored on your device and everything syncs automatically once you are back on Wi-Fi or cellular data.