Amazon Coins Virtual Currency Spreads To Regular Android Devices
Amazon has opened up its virtual currency, Amazon Coins, for use across all Android devices, having originally limited it to its own Kindle Fire tablets. The digital cash, launched back in May 2013 as a way for Kindle Fire users to buy apps, media content, and in-app purchases, Coins can now be used in the Amazon Appstore in the US, UK, and Germany, hoping that Coins' rewards system will persuade people to skip other payment types.
Coins work for the most part like any standard digital currency: shoppers buy them with their dollars (or pounds, or euros) and then pay for apps and other content with them. Amazon offers a discount of up to 10-percent for those willing to buy in bulk, however.
There's also the promise of earning coins when certain apps are downloaded. For instance, buy OmniSketch for $1.99 through the Amazon Appstore, and Amazon drops 60 Coins into your account; Instapaper, for $2.99, comes with 90 Coins.
Those who have already been using Amazon Coins will see their existing balance automatically pop up when they sign into the Appstore on a different Android device. New users can buy Coins either through the regular browser view or within the Appstore app itself.