Walk up to any counter and you'll meet one of three things: a laser that beeps at a striped barcode, a camera that reads a square QR code, or a cashier who just types your number in by hand. Your loyalty card only prints one of them — but the store scanner doesn't always want the one that's printed.
Here's the short version of how to read the situation, and how ONEWallet keeps you covered no matter which one comes up.
The three formats, quickly
- Barcode — the classic stripes. Read by the red-laser scanners at most supermarket and pharmacy counters. Fast, but needs a clean, bright, flat image.
- QR code — the square. Read by camera-based scanners, self-checkout kiosks, and most newer point-of-sale terminals.
- Card number — the digits themselves. Some counters have no scanner at all and just key the number in, or look you up by phone.
How to tell which one the store wants
You usually don't have to guess — look at the hardware:
- A red line or a beeping wand pointed at the counter means barcode.
- A flat glass plate that things get waved over reads both barcodes and QR — show whichever you have.
- No visible scanner? Read your card number aloud, or show it on screen.
The trick isn't picking the "right" format. It's having all three ready so you never have to.
Keep all three on one card
When you add a card in ONEWallet, it stores the code and the number together. On the card screen you can switch the display between barcode, QR, and plain number with a tap — same card, whichever the counter needs.
Two things make the scan itself reliable:
- Full brightness. ONEWallet pushes the screen to maximum brightness while a code is open, so laser and camera scanners both lock on instantly — even under harsh store lighting.
- Fill the screen. The code expands edge to edge, which gives handheld wands a bigger target and helps worn or low-contrast codes still read.
When a code just won't scan
If a barcode refuses to read, switch to the QR view, or fall back to the number. That's the whole reason all three live on one card: the counter's mood changes, your card doesn't have to.
