How it works

1. Issue.

A city or a group of participating stores puts cards into circulation. Each card's unique code is registered in the program ledger the moment it's issued, along with its expiry date.

2. Spend.

A customer hands the card over at a participating business, the same way you'd hand over a dollar off. No app, no account, no sign-up: the card is the whole experience.

3. Collect.

The store scans the secure code on the back of the card at the till. If the barcode cannot scan because it is smudged, folded, or wet from rain, the clerk types in the short code printed below it instead. The ledger checks the code to confirm it is live and marks it as redeemed immediately. Once a code is redeemed, it can never be used again.

4. Expire.

Every card has an expiry set when it's issued. When the date passes, the ledger retires the code whether the card was spent or not. Nothing lingers, and nobody carries an open-ended liability.