New Promotions – Big Bonus & Softcard Referrals
I am a big fan of Softcard. While Apple Pay has received a great deal of attention over the past month, the truth is that NFC payment systems such as Google Wallet and Softcard have existed on the Android side for quite some time.
Softcard has been pretty aggressive with compensating people who use their app with generous bonuses. Currently they are giving $1 back per day on every $1 or more purchase and their version of the Serve card comes with higher load limits.
I even explained a couple of months ago how Softcard paid my wife and I each $50 when we switched our Bluebird cards and signed up for Softcard Serve. (SoftServe!) In other words, they are paying to incentivize people to use their product.
Today I learned about two new promotions which could net you up to $300 per account. Lets take a look!
Tap 5 Get 10
The first promotion could be very lucrative for people who have a nearby merchant who sells cheaper items & accepts NFC payments. I know local drug stores were great options until recently, but that route seems to have dried up after the launch of Apple Pay.
With this promotion, Softcard will pay account holders a $10 Amazon gift card for every 5 tap payments they make until the end of the year up to a maximum of 15 taps and $30 per credit card. You can use up to 5 credit cards in this promotion, meaning up to $150 in Amazon gift cards.
Like I mentioned before, this promotion is great if you have a nearby store who accepts tap to pay for smaller items. You can find the full details of the offer along with the full terms here.
Softcard Referral Bonus
Softcard is also getting into the social referral business. Current Softcard account holders who refer their friends can earn $10 per referral up to $150 per account.
While there are a few caveats, basically the referral credit comes in the form of a $10 Amazon gift card. You can find the full details and instructions to send invitations here.
Conclusion
The Tap 5 Get 10 & Softcard Referral promotions are further evidence that the company will continue to make a push in the mobile payments space. While Apple Pay is the big guy on the block now, Softcard doesn’t appear to be staying quiet in the background. I for one am happy about that!
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will try walgreen today
Went to Rite Aid yesterday and could not use my Softcard app to purchase.
Apple Pay killed Softcard, what the hell! Now we cannot use Softcard at Rite Aid and CVS any more.
“CVS, Rite Aid instruct stores to disable NFC capabilities at the register
It looks as though CVS and Rite Aid are throwing a big ‘ol handful of pocket sand into the eyes of Apple Pay users. It was discovered shortly after the official launch of Apple Pay on Monday that iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users could pay for their items at CVS and Rite Aid registers even though the retailer didn’t officially support the service.
Since CVS and Rite Aid registers use NFC, iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus users could simply call up their credit card in the Passbook app and user their fingerprint to authenticate a purchase; just as they would at a supported retailers like Macy’s or a fast food joint like McDonald’s.
However, it looks as though neither pharmacy chain is having any of this “unofficial” Apple Pay support, and both are cutting the service off at the source. Mac Rumors is now reporting that both CVS and Rite Aid have shutdown the NFC capabilities in their cash registers. Without NFC, Apple Pay transactions cannot be completed. It also has the unfortunate consequence of trashing any hopes that Google Wallet customers would be able to continue to use the functionality as well.
SlashGear was even able to obtain an email from Rite Aid’s corporate office to individual stores informing them that Apple Pay is off limits:
Please note that we do not accept Apple Pay at this time. However we are currently working with a group of large retailers to develop a mobile wallet that allows for mobile payments attached to credit cards and bank accounts directly from a smart phone. We expect to have this feature available in the first half of 2015.
If customers attempt to pay for a transaction with Apple Pay, a message will prompt both customer and cashier for a different form of payment. Please instruct cashiers to apologize to the customer and explain that we do not currently accept Apple Pay, but will have our own mobile wallet next year.
A Rite Aid representative confirmed the move, providing the following statement to iMore:
Rite Aid does not currently accept Apple Pay. We are continually evaluating various forms of mobile payment technologies, and are committed to offering convenient, reliable and secure payment methods that meet the needs of our customers.
So why all the animosity towards Apple Pay and why disable NFC? Well, both CVS and Rite Aid are members of the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), which is developing its own wireless payment system, CurrentC. MCX has a laundry list of big-name merchants including Walmart/Sam’s Club, Target, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kohl’s, Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic, Sears/Kmart, Sheets, Shell, Sunoco, and Sheetz (among numerous others).”
You’re not the only one who is happy about that! Thanks for the tip!