Every time I visit a business I’m asked if I belong to their “super elite open to everyone because they want to track my shopping behaviors” reward program. Unless I do business with them regularly the answer is “no.” However, I do belong to a few. From grocery stores to pet supplies. Hotel chains to airlines I’ve managed to acquire two dozen-ish plastic barcoded rectangles.
To combat this nonsense I turned to the app store thinking if there’s an app to handle bar codes and QR codes there must be an app for those annoying reward cards. Sure enough, there are. And after trying out a small handful I settled on Key Ring. A clean cross-platform app that not only manages my reward cards, but notifies me when those programs are offering deals. Check it out.
Key Ring Reward Cards
As Advertised
Features include:
- Cross platform (iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry)
- Barcode scanner (scans EAN, UPCA, CODE39, CODE128) to add your barcoded cards
- Supports manual entry of any barcoded or non-barcoded card
- Card backup at keyringapp.com/cards (account required)
- Restore your cards on any device that has Key Ring installed
- Enroll in new loyalty programs
- Store locator and contact info
- Community tips and deals
- Notes
My Take
Setting up Key Ring is a snap. Open the app, tap Menu, tap Add Card, and hold the phone over the barcode until it scans. Of the two dozen cards I entered I had to manually enter two because they didn’t have barcodes. The process is cake. Tap No Barcode and fill out the info: Retailer, Barcode Y/N, Title, Description, and Membership ID. FYI, the same applies if your card won’t scan.
If the cashier uses an image scanner using Key Ring is a snap. If the cashier doesn’t and tries to use a laser or flatbed scanner Key Ring almost never works. What’s frustrating is that Key Ring should work with or without a scanner as the developers have created an option specific to the “Won’t Scan?” issue. However, when the cashier can’t scan the Key Ring barcode you will most likely be unable to use your loyalty card via Key Ring because they either won’t know how to manually enter an account number, or they simply won’t be willing to do so.
Key Ring has a few extras. For starters, you can access additional information by tapping into the reward card and selecting More. This will give you access to Notes, Contact info (phone, FB, Twitter, URL), and a store locator. I use this page a lot especially for stores I visit frequently. As for the Offers section, it’s nice, but it can be annoying if you have notifications enabled. To access Offers open the Main Menu. If there’s an available offer the piggy bank will have an orange numbered icon. Tap Offers and browse around. If you find one, tap it to read more. You can then choose to Share, Rate, Email, or Delete the offer.
Final Verdict
Key Ring Reward Cards is a near-perfect replacement for the reward cards I used to carry around on my keychain and in my wallet. I dig the additional contact and notes features. My wife likes the share feature because it means she never has to do the heavy lifting. The offers bit is nice, and it’s saved me $20 so far. What I hate most has nothing to do with the app, but with the reluctance of the merchants I am attempting to use it with. Because of human laziness I cannot give Key Ring the full five stars it deserves. Would I still recommend it? Yes, just pray you’ll get a cashier with a brain in their head. ★★★★☆
Download Key Ring (free | iTunes, Android, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry)
Do you use Key Ring? Share your experiences below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. If you have any questions feel free to follow the developers on Twitter at @keyringapp or check out their blog.
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