IN BRIEF | Apple is set to tread the turf or airlines and hotels with its own rewards scheme.
Long-expected, and reportedly due to be revealed at next month's WWDC developer conference, the program would be tied to the use of the Apple Pay 'mobile wallet' service.
It's not yet known what the perks will be, although nobody would be surprised if an 'Apple Points' currency could initially be traded for credit on the company's iTunes store for buying apps, music and videos.
Buy stuff with your iPhone and earn Apple Points?
Google is also tipped to overhaul its mobile payments platform at the company's annual IO geekfest this week, with a new Android Pay service which "can be integrated with loyalty programs at retailers", according to The New York Times.
"The challenge for Apple and Google, along with rivals, is that the mobile wallet is generally a technology in search of a problem" notes NYT's Mike Isaac and Brian Chen, adding that "the mobile wallet is typically more of a supplementary service [to credit cards] than a replacement."
"But analysts have noted that a missing piece from Apple Pay was a rewards program to keep users returning to participating merchants. People familiar with Apple Pay said that next month, Apple will announce such a program offering perks to consumers who make purchases with the service, though they declined to reveal details."
Last year saw Bank Innovation report that Apple was looking at its own rewards program to boost its mobile payments ecosystem, with potential partners from the travel and hotel sphere.
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas
13 Dec 2012
Total posts 21
Think the banks can sleep easy for the moment...
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards Gold
04 Jul 2014
Total posts 129
Except we still can't use Apple Pay in Australia... :(
Air New Zealand - NZ*E
17 May 2015
Total posts 93
Prediction - Mobile payments are going to be huge!! Apple have the critical mass, balance sheet and tech reach to pull this off - granted it may not come to all the corners of the world initially but you can bet that it's will not take long to catch on. It will change the way we pay for things - Apple have been quietly planning for this for the past couple of years. You can also expect Google and Facebook to put up a fight- what's interesting is that the banks are spectators in what was traditationally their market place. Not sure if they see the ironery - as this is likely to be a true "Kodak" moment
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