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DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens has become the first merchant to integrate its customer rewards program with the Apple Pay mobile payment platform.
Walgreens has become the first merchant to integrate its customer rewards program with the Apple Pay mobile payment platform.
The drug chain said Thursday that members of its Balance Rewards loyalty program can now seamlessly use their account through Apple Pay without having to separately scan a Balance Rewards card or barcode.
To enable the capability, Balance Rewards members add their digital card to the Wallet app in iOS 9 and use it at checkout with Apple Pay. Then when making a purchase, they hold their iPhone near the contactless reader with a finger on Touch ID, and the rewards information will be sent.
Those using Apple Watch to make a purchase double-click the side button, choose their Balance Rewards card and hold the face of Apple Watch up to the reader.
“We’re excited to be the first to provide our customers with increased ease of access to their Balance Rewards account and information when using Apple Pay,” Sona Chawla, president of digital and chief marketing officer at Walgreens, said in a statement. “This offering supports our commitment to removing friction and enabling a simple and convenient customer experience.”
Walgreens has more than 85 million active Balance Rewards members. In stores, Apple Pay works with the iPhone 6 and higher as well as the Apple Watch.
Walgreens and its metropolitan New York chain Duane Reade were among the initial retailers to support Apple Pay when it was unveiled over a year ago with the debut of the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch.
Apple Pay has been seen as a solution for merchant concerns about the security of purchase transactions in the wake of data breaches at large retailers. Instead of storing credit or debit card numbers, Apple Pay uses a unique, one-time number to authorize each transaction.