To start using the LaundryCat App, you first need to download LaundryCat on a compatible device, create a LaundryCat App account and register it to a location by tapping your device to a VAC kiosk, or Card Reader in the location.

Your LaundryCat App account is linked to the location you registered it at. This ensures funds loaded at one owner's store can't be used at a store with a different owner. To use the App at more than one store, see the Using LaundryCat at Multiple Stores section below.

Starting a Machine

To use the LaundryCat App, ensure your phone has an active internet connection (cellular data or the store's Wi-Fi). On Android, also make sure your phone's NFC setting is turned on.

To start a machine:

For Android devices,
once you're on the App's home screen, shown below, simply tap your phone to the Card Reader to trigger payment for the machine:
For Apple devices,
tap the Pay icon as shown below. The screen will then prompt you to tap your phone to the Card Reader in order to trigger payment for the machine:

LaundryCat uses your phone’s NFC antenna to communicate with the machine's Card Reader. Hold your phone flat against the reader for a second or two to ensure proper communication. You want the phone's NFC antenna to be as close to the Card Reader as possible.

Depending on your device model, the NFC antenna location will vary, but in general:

iPhone: hold the top edge of your phone to the Card Reader.
Android: hold the middle of the back of your phone to the Card Reader:

If the reader doesn’t respond, try removing your case (especially thick, metal, or magnetic wallet cases) or slowly moving your phone around the reader to better align the phone's NFC antenna with the Card Reader's NFC antenna.

Adding Funds

There are 2 funding methods that can be enabled for LaundryCat App accounts:

Online purchases made via the LaundryCat App directly
Cash purchases made via a VAC kiosk at the location

Neither funding method is enabled by default, and a location may choose to enable only one of them.

To add funds (value) to your LaundryCat App account, tap the Add Funds button as shown below:

This will bring the App to the Add Funds screen which will display the available funding methods for the location.

Adding funds online in the App

If you see the Card on file option, you can add funds to your account using a saved bank card. Select Add payment method to save your preferred payment card details. At this time, LaundryCat only accepts major credit cards and select debit cards that can be used for online purchases.

Alternatively, you can select the Payment Methods option, from the App's main menu, to add an online payment method to your LaundryCat App account:

Once a payment method has been added to an App account, use the Select Amount section to choose how much value to add.

You can either select 1 of the 4 listed preset amount options, or select the Custom amount button to enter a custom purchase amount:

Note that the minimum purchase amount is determined by the lowest listed preset amount.

Once a purchase amount has been selected, tap the Buy button to make the purchase. The value will be added to the account immediately after the purchase is processed successfully.

Adding funds with cash at a VAC kiosk

If you see the Kiosk cash option, then the location allows you to add funds to your LaundryCat App account via a cash purchase using a VAC kiosk at the location.

To trigger the VAC's Cash-At-Kiosk loading feature, in the App, select the Kiosk cash option from the Add Funds screen.

For Android devices,
once you're on the Add Funds screen, shown below, simply tap your phone to the VAC kiosk's Blue Card Holder reader:
For Apple devices,
from the Add Funds screen, select Begin and then tap your phone on the VAC kiosk’s Blue Card Holder reader when prompted:

This puts the VAC into the Cash-At-Kiosk loading mode. From here, follow the VAC's on-screen prompts and insert bills into the VAC's bill acceptor. The value will be added to your LaundryCat App account immediately.

Note for store owners: For the Cash-At-Kiosk loading feature to work, the VAC kiosk needs to have an active internet connection.

To enable or disable the Cash-At-Kiosk loading feature, see Configuring the LaundryCat App.

Note for laundromat customers: Not every laundromat offers both options. Depending on the equipment at your store, you may only be able to add funds with a bank card or with cash at the kiosk. If you’re not sure which options your laundromat supports, contact the store owner.

Usage History

You can see your recent activity, such as funds you’ve added and machines you’ve used, in the Usage History section. At this time, LaundryCat shows transactions from the last 90 days.

Account Settings

In the Account Settings section, you can view and update the following:

Account number (view only)
Email (view only)
Name
Phone number
Notifications (messaging, promotions, cycle-done, and balance updates)
App settings (preferences, account deletion, and more)

Some extended features, such as cycle-done notifications, are only available if enabled by the laundromat. If a laundromat offers an extended feature, it can be enabled/disabled from the Account Settings section of the App.

Note: Your LaundryCat account has its own balance and is completely separate from any Laundry Cards. The two cannot be linked.

A LaundryCat App account is also tied to the specific laundromat the account was originally registered to. Funds can only be used at the registered location, or at other locations with the same owner if that owner shares accounts between their locations.

To use LaundryCat at another laundromat, see Using LaundryCat at Multiple Stores below.

