Loyalty rewards coming to Android Pay as push to raise awareness kicks in

Loyalty reward programs are just about everywhere you go today from the grocery store to the gas station. Google wants to get in on the loyalty program action to help woo more folks to try out Android Pay. So far, Android Pay is doing pretty well with Google having stated that millions of people have linked credit card data to Android Pay since it went live back in September.

Android Pay is grabbing users who never tried Google Wallet; about 60% of Android Pay subscribers never used Google Wallet. The first loyalty program participant will be Coke. With this program when users buy a Coke product from a vending machine that uses NFC tech, they will get points to buy more drinks down the line.

It's unclear exactly how many drinks you have to buy to earn a free one, but getting points for something you would buy anyway is a nice thing. To help push more users to try Android Pay, Google is also training mobile carrier staff to push the service.

Google is also trying to drive its card partners to raise consumer awareness of Android Pay and has been working with American Express, MasterCard, and Visa to do so. Work is also being put in to get card issuing banks to participate, but that might be a tough sell since some of these banks have their own mobile payment products to push.

SOURCE: Recode