TruAge Retailer FAQs

How can I get started with TruAge?

The best way to get started is to provide your contact information here, which will also give you access to the latest TruAge product updates. A member of the TruAge team will reach out to discuss your operation and next steps.

How much does TruAge cost?

TruAge is free to POS companies and retailers.

When will TruAge be integrated by my point-of-sale vendor?

Several point-of-sale (POS) vendors have already incorporated TruAge, including Minor Decliner, Tenderfoot, Pinnacle Affiniti POS, and Verifone Commander, and a number of vendors are actively working on integrating the TruAge code into their systems. Answer a few quick questions to get the most relevant TruAge release updates for your POS system and business, or reach out to support@mytruage.org.

Does TruAge require additional equipment?

No additional equipment is required, as TruAge is integrated directly into your POS system and works with retailers’ existing 2D scanners.

Does TruAge have to be integrated into a point-of-sale system?

While we recommend using our integrated solution for age-restricted transactions, we also recognize there may be other situations that require verifying a customer’s age, but are not tied to product sales. To help address those cases, a TruAge vendor offers three stand-alone products:

• Handheld scanner for entry into beer gardens, bars, concert venues, music festivals, and more
• Counter unit for tasting rooms/bars or retailers using cash registers instead of POS software
• Door/entry access for beer caves and gaming rooms

To learn more or make a purchase, reach out to support@mytruage.org.

When I implement TruAge, will I still have the option to card or is it mandatory?

Other than where required by federal, state, or county laws, retailers can establish policies and/or procedures to specify whether carding for age-restricted transactions is mandatory or can be bypassed/skipped at the store and/or company-wide level.

What forms of identification does TruAge accept/work with?

Currently TruAge can accept any U.S. driver’s license or the TruAge token available in the TruAge app (coming in 2024). State mobile driver’s licenses that integrate TruAge are also accepted.

Can TruAge be integrated into my store’s loyalty app?

Yes, since TruAge is designed around standard APIs, our tokens can be integrated into any third party loyalty program. If you’re interested in learning more, contact us.

What is required of retailers who implement TruAge?

We understand that you have a business to run so the requirements to use TruAge are minimal. Here’s what you can expect: just a quick one-time setup of your POS, online training and quiz for store managers and employees, and a few informational marketing materials to display in store (e.g., shelf talkers, door cling).

What data do you collect? What do you do with it? Does anyone else see it?

When a customer’s driver’s license or their unique QR code (within the TruAge app) is scanned in store, TruAge only reads four (4) pieces of data: date of birth, driver’s license number, issuing state, and expiration date. Essentially, it’s just the details needed to ensure the customer is old enough to legally purchase the desired age-restricted product.

TruAge encrypts the four data points and protects them even further by creating anonymous tokens. The original data elements are then stored in a vault separate from the token that was created. No one, not even the TruAge team, can access this data.

How does TruAge protect me as a retailer?

There are four critical ways that TruAge protects retailers:

• Eliminates human error. When an employee scans a customer’s driver’s license or their unique QR code in the app, TruAge does all the work. No more worrying about mistakes from manual entry or mental math.
• Appends proof-of-age verification directly to transaction logs. Should law enforcement question the legality of an age-restricted sale, retailers will now be able to prove, beyond any doubt, that age was verified.
• Allows retailers (and only retailers) to manage employee compliance with their carding policies. Every retailer that implements TruAge will have the ability to pull reports, for their store(s) only, of every age-restricted transaction and how age was verified or if verification was bypassed. Retailers can control who in their organization can access this data.
• Ensures retailers’ customer data remains their proprietary customer data. Several competitors eyeing the age-verification space are doing so out of a desire to gain access to customer-level transaction data, while charging retailers the equivalent of a “swipe-fee” to verify age. Implementing TruAge ensures that you, the retailer, 1) retain ownership of your customer data, 2) are not exposing your customers to a violation of privacy, potential data sale, or data breach, and 3) don’t incur additional costs for verifying age.

How does TruAge pay for its operations?

TruAge is a not-for-profit company, backed by a growing list of sponsors that manufacture age-restricted products, to make age verification more reliable and secure—and to reduce underage access.

If TruAge only captures four data elements, how are you confirming identity and not just age?

TruAge only confirms age. We're verifying that the document provided is a valid document (not personal information) and that the consumer is eligible to make the age-restricted purchase. This helps keep the consumer safe. It is still up to store employees to verify that the person standing in front of them matches the image on the driver’s license or TruAge app.

How do you prevent the consumer from just using someone else’s phone?

Two features make that difficult. First, the store employee must make sure that the person attempting to make the purchase matches the photo on the TruAge app. Second, each QR code is a single-use token and expires after a brief amount of time.

How does TruAge work for those who don’t have a state-issued driver’s license? Does it work with other forms of ID?

Currently TruAge only works with a state-issued driver’s license. However, we are actively exploring how to expand TruAge so that passports and other alternate forms of ID would be accepted.

For in-store marketing materials and signage, can we brand the signage ourselves?

The launch marketing material toolkit only features the TruAge brand; many retailers prefer to keep the brands separate so customers know that the store is not capturing any of their personal information when an ID is scanned.

That said, we recognize that some retailers may prefer a co-branded approach. In the TruAge portal, there will be templates available that retailers can customize with their brand/logo. For larger brands, we can also work with you directly to develop custom materials.

What is the demand for TruAge?

TruAge is one of the most heavily tested products that NACS has introduced in its 60-year history. Extensive consumer polling was used to develop the program and to identify areas of most interest.

Demand from consumers
90% of Americans support a nationwide standard for age verification, according to a national consumer survey conducted by NACS in 2022.

More than three in four Americans (76%) also said they would support the development of an age-verification program by major retailers that sell age-restricted products. Most consumers ages 21 to 30 said they would download the TruAge app after hearing a description of what it is and how it works.

Demand from retailers and suppliers
TruAge has the support of more than 140 retail companies representing more than 30,000 convenience store locations in the United States—and the list continues to grow!