Promotions

Note: The Promotions section only appears if your laundromat has enabled it. If you don’t see this section, the laundromat doesn’t offer promotions in the App.

If you're a store owner, see Configuring the LaundryCat App to adjust the LaundryCat App configuration settings for your location.

The Promotions section can include the following, depending on what your laundromat has set up:

Announcements from your laundromat
Reload bonuses (extra funds when you add money to your account)
Free dry promotions
Discounted pricing, including lower prices at certain times of day
Promo codes

An item that is not configured for the App will be hidden from this menu.

Redeeming a promo code

A common feature used by laundromats is the promo code feature.

LaundryCat promo codes must be redeemed in the LaundryCat App itself. You don't need to be at the laundromat to redeem them.

To redeem a promo code:

Find the Promo Codes field at the bottom of the Promotions menu.
Enter your promo code and tap Apply. You’ll receive a text message with a verification code/PIN.
Enter the verification code/PIN in the text field and tap Apply to submit it.
The App displays the redemption status in a pop-up window. Tap OK to close it:

Services

Note: The Services section only appears if your laundromat has enabled it. If you don’t see this section, the laundromat doesn’t offer services in the App. If you're a store owner, see Configuring the LaundryCat App to adjust the LaundryCat App configuration settings for your location.

The Services section can include the following, depending on what your laundromat has set up:

Location-specific information (address, operating hours, social media, and more)
Buttons to leave a review on Google, Yelp, or Facebook

An item that is not configured for the App will be hidden from this menu.

Support

If you see the option to send a support message from within the App, your message goes straight to the laundromat. If you don’t see this section, the location has not yet configured Support contact details for the App.

For LaundryCat App users: contact the laundromat directly for support. Only the laundromat can issue refunds or transfer account balances.

If no support contact details are configured for the App, customers can find your laundromat’s contact details by:

Searching online for your laundromat to find its website, email, or phone number.
Checking the signs and instructions posted in the laundromat.

For details on configuring your location’s LaundryCat App support contact details, review the Support Contact section of the Configuring the LaundryCat App article.

Using LaundryCat at Multiple Stores

To use LaundryCat at stores with different owners, or at stores with the same owner that don't share accounts between locations, you need a separate LaundryCat App account for each location.

You can create as many LaundryCat App accounts as you need. When creating a new account, keep two things in mind:

If you created your first account with Sign up with Apple or Sign up with Google, you cannot use that same Apple or Google sign-in to create a second account. Use email sign-up for the new account instead.
You cannot create a second account with an email address you're already using for another LaundryCat App account. Instead, use the "plus addressing" trick below to reuse your existing email address.

Using the "plus addressing" email trick for new LaundryCat App accounts (click to expand)

What is plus addressing?

Plus addressing allows you to add a plus sign (+) and a word right before the @ in your email address (for example, thecustomer+newstore@gmail.com). The App treats this as a completely different email address, but any email sent to it still arrives in your main inbox.

For example, to create an account for a new store, first sign out of your existing LaundryCat App account:

This brings you back to the LaundryCat App sign-in page. Since you don't have an account for the new store yet, tap the Sign up link at the bottom to create one:

This brings you to the sign-up page, which looks very similar to the sign-in page.

Enter your existing email address with a plus sign (+) and a word added before the @. In this example, the main email address is thecustomer@gmail.com, so the new account uses thecustomer+newstore@gmail.com:

Tapping the Sign up button creates the new account with this plus address. The App will then ask you to verify the new account using the verification email it sends:

The verification email arrives in your main inbox (thecustomer@gmail.com in this example), but the email's To line shows it was addressed to thecustomer+newstore@gmail.com:

Once you've verified the account, the App shows the usual first-time introduction screens:

After the intro screens, you'll be prompted to register the new account to the new store by tapping your phone to a VAC kiosk or Card Reader at the location:

Once that's done, the new account is ready, and you can start adding funds and starting machines at the new store.

Your original account is still intact. When you go back to the first store, sign out and sign back in to the account you created for that store. Any funds on that account will still be there.

When using plus addressing, pick a word that helps identify the store you’re creating the account for (for example, thecustomer+123mainst@gmail.com) so you can tell which account belongs to which store.

Note: Plus addressing works with most popular email providers, such as Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and Fastmail. If your email provider doesn't support it, use a different email address for each new account.

Troubleshooting

Note: This section covers common issues you may run into when using the LaundryCat App. If you’re a LaundryCat App user and need more help, contact your laundromat’s staff directly. Laundroworks Support isn’t authorized to issue refunds or transfer account balances.

These quick steps fix many common issues. Try them before moving on to the troubleshooting table below:

Close the LaundryCat App completely and reopen it (refresh App).
Make sure your LaundryCat version is up to date in the App Store or Google Play.
Restart your phone.

