How to Make a Target Cartwheel Keychain Card

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Calling all you Target shoppers! If you get a bit stressed at checkout trying to gather up your printed/clipped coupons as well as Mobile coupons and Target Cartwheel offers, here is one fun idea that may alleviate a bit of stress —-> create your own Target Cartwheel scannable key chain! Instead of pulling up your Cartwheel barcode on your phone at checkout, just have the cashier scan your keychain barcode. Easy Peasy! 🙂

Supplies You’ll Need:

  • Clear Packing Tape (preferably the thick type)
  • Cardstock Paper
  • Scissors
  • Hole Punch
  • Printer

How to make a Cartwheel Keychain Card

Directions:

  1. First, you’ll need to print out your Target Cartwheel account barcode.
  2. To do this, head over here, sign into your account and click on barcode (located at the top) and then click the Print button.
  3. Using another membership card as a guide, trace around the barcode.
  4. Cut out your card and if desired write “Target Cartwheel” on the other side.
  5. Place between two pieces of clear packing tape.
  6. Cut off excess tape and punch a hole on one end making sure to not cut the barcode.
  7. Keep on your keychain and you’ll have it ready when you shop at Target!


Lina (lina@hip2save.com) loves cooking new recipes, thrift store shopping, and DIY home decor projects. 
Join The Discussion

Comments 131

  1. Melissa

    Great idea! I’m always afraid I’ll end up forgetting my phone at Target. I won’t get very far if I forget my keys! 🙂

    • Rebe

      This is an awesome idea! My old Iphone had a cracked screen and it was always a pain to get the cartwheel code to scan!

    • thisrdeats

      I just taped my cartwheel and passbook codes to the front of my target card. So all I need is my Red card! I did it after one of my favorite checkers told me about it (while I was struggling to pull everything up). It makes it SO EASY!

      • Sharon

        That is such a great idea! Makes it hard to forget to use them! I guess that means that your Cartwheel code is always the same? What about the mobile coupons/Passbook?

        • visitor3

          Yes, customer service advised me your barcode for cartwheel never changes, so you can scan the same barcode each time, whether on paper, electronically, or as a photo on your iphone.

  2. JS

    LOVE this idea. My phone always seems to act up at check out. This will be so helpful!

  3. Mary Harris

    Great idea! Maybe someday Target will just issue these.

    • Kim

      Right, I agree…. When they see our homemade one, then they’ll decide to issue same or similar …
      Thanks Colin, been putting this great idea off

  4. J

    awesome idea. my phone always goes from fine to silly at the checkout too. lol

  5. Ashley

    Lina needs to be on the lookout for a laminator deal come Christmas, she’s too crafty not to have one. 😉

    • bali

      I’m sure she has several 😉 she’s just trying to make it easy for us!

  6. Patty

    This is great idea!

  7. brandice

    Very good idea,because my phone acts up at the register as well causing a,back-up and a little embarrassing

  8. Caitlin

    Great idea!!!

  9. Roxana

    Yay. That’s great thank you

  10. Ana

    omg genius! Such a great idea!

    • llc

      I agree, this is a fabulous idea. I seem to always get the battery low signal when I am in there too. One time I actually went out to charge my phone for 10 minutes so I could use cartwheel and mobile coupons!

  11. Desi

    Guess I didn’t realize your bar code never changes 🙂

  12. Sarah

    Does your barcode change each time you change your cartwheel offers?

    • Carrie

      No the barcode never changes. It is unique to you.

  13. K

    My husband did the samething, but taped it to his target card.

    • jennine

      lina great idea, but k even better! thanks guys.

    • Erin

      Even better! Awesome. That’s what I do to ensure my son’s school earns money for my purchases at Kroger, but I didn’t think about it for Target. I didn’t realize the Cartwheel bar code doesn’t change.

    • Betsy

      I taped my bar code onto an empty Target gift card. I don’t have a smartphone, so I load it with the deals I want before I go and then have the card in my wallet.

  14. mel

    Neat idea! My phone has Widget shortcut options and there is one for Cartwheel. I don’t even have to open the app, I just have the cashier scan the widget on my phone.

    • Carrie

      I have this too. It has been a lifesaver when I can’t get the app to work in the store. I only need to remember to load my items BEFORE I get there!

  15. Samantha

    Lina this is brilliant! I don’t shop at target much because of distance but i love this idea! Can we be friends? 🙂

  16. Lisa

    dumb question…does the qr code stay the same, even if you add and subtract things from your cartwheel?

  17. Kari

    Genius!!! Have to do this! Thanks for the tip!

