‘Stocard’ app review
By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
As a general rule, I tend to carry opera walletsâthose types of wallets that can double as a clutch purse if you don’t want to drag a huge bag with you somewhere. Because of this I have very limited space within said wallet, so crowding it with membership cards and the like is just not a possibility. Until recently that meant that when offered loyalty programs for my favourite stores, I usually had to decline. Mostly because my wallet couldn’t fit them, but also because keeping track of different membership cards and points just seemed like a huge hassle. That is, until I tried out Stocard.
Now, backtracking a bit, I knew I wasn’t the only one with this issue of overloading your walletâotherwise why would companies like Starbucks, Scene, and Sephora swap their traditional membership card service for a purely digital version? Most large-scale companies nowadays have an app that will not only keep track of your membership card, but also your point status and what offers you can access. The issues I had with this was that it was disorganizedâhonestly, searching for a specific app in your phone is no different than digging through your wallet for a particular membership cardâand I don’t have unlimited data, so sometimes the app I needed wouldn’t work because I was either connected to really crappy WiFi, or I was outside a service zone. Scene is notorious for this, especially if you have TimePlay at all, because the Cineplex theatre will automatically connect you to the TimePlay WiFi, which won’t allow you to access the Cineplex app where your Scene card data/image is stored.
Stocard addresses both of these issues, and it’s free. For one, it condenses all of your membership cards into one app, so you don’t have to search for them. You can even set it as a widget on Android phones so that it will display your most used membership cards as icons within a folder, and you can tap them to directly bring them up, without having to open the whole app. Secondly, the membership card it stores is kept as an image, so you always have access to it no matter if you’re connectedâeither through data or WiFiâor not. This accessibility differentiates it from other, similar apps.
Another point of difference is the ability to add a card, even if that particular company doesn’t have a partnership with Stocard. Don’t get me wrong, the library of affiliate companies is extensiveâeverywhere from Toys R’ Us to Alaska Airlinesâbut there is an option to add a card if you need to. As long as the card works on a scan-and-get-points system, you can add it, Stocard just won’t be able to keep track of those points like it can with other, partnered companies. Because the card is stored as an image, Stocard doesn’t need to have access to any sort of account, it simply translates your membership number into a scan-able bar code that you can then name and save in the app or in the widget.
My one issue with Stocard is the message spam it sends you. For me, I don’t really pay attention to membership offers or deals, so getting updates regarding what Shoppers Drug Mart or other such companies are giving away to cardholders doesn’t really matter to me, and the constant updates can get annoying. I just want to use the card if I happen to be in the store. But, if you mute this or simply disallow the app from sending you push notifications, then you’re good to go.
All in all, I’d definitely recommend this app, if only for the seam integrity of your wallet.