If the quick steps above didn’t help, find your issue in the table below:

Issue	Resolution
"NFC Communication" error	This error usually means your phone’s NFC isn’t working as expected. If you’ve already tried the quick steps above, try the following: Android: Make sure NFC is turned on in your phone’s settings. Test tap-to-pay somewhere else. Try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay at a store. If it works, your phone’s NFC is working. Try a different phone. Sign in to LaundryCat on another phone, such as a friend’s. If it works there, the issue is with your phone, not your account.
"No Internet Connection" error	This usually means your internet connection is weak. This can happen in laundromats located in basements or other areas with poor cell service. If you’re connected to Wi-Fi, switch to cellular data. If you’re using cellular data, try connecting to Wi-Fi instead. If both are weak, move to an area with a stronger signal, such as near a window or the entrance, and try again.
Unable to register your account to your location	This usually means LaundryCat hasn’t been turned on at your laundromat yet. LaundryCat isn’t turned on by default at every location, even if there are signs for it in the store. Contact your laundromat owner to ask whether LaundryCat is available.
Reader is not recognizing your phone but it was previously working	If LaundryCat was working before but readers you’ve used no longer recognize your phone, the cause is usually your phone’s NFC or how you’re tapping. If you’ve already ruled out an NFC problem using the steps in the "NFC Communication" error row, try the following: Remove your phone case, especially if it’s thick, metal, or has a magnetic wallet. Hold your phone flat against the reader for a second or two instead of tapping quickly. iPhone: Hold the top edge of your phone to the reader. Android: Hold the middle of the back of your phone to the reader. Try turning your phone sideways when you tap.
Physical location does not match location address listed in the App	This usually means you’re at a different laundromat from the one your current LaundryCat App account is registered to. If you see a Change Location button in the top right of the App, use it to switch to this laundromat. If you don’t see this button, or this laundromat isn’t in the list, then it either has a different owner, or its owner doesn’t share accounts between their locations. Funds can only be used at the location your account is registered to, or at locations that share accounts with it. To use LaundryCat at this new location, you can either: Delete your current account and register a new account to this laundromat (when using the same email address or Apple/Google ID). Create a new account with a different email address for this laundromat (see Using LaundryCat at Multiple Stores). Deleting your old account also removes any funds on it. Contact that laundromat about a refund before you delete the account, since only the laundromat can issue refunds. Deleting your account will not automatically start a refund.
“App is not available in your country or region” error	LaundryCat is only available in the United States and Canada. If you see this error, your App Store or Google Play account is likely set to a different country or region. This can happen if your phone or account was set up outside North America. To download LaundryCat, change your App Store or Google Play country to the United States or Canada. For steps, see Apple’s or Google’s help pages on changing your country or region. Note that changing your region may require a payment method from that country.
Unable to add a certain debit or credit card	LaundryCat only accepts bank cards that can be used for online purchases. Most major credit cards work, and select debit cards do as well. If you’ve used your debit card to shop online before, it will likely work with LaundryCat. Prepaid cards generally don’t work. If your card isn’t accepted, try a different card or contact your bank to check whether your card can be used for online purchases.
Forgot password / link not working	This likely means you’re signing in with different details from the ones you used to create your account. You may have an account under a different email address, or you may have signed up a different way. For example, if you created your account with an email and password, selecting Sign in with Google may create a new, separate account instead. The same can happen in reverse. Make sure you’re signing in the same way you did when you first registered. If you signed up with Sign in with Google or Sign in with Apple, you don’t have a LaundryCat password to reset. Sign in with the same button you used to sign up. If you’ve forgotten your Google or Apple password, reset it with Google or Apple. The LaundryCat reset link won’t work for these accounts. If you’re still not sure which account you used, select Forgot password and request a reset link for every email address you have access to, even ones you don’t think you used.
Funds / Balance missing after signing in	This likely means you’re signing in with different details from the ones you used to create your account. You may have an account under a different email address, or you may have signed up a different way. For example, if you created your account with an email and password, selecting Sign in with Google may create a new, separate account instead. The same can happen in reverse. Make sure you’re signing in the same way you did when you first registered. If you’re still not sure which account you used, select Forgot password and request a reset link for every email address you have access to, even ones you don’t think you used.
Can’t view a receipt for a past purchase	At this time, LaundryCat doesn’t provide detailed receipts for funds added to your account. You can see a record of funds you’ve added and machines you’ve used in the Usage History section, which shows activity from the last 90 days. If you paid with a bank card, the charge will also appear on your bank or card statement. If you need a detailed receipt, contact your laundromat owner. Cash payments don’t come with a receipt.

How To Use the LaundryCat App