Using smart-phones as a smart-tool at the cash register

These days shopping without a loyalty card for anything from groceries to consumer electronics will result in a higher bill or missed rewards. But to take advantage of every loyalty offer you need a key chain that weighs as much as a shotput. That is until you digitize your loyalty cards with an App like CardStar. And that's just the beginning of how loyalty cards and your digital wallet might look in the future.

CardStar is a free app that is available for the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices that will allow you to use your phone's camera to store an electronic copy of your loyalty card, creating an image which can be scanned to redeem discounts and in some cases coupons, like those offered by Cellfire.

CardStar CEO Andy Miller told WalletPop that there is an exciting future to be found in apps that will work like a mobile wallet or the Sunday circular.

Digital Receipts: One of the most exciting items that we will likely see in a future version of CardStar is a digital receipt tied to our loyalty cards that would allow for easy retrieval in case of a return or warranty issue. This is a feature which CardStar is already testing at select retailers.