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How do I get membership key tags made for my business?

Creating custom membership key tags for your business is simple and includes just four easy steps:

  1. Plan your membership program
  2. Create your key tag
  3. Proof your key tag, then pay
  4. Receive your key tags

Do you do membership card fulfillment programs?

Yes. We start by printing membership card “shells” with fixed, non-variable text and graphics. Thereafter, we periodically personalize and mail cards for new members.

How can I be sure my software system is compatible with your gift cards?

Simply tell us the name of your software system and we will tell you if we can encode/number cards such that they will be compatible. In rare instances where we are unfamiliar with the software system, we will send you test cards, free of charge, to ensure compatibility. Contact us to learn more and find out if your system is compatible.

How do gift and loyalty software systems work?

Gift cards, loyalty cards, and key tags contain account numbers encoded on their magnetic stripe or barcode. Your point-of-sale (POS), loyalty, or membership system automatically reads the account number when swiped or scanned. This number provides access to the card's transaction history and and other account actions — including checking an account's balance, add value, and redeem value.

How do I know if gift and loyalty cards work on my point-of-sale (POS) system or credit card terminal?

Often times a POS system or credit card terminal have gift and loyalty programs built in. Simply contact us with the name of your POS system and/or credit card terminal and we can quickly determine card compatibility.

I don’t have a gift and loyalty card software system, can you help me?

Yes. Plastic Resource has over 20 years of experience manufacturing gift and loyalty cards for hundreds of software systems. We will refer you to a software provider(s) that is ideally suited to your business.

Are gift cards reloadable?

A common concern is the long-term usability of our custom gift cards. The short answer is, “yes, they are reloadable.” Cards with barcodes or magnetic strips are linked to an account. When used with a compatible POS system, they can be used over and over like currency. Contact one of our team members to learn more and find if your system is compatible.

Can I offer gift cards without a point-of-sale (POS) system?

Absolutely! One common approach is to sell one-time use cards with a face value printed on the face of the card ($5, $10, $25). An example of this are coupon cards. We also have a number of clients that keep track of balance in a spreadsheet, or come up with other creative solutions to avoid the complexities setting up a new POS system.

Can magstripes be added to cards, key tags, and combo cards?

Yes. Plastic Resource can add magstripes to cards, key tags, and combo cards depending on the nature of the encoding/numbering required on the key tags and combo cards. Contact us at sales@plasticresource.com or 833-290-5684 for additional information.

Can my order include variable data, such as names and/or numbering?

Yes! Any gift card, loyalty card, membership card or key tag from Plastic Resource can contain variable data. In fact, including variable data helps your cards stand out and helps customers better connect with your brand.

Can you help me select a gift card, loyalty, or membership software system?

Yes. Most point-of-sale (POS) systems and credit card terminals have the ability to accept gift cards. Getting started is often as simple as swiping the gift card or contacting your POS provider to activate the gift card module. Plastic Resource has over 20 years of experience manufacturing gift and loyalty cards for hundreds of software systems. We can help you determine if you POS system or terminals are compatible with gift cards and/or recommend you to one of preferred gift cards software providers. Contact us to start the conversation.

Do gift cards work without a POS system?

Gift cards absolutely work without a POS system. A common approach is to sell one-time-use gift cards with a face value printed on the card (e.g., $5, $10, $25). Also, a number of businesses keep track of balances in a spreadsheet or come up with other creative solutions to avoid the complexities of setting up a new POS system.

How do plastic fundraising cards work?

Plastic fundraising cards allow organizations to raise funds by displaying discounts from area businesses all in one place. Creating a fundraising card is as simple as finding discounts, creating your card, proofing and approving.

How to encode magnetic stripe cards?

Magnetic stripe cards include a stripe on the back that is encoded with customer data using tiny magnets inside the strip. The stripe is encoded using data from your POS system.

My point-of-sale or credit card processor will not provide me the encoding instructions and/or is charging me for the encoding file. What do I do?

A few POS and credit card processors will not provide the encoding instructions or the file containing the unique numbering to their customers. Often times we have a “work around” for such situations. Contact us at sales@plasticresource.com or 833-290-5684.

What are the most common barcodes used for key tags and gift cards?

The most common barcode is referred to as Code 39 or Code 3 of 9. Code 39 uses a combination of letters, numbers 0-9 and special characters ($, %, +). Typically cards and key tags are encoded with a random, 8-digit number. Code 128 and UPC A are other types of barcodes that can be found on cards and key tags.

What are the most common encoding instructions for magstripes?

Encoding instructions vary greatly for magstripe cards. Card are encoded on either track 1, track 2 or both tracks of a magstripe (think of track as a line in a paragraph). The number of encoded characters generally ranges from 8 to 16 and may require a specific start number or numbering sequence. Please feel free to contact us with specific system or card encoding questions.

What are the most common encoding/numbering conventions for key tags and combo cards?

Most software systems that utilize key tags and combo cards to identify members or loyalty programs utilize barcodes rather than magstripes. Code 3 of 9 is the most common barcode format.

What is card “encoding?”

Encoding is a fancy way of saying unique numbering. Gift, loyalty and membership card and key numbering may be consecutive, random or based on an algorithm and may include letters and special characters. Card and key tag numbers are embedded into magstripes, barcodes or QR codes. The specific encoding format we use with your custom cards and key tags depends on the system you will be using them with. Please feel free to contact us with specific system or card encoding questions.

What is the difference between a magstripe and a barcode?

Not much. Both are mechanisms for embedding a number that references a record in a database on a software system. Magstripes are read by magstripe readers while barcodes are read by barcode scanners.

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