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Smartphone app allows you to track your buy-1-get-1 deals

Your smartphone soon may replace those small loyalty cards sitting in your wallet or purse that allow you to buy-5-get-1-free or similar deals for a product or service.

You likely have those cards for coffee shops, bagel stores, outlet malls or other retailers. But you have to dig them out when you’ve just made a purchase and want credit toward your freebie.

Stampt wants to change all that.

Stampt, a new social media and mobile app, could allow your smartphone to keep track of all those “buy-10-get-1-free” deals so you can free up your wallet for more important things.

While the creator of the app is based in San Francisco, the service launched about two weeks ago in the Chicago and suburban market. So far, it has about 500 retailers in many major cities, including about 100 in the Chicago market.

Several ice cream, pizza and other restaurants, along with some retailers in Chicago, Woodridge, Evanston and elsewhere are participating. More are expected, said Stampt co-founder and CEO Brian Kelly.

“No personal information is sent to the retailers,” said Kelly. “But we do profile you, say, if you’re a coffee drinker or a bagel eater.”

So you could get special deals sent directly to your smartphone for the places you most frequent, he said.

You can download the app for free from the Apple App Store. After signing up, you can view a map on your smartphone that shows the closest participating retailers. After making a qualifying purchase at one of those stores, scan the Stampt QR code at the store’s register and that purchase is automatically recorded on your phone. Stampt then alerts you when you’re qualified for the free item or service.

In addition, the app allows you to post your latest purchase to your Facebook and Twitter account ... that is, if you want everyone to know how much coffee or bagels you consume.

Surfing: The Smithe brothers, known for their fun on TV commercials, have outtakes from their latest ads involving the Itasca-based Walter E. Smithe stores featuring the Paula Deen line. See www.youtube.com/watch?v=idoio2ttSG8.

ŸDowners Grove-based Comptia.org, which held its annual meeting in Washington, D.C., this week, is launching a new Global IT Workforce Council to help promote long-term careers in IT. The council aims to have as many as 15 members from the Comptia membership, as well as others from the IT industry, academic, government and other groups. The full roster is expected to be announced later this year.

ŸNew York-based ZocDoc.com now offers its service allowing you to make appointments for Chicago- and suburban-area doctors.

ŸFollow Anna Marie Kukec on LinkedIn and Facebook and as AMKukec on Twitter. Write to her at akukec@dailyherald.com.