Do you like deals? Do you want better control over your spending? Would it be useful to have a card abroad that did not charge foreign transaction fees? Enter the Stack card – it’s more than a discounts card.
Below we provide an evaluation of Stack so you can decide whether this might be right for you.
Discounts company
Stack
www.getstack.ca
Stack was founded in 2018 and has their headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. They are specific to the Canadian market but not yet operating in all Canadian provinces. Stack is actually a prepaid Mastercard but with many interesting perks and discounts outlined in our evaluation below.
Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Stack has a B+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and they have been on file since 2018. There are no customer reviews yet but one complaint that seems to have been resolved quickly.
Cost to you
Registration/application: free
Mobile app download: free
Credit check: soft check for identification purposes, does not affect your credit score
Discounts range
Stack is developing more merchant partners every day. Currently, there’s a very wide range of offers – from as little as $1.00 CAD off gas to 50% off swimsuits or $150 CAD off Contiki trips. But there are new discounts listed often so you need to keep checking the app.
Discounts method
Before you can use the Stack card you need to load money onto the card. This can be done with an Interac eTransfer, a VISA Debit transfer, or a cash load. Then you simply perform transactions as you normally would.
Any transaction for which a discount was identified, earns that discount immediately during the transaction. For example, you see an offer to save $1.00 CAD on gas if you spend at least $10.00. So you pump $20.00 of gas but when you pay, you’ve only spent $19.00. Instant savings!
Discounts frequency
You can earn the discounts as often as the offer indicates. It all depends on the type of offer the merchant has listed. So read the notes carefully to get your full benefit.
Website and Mobile App usability
The Stack app is where you’ll spend most of your time and it’s well done. The navigation is straight forward and it’s easy to find the information you need.
Social media
Stack is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Discounts availability
Stack is a pretty new discounts option on the market so the selection of discounts is constantly fluctuating. But then there are the wonderful “standards” – for example, Amazon deals, Lyft discounts, and Netflix to name a few. You’ll also find pop-up short term offers with great deals too. So keep the app handy to see what’s being offered and jump on those deals quickly.
But there’s more than just discounts on offer. Their tagline is, “Spend, Save and Share with zero fees.” In addition to the instant discounts, the app provides ways to manage your money.
Feature highlights:
- Instant savings – available discounts are applied immediately on your transactions
- No fees:
- Zero transaction fees – Stack will not charge you a fee for using the card and there’s no minimum balance required
- No ATM withdrawal fees – Stack does not charge ATM withdrawal fees so you only need to consider whether the ATM operator will charge you for use. If you travel, this is the easiest and cheapest way to get local cash currency.
- No foreign transaction fees – Stack does not apply a fee for foreign transactions so you only need to consider the exchange rate. If you travel, this can be a HUGE benefit as many banks charge 2.5% to 3.5% in foreign transaction fees.
- Card acceptance – the Stack card can be used like a debit card to withdraw money from an ATM or at a POS (Point Of Sale) machine while shopping. But the card can also be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted, as if it were a credit card.
- Financial tracking – the app has some great financial tracking to categorise your weekly and monthly spending habits. Plus there’s a “round-up” feature – you can set a savings goal and everyday transactions are automatically rounded up to the next $1, $2, $5, or $10 (your choice) and added to your savings.
- Free transfers – Stack-to-Stack transfers are free so you can send money anywhere, anytime to someone else also using the app
- Freeze your card – if you think your card may have been stolen (or just misplaced), use the app to lock out the card
User support
Stack makes it very easy to get support. The information on the app is easy to find but they also provide a live chat option and they clearly list their support phone number in many places. And often, you don’t need a live person to resolve your issues.
For example, activation of your card or changing your pin can be done through the support phone number by using the automated service. No human required.
What do you need?
Stack is straight forward and great with discounts – you need the physical card to get your card number, the expiry date, and the security code. After activation, you then just shop any way you normally would.
But Stack also provides other benefits and features and those are available through the app:
- Internet – you’ll need to be connected to work with the app
- Device – you can use any device that can connect to the internet
- Software – you need to download the Stack app
How does it work?
Registration
- Use our referral link to receive a sign-up bonus when you download the app and register (details explained here): https://getstackco.app.link/VgJq7IXGsX (this link must be clicked from a mobile device to work)
DISCLOSURE: If you sign-up with our referral link then we also receive a bonus at no cost to you. - Or, if you don’t want a bonus, go to their website (or download the app), www.getstack.ca, to register
- Complete your profile information, the same information you would need to provide when applying for a new bank account
- Wait for your card to arrive in the mail
Activation
- When you receive the physical Stack card, before you can enjoy the discounts, you need to activate it through the app
- From the “Settings” menu you click on “Activate Card”
- Confirm the activation by entering your card number
- Then call the support number to get your physical card PIN (it’s not the same as your app PIN)
- From the support number, you’ll be prompted to enter your 16 digit card number followed by #
- If this is a new activation then, when prompted, enter *
- When prompted, enter your date of birth – eight digits in the format MMDDYYYY followed by #
- Finally, when prompted, enter your card expiry (MMYY) followed by #
- The interactive system will dictate your PIN to you (you can change it later if you want)
Referral
If you want to get a Stack card and enjoy the discounts, you can earn a sign-up bonus by using our referral link when you register: https://getstackco.app.link/VgJq7IXGsX (this link must be clicked from a mobile device to work).
You’ll receive $20.00 CAD on your Stack card as soon as you activate it (so you have to wait for the physical card to arrive first).
DISCLOSURE: If you register with our referral link then we also receive a bonus at no cost to you. Using our referral link helps us maintain this site to continue to bring you ideas for making money and saving money.
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Recommendation
Stack is very simple to use and provides both the convenience of debit/credit cards along with the bonus of discounts and financial tracking. We rate it very highly:
- Discounts availability – the discounts are decent and more are being added every day
- User support – they have good help information but they also provide a support phone number and live chat options
- Discounts range – the offers vary a lot as they’re determined by the merchants
- Payment – your discounts are applied immediately, instant gratification
- Website/app – the app has a very clean design and the information is found exactly where you expect it to be
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