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For a number of reasons, many people don't like supermarket loyalty cards. Supermarkets are willing to give you all kinds deals if you're willing to sell them your privacy in the form of use of a loyalty card. The vast amount of often sensitive personal data collected by people who use loyalty cards can, has been, and will be continue to be abused.

The absolutely best way to resist loyalty cards is not use them and not shop at stores that use them. But many people who are concerned with loyalty cards are not able or willing to cut themselve off entirely.

In acts of civil disobedience aimed to weaken supermarkets' data-mining operations, both in terms of personal cards and in terms of the larger system, many people have started swapping loyalty cards in both organized and ad-hoc meetings.

cardexchange.org is not a new idea. It's simply an digital version of one of these card swap-meets. Using the system is simple. You provide a email address and a postal address and select the supermarket whose card you want to switch. You are then, when possible, paired up with another shopper with the same type of card. Your information is exchanged with via email and all information is deleted from our server.

Of course, this system only works if people are responsible and follow through with each other. It also means that you will be exchanging addresses with a stranger. We here at cardexchange feel it's worth giving your address to a privacy conscious stranger once than to the supermarket every time you buy groceries.

By swapping cards, online or in person, you are helping to lower the quality of the data be collected while gaining a new shopping identity. It's also a fun way to raise awareness about the privacy impacts of loyalty cards that many people may not be thinking of.

We've added every supermarket with a loyalty card that we know of. If we have missed some, please contact us and we will add it.