  18. Valerie P.

    Is the barcode different each time you load or remove offers? Or is it your own unique barcode that will work each time no matter what?

    • Norma ....

      same barcode ……..even if u add or delete offers…HTH.

    • SF

      Each person has their own unique barcode. Never changes either. Hth.

  19. Elisabeth

    Barcode is your individual code that doesn’t change. I took a screenshot of it in my phone, so I don’t have to worry about the app opening up/loading quickly.

  20. nancy

    Amazing! Love it!

  21. Leslie

    I just found out on my android phone that I can set up my target cartwheel barcode as a widget. So its right there on my screen at all times, even if my wi-fi or service is going in and out 🙂

    • Ava

      Thanks for that little info! I didn’t even know what a widget was or is 😉

    • llc

      Leslie, how did you do this?

  22. Sher

    👍👍👍 I do so much on my phone when I’m in the store that I’m always racing to checkout before it dies but now with this cool idea, I don’t have to do that frantic dash to the checkout.

    • Allyson

      I have lost count of how many times my battery has died or almost died in Target.

      • Lina (Hip's Modern Martha)

        Lol me too! I’m always on living life on 10%

  23. Sarah

    I think I will make an extra one
    for the hubby. He is always going to Target and comes home with stuff that was in my Cartwheel!

  24. estockemer

    Silly question, but would this make it possible for the few of us left that don’t have smart phones to take advantage of the Cartwheel offers?

    • mel

      Absolutely! You can sign up via your email, and add offers to your cart. The only downside is that if you buy items you can’t check the app to see if there are any CW offers.

    • mandy

      you can take advantage of it anyways, log into your cartwheel on your computer and you can print it out from home and bring it with you!

    • M.

      I thought that I was the only one under 40 yrs. old without a smart phone!

      • Nell

        I’m 30…no smart phone here! In fact up until June we hadn’t had cell phones at all for 2 glorious years… Only caved as a security feature for traveling with a baby.

        • Chris

          Another idea is to keep an eye out for the pay as you go phones smart phones that always go on sale extremely cheaply and don’t activate it to use the WiFi only on it. Load any apps you want on it and use it through whatever WiFi access you can get. When you walk into any Target, you can open the WiFi setting on the phone and have it connect. You have to make sure that you accept the terms and conditions to connect to their WiFi, but then you can use the Cartwheel app on the fly throughout the store. An IPod Touch can be used in the same capacity. Just remember that you can dial 911 from any phone, even if it’s not activated so watch that if you have a quick dial set up for it or if one of the kids get a hold of it. I work for Target and have printed out my barcode for Cartwheel and taped it right to the back of my employee discount card, so I never have to fumble to pull either one up on my phone at the checkout. Now remembering to pull up my mobile coupons is another story! I wish they would integrate that with the Cartwheel app somehow.

          • Sarah

            omg does that really work?! i would LOVE to have a smartphone but we just can’t afford it

  25. sean

    if you have an iphone, you can add it to passbook and it will automatically notify you when you reach target and you just slide your finger on it and it opens up in passbook. I’ve had the same issues with the target app, this avoids it.

  26. Nel

    Don’t you have to refresh the barcode when you load or to load new offers?

    • mel

      Nope. Barcode is unique to each user, not matter the offers that are added or removed.

  27. Cori

    I’m curious if a cashier will have an issue with this considering cartwheel doesn’t offer a key chain card.

    • Rae

      Never had an issue with mine and have been using it for close to a year.

    • Lina (Hip's Modern Martha)

      Nope used this exact one today 🙂

  28. Tia

    I guess I’m behind. I still print mine because I won’t remember what I wanted to buy or what the offer was for!

  29. Rae

    LOL I have had mine since last October/November time!! I always felt like my “coupon nerd” was showing when I went to use it but often got complimented. I used an actual lamination for mine though because the tape “lamination” never lasts for me.

    • Rae

      Wanted to add what prompted me to make it was our Targets wifi and my smart phone did NOT get along and I had no cell signal in store so I was always OUT OF LUCK if I didn’t open the barcode page before going instore and remembering to not leave that page while shopping(unless I took a paper barcode with me). This meant that I couldn’t use mobile coupons if I was using the cartwheel on my phone. My husband has his own cartwheel account so I made him his own as well. Ours are regular credit card sized though and I used cardstock to print them on. I also copied my barcode & number, the cartwheel symbol & name as images (from my profile on the cartwheel site) and pasted it in to a card making program so that when it was printed I folded the card stock in half and it was really sturdy once laminated. 🙂

      • Marge

        If you get on targets wifi, you will cell service in the store. Its free

        • Rae

          I was never able to get on to their wifi with my phone though and I had no cell service. I live in a whole different area now and now have Republic Wireless which uses wifi anywhere it can so I dont have that problem now.

