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Apple's Mobile Payments Initiative May Include Rewards Program

Trapezoid said:
I don't even know what an iAd is. Does ios have obnoxious advertisements like android does sometime? Never seen it once on my ipad
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Most of the apps I use don't but a few do. Scrabble is one of them and I refuse to pay $10 to upgrade the app. It's a ripoff considering the only benefit is basically removing full screen ads.
 
69Mustang said:
I'm just joking of course, but I don't even think Apple knows what iAd is anymore. ;) Here's iAd in a nutshell.
http://advertising.apple.com/
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Link doesn't work, seems it really doesn't exist lol




Rogifan said:
Most of the apps I use don't but a few do. Scrabble is one of them and I refuse to pay $10 to upgrade the app. It's a ripoff considering the only benefit is basically removing full screen ads.
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Interesting. Never even knew it existed!
 
Blakjack said:
Remember when Apple used to make computers?
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s46rfn.jpg
 
Rogifan said:
Most of the apps I use don't but a few do. Scrabble is one of them and I refuse to pay $10 to upgrade the app. It's a ripoff considering the only benefit is basically removing full screen ads.
Click to expand...

Or, you know... paying the developers for their time. $10 is high, true... but you are playing a game that is under licensing.
 
I bet this is US only for the first few years (except for a few American international companies, like Apple, plus the hotel chains mentioned).

Seriously, have the scrapped plans for iTunes Radio in the UK?
 
TheKrs1 said:
Apple may need rewards partners to grow the program, but they already have many cool products/services in house.

If I use this mobile payment service (that is if it's available at locations I use in Canada), then they could easily incentivise the program with iTunes credits, beats products .... or hell if I spend enough on the service, my iPhone 6S should be discounted?
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I think we're seeing two different things conflated in this article.

From APPLE'S point of view, presumably they have some sort of goal where they want people to use their payments system. (The end point is probably something like a Bank of Apple, where I'm essentially using the equivalent of an Apple credit card; but the system launched this year will probably be more like the existing iTunes system which is based on my current credit card).

OK, so Apple have a problem. It may be cool to use my iPhone, iWatch and fingerprint together to buy something BUT when I use my existing credit card I get 1% cash back. If Apple can't match that, they're not of any interest except occasionally to amaze my stupider friends.
Which means that one part of a Rewards system is that they need to give me something that I consider at least as valuable as 1% cash back (or airline miles or Amazon point, or whatever your credit card gives you). The obvious way to do this would be Apple points that I can spend in either the Apple store or the iTunes store.

Meanwhile there is the other side of the equation, the merchant side. Apple want to give merchants some incentive to go to the hassle of supporting the system. IF they can (more or less) guarantee less fraud and overhead, that may be compelling enough for some use cases (like internet shopping) that the product sells itself. For other purposes, you want an additional gimmick and that seems to be what this post is about. Apple can for example, say that if you partner with us, then using our payment system at your hotel users will earn double Apple points, which (presumably) steers users to the hotel chain --- but the hotel chain can only cash in if they're set up to handle Apple payments.
Again you're probably aware of this sort of gimmick if you read the fine print of your card closely. Especially if your card is one that pays you in airline miles, it probably has these sorts of double points agreements with hotel chains, restaurants, auto rentals, and other travel type businesses.

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mazz0 said:
I bet this is US only for the first few years (except for a few American international companies, like Apple, plus the hotel chains mentioned).

Seriously, have the scrapped plans for iTunes Radio in the UK?
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They've scrapped plans for iTunes Radio even in the US.
Expect a Beats radio at some point, I imagine.

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Blakjack said:
Remember when Apple use to just make computers?.....
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(a) You mean mainframes? No, I don't remember that.

(b) A computer is what *I* say a computer is.

(c) Apple changed its official name on January 9, 2007 from Apple Computer Inc to Apple Inc. Why do you think they did that?
 
A rewards program sounds great!

Accrue points you can use for purchasing apps, tunes, tv shows etc.

That would be a great incentive to lure in new customers and a great bonus for us existing customers.
 
What would be great is if you could link existing credit or debit cards (VISA, MasterCard and whoever else worldwide) to your Apple account for mobile payments – and each time you make a Touch ID authorised payment you get 1% (or whatever) as cash to use however you want – not airmiles or amazon credit – actual money put into the account of your choosing, or perhaps to a charity. For this to be different to existing schemes the customer has to have real control.

Apple's iPhone/Touch ID system also has to work seamlessly with existing readers so there's no confusion as to where you can use it. Nothing worse than expecting contactless payment to then need to dig out more of your stuff.

Having said that if it works as people are hoping it will be incentive enough for me to use it without any additional offerings.
 
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name99 said:
I think we're seeing two different things conflated in this article.

From APPLE'S point of view, presumably they have some sort of goal where they want people to use their payments system. (The end point is probably something like a Bank of Apple, where I'm essentially using the equivalent of an Apple credit card; but the system launched this year will probably be more like the existing iTunes system which is based on my current credit card).

OK, so Apple have a problem. It may be cool to use my iPhone, iWatch and fingerprint together to buy something BUT when I use my existing credit card I get 1% cash back. If Apple can't match that, they're not of any interest except occasionally to amaze my stupider friends.
Which means that one part of a Rewards system is that they need to give me something that I consider at least as valuable as 1% cash back (or airline miles or Amazon point, or whatever your credit card gives you). The obvious way to do this would be Apple points that I can spend in either the Apple store or the iTunes store.

Meanwhile there is the other side of the equation, the merchant side. Apple want to give merchants some incentive to go to the hassle of supporting the system. IF they can (more or less) guarantee less fraud and overhead, that may be compelling enough for some use cases (like internet shopping) that the product sells itself. For other purposes, you want an additional gimmick and that seems to be what this post is about. Apple can for example, say that if you partner with us, then using our payment system at your hotel users will earn double Apple points, which (presumably) steers users to the hotel chain --- but the hotel chain can only cash in if they're set up to handle Apple payments.
Again you're probably aware of this sort of gimmick if you read the fine print of your card closely. Especially if your card is one that pays you in airline miles, it probably has these sorts of double points agreements with hotel chains, restaurants, auto rentals, and other travel type businesses.
Click to expand...

I think this is a good post and starts to flesh out what it is we might be seeing from Apple with regards to mobile payments.

I know what I want to be able to do. I want to be able to have MULTIPLE payments in my iTunes account tied to multiple check cards/credit cards I already own, ones that in no way shape or form had to engage in a partnership with Apple, and be able to use each and any of those payment types at retail using NFC on my iPhone, change them on the fly so one moment I can use my check card, another a credit card, etc., and have extra security provided via Touch ID. Strong encryption of card data over NFC would be key of course.

I don't need an Apple credit card or rewards program, although if they offer their own in addition to the above, sure -- LOL, I'm sure lots of folks would love to see a couple points of every purchase going to their next iPhone!
 
It takes less than 10 seconds to look up IGH on the web.

Talk about lazy reporting.
 
Here's a thought -- Apple is going to practically give their NFC/iBeacon processing systems away, and compete with Square and all the other folks who have their own credit card processing dongle they give away. Apple makes bank by collecting processing fees from merchants, but is still competitive with the likes of Square.

Bazinga... :eek:
 
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