How to keep loyalty, gym and library cards on your iPhone
A wallet full of plastic cards mostly exists for their barcodes. Scan the barcode once and your iPhone can show it at the register or the gym desk, full screen and bright enough to read.
- 1
Choose Barcode under the viewfinder
Or tap Scan a barcode card from the Home screen.
- 2
Fit the code in the frame
Hold the card a hand's length away. The barcode is read by itself; there's no shutter to tap.
- 3
Or pick a photo
If the card lives in an email or another app, take a screenshot and choose it from Photos instead.
- 4
Show it at checkout
Open the card from Barcode Cards on the Home screen. It shows full screen, ready to be scanned.
Which cards work
Most loyalty, library, gym and membership cards use a standard barcode or QR code, and those can be saved. A card that only works by tapping or swiping a magnetic stripe can't be copied by a camera.
Questions
Are barcode cards free?
Yes, saving and showing barcode cards is free.
Does it work without signal?
Yes. Cards are stored on your iPhone, so they show even with no connection.