Overview
CardStar is a card manager program that takes all of your membership cards and puts the info and barcode right into your phone. The
idea is that you can lighten your wallet now that you won’t have to carry around a ton of cards. I can’t stress the word “idea” enough. Because that’s really all it is. An idea.
Features
The app features the membership info of over 100 US companies. All of your favorites are here, like Blockbuster and Ralph’s and CVS. Of course, you can always add a card that’s not on their list- but the barcode won’t be there, which
would defeat the purpose of the app. I can’t stress the word “would” enough.
Breakdown
The Good:
Okay, when I heard about this app, I got really excited. I hate carrying club cards in my wallet. They take up a lot of space and through the course of the years, they get all messed up anyway. My Ralph’s card scans every one out of 10 times. So that’s cool. This app
seemed like the coolest thing ever! I really can’t stress the word “seemed” enough.
I thought, this is going to be great. I dug out the cards from my wallet and went through one by one entering them into the app. The interface was really good. No trouble at all setting up the accounts with the cards I had. (Though, there’s no 24 Hour Fitness or Hollywood Video in the app, but whatever, it had all the others). I was skeptical at first, wondering how the barcodes would look. But I was amazed that the barcodes the app generated totally matched my cards. It’s crazy!
I started to get really excited. My wallet
was going to be so light! I really can’t stress the word “was” enough. There was only one card I wasn’t able to upload… my Smart & Final card, because the back was almost totally worn off and I couldn’t read the last damn number. Oh well, because it wouldn’t have made a difference at all. Why? Read on…
The Bad:
I set out to test the barcodes. I went to Ralph’s, grabbed some Cheez-Its and Sour Punch Straws, (the cornerstone of any health conscious individual), and went to check out. “Please scan your Ralph’s club card.” Okie-dokie. I opened the app, found my virtual Ralph’s card and verified the barcode was on the screen. I wove it over the scanner. Silence. I tried holding it still. Nothing. I rotated it- maybe the barcode was just off a bit- nope. Maybe the scanner is broke, I thought. So I pulled out my old, crummy club card and before I thought I even had it over the scanner- BEEP! Strike one.
Later that evening, I went to BevMo because this dude needs his Kahlúa. (Seriously, ask around- I mix a mighty tasty caucasion). I hand the clerk my iPhone and ask him to scan it. He looks at me like I’m crazy. I tell him “like a fox!” He doesn’t understand what that means because he didn’t actually call me crazy. Oops. Being a good sport, he attempts to scan the barcode on my screen. No dice. I hand him the real card as he hands me back my phone. Strike two.
Guess what? CardStar… you’re OUT!!!! In this game, it only takes two embarrassing strikes! The barcode won’t scan, which is the primary purpose of the app. And why doesn’t it scan? Probably because of the reflective glass screen of the phone or because of the luminosity of the screen. The fact is, it does NOT work. And there are a lot of phony reviews on iTunes that claim that it does. I call bullshit!
Verdict
This app is worthless unless you want to give the cashier your membership number every time you go out, (since it’s stored right there in your phone). Sure, that totally defeats the convenience of the card scanning, but at least your wallet is less cluttered, right? Right?! No.
If this app worked, I’d be writing a glowing review. But it doesn’t- and until it does- it’s not worth a cent. You hear me, CardStar?! Work!!!! Because I want to get rid of these goddamn cards in my wallet!!! Work!!!!!!!!!
