Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA) has gone the extra mile to become the first retail store to include its loyalty card in Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s Google Android Pay mobile service via NFC.
The company has supported NFC payments for quite some time but this is the first time it has included its loyalty card into Android Pay. It is worth noting that there are many retail stores that manage their reward cards through Android Pay, but Walgreens is the first firm to do so via NFC. The company’s reward program works by allowing customers to earn redeemable points when they make purchases at the Walgreens stores.
Rather than displaying the actual rewards at the checkout, users can now tap their handsets at the pin pad. They will also have to make payments for their purchases through Android Pay or any other payment service that supports NFC, thus eliminating the need for shoppers to carry their cards. This move will make it much easier for members to earn and redeem their points. The move also expands the company’s portfolio of comprehensive and unified mobile payment services. Walgreens claims that it has more than 85 million active reward members and that most of them use Android handsets. Supporting its loyalty card on Android Pay was therefore the most convenient move to support the customers.
Walgreens also highlighted the security, privacy and ease of using the mobile platform to earn loyalty points and use them in the stores. It also simplifies things because customers no longer have to scan their reward cards to check their balance or entering their number at the checkout. Those who wish to register to the loyalty program can do so by first downloading the Android Pay app on their handsets and configure their Walgreens Balance Reward cards to their accounts. The move by the company also highlights the increasing uptake in mobile payment solutions as well as increased innovation.