  30. Hannah

    Oh Lina! What a fabulous tip! Thank you!

  31. Nik

    Great idea but looks kinda silly like a kid made it. I would just use an extra CVS key tag, print up a design, and then tape it over the CVS key tag.

    • Michelle

      Great idea to have a kid make it! So long as the bar code is clear, the flip-side design can be anything. This way, a fun project for the kids while they drink their lemonade.

  32. JA

    Genius!

  33. Nanette

    Oh My Gosh THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I don’t have a smartphone I have a stupid phone. So I don’t use Cartwheel and I miss so many deals at Target because of that. I was just at Target yesterday and thought to myself they need a key chain card or something (like most other stores have) for people who are not up with the times 🙂

    • Kimberly

      You could have been using cartwheel this whole time. All you had to do was print your cartwheel page with the bar-code on it and take the page to the store. That is what I have been doing almost since cartwheel came out, because I like to organize all of my coupons etc so I don’t forget any! I think I first read about doing that on this blog.

      • Kimberly

        Also, I am a very visual person and I like to see the offers that are loaded, and the limit etc.

  34. Laura

    My phone always acts up on cartwheel as well. So I took a screen shot of the cartwheel UPC code and show it at the checkout as a photo.

  35. harlow

    VERY HIP 🙂 <3

  36. harlow

    BTW with this, would u just make a new one every time u have new coupons in cartwheel,,,,,, what about when u forgot one coupon that u need to add to it,,,,, just remake it ????? TIA

    • Mel

      Your barcode always stays the same no matter what. They’re unique to each account.

  37. stefmed

    this is a great idea but something even easier would be to screen shot your barcode into a file on your phone (mine is in an album in my pictures) and you can screen shot your mobile coupons the same way. Sometimes I have cartwheel and two or three different mobile coupons but all I have to do is open the pictures on my phone then flip through each pic as the cashier scans.

    • Ande H

      Could you share how to make a screenshot of the Mobile coupons? Sometimes I have two or three of these that I am using, plus the Cartwheel. I have to go back and load each one, and then they scan it, and then I go back and get another, and so on. Makes the folks behind me in line furious. I would love a way to make this process go quicker. The Passbook doesn’t work that great for me, since I forget the offers attached to just the bar codes, and I don’t know how to erase the old ones. Thanks for your help.

  38. Denise

    Sooo since ones cartwheel bar code never changes, badges/spots don’t matter?!?! Learn something new EVERY day, despite what the kiddos say. Thanks Lina!

  39. Tracy

    Great tip! Thank you.

  40. Maryann

    Great idea. Seems whenever I go in there my phone dies by the time I get to checkout and I DO charge it every time I get into the car. My Target is a power vampire.

    • Rae

      Seriously! I have the same problem. lol

  41. Nel

    I used to have issues with wifi when I enter the store and therefore can’t get cartwheel to load or scan and a very friendly cashier told me to use it as a widget on my phone, that’s just what I did and no more issues.?

  42. Katie

    This is awesome!! It takes so long for cartwheel to load onto my phone at check-out! Thanks for sharing!

  43. Christa

    I made a card with the back of photo paper. I blew the image up a little bit, printed it and then cut the paper down to the size of a credit card. I keep it in my wallet on top of my Redcard.

  44. Gretchen

    Genius! Thank you so much for the tip! Like everyone else, I figured the bar code changed every time, plus target wi-fi and my phone do not get along either – I always have to warn people before they get in line behind me!

  45. bali

    Genius idea, i love it!

  46. Debbie

    Great idea!

  47. shopper

    Good idea. Another option, use the app keyring, you can add cartwheel manually and take a picture of the barcode. Keyring seems to work when cartwheel won’t connect in store. Can also keep a picture of the barcode on your phone (without app). Stores will scan both.

  48. Lisa

    Love this idea…thank you. A have one of the first cell phone contracts (pay only $8.99 a month), but no texting and internet service. I refuse to upgrade the phone as I just see people having to upgrade, and upgrade and pay $100 of dollars a month.

  49. Stacey

    I did something similar. I just printed out the bar code, “laminated” it with packaging tape, cut it to the same size as a credit card, and stuck it in my wallet in front of my Target Red Card. Keeps me from forgetting to use it since I always use my Target card to pay.

    • Lina (Hip's Modern Martha)

      Very smart!

  50. Angi

    This makes it allot easier to use mobile coupons on top of the cartwheel offers. Thanks! I think I might get a clear case for my phone and place the bar code in the case so it is viewable.

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