If you spend a significant amount of time or money (or both) on apps and media from the Google Play store, you are the target audience for Google’s new rewards program. On Monday, Google launched Google Play Points in the US after attracting “millions” of users in Japan and South Korea over the past year.
Google Play Points is free to join, and once you’re a member, you can earn Play Points on everything you buy (in-app items, movies, books, subscriptions, etc.) as well as featured free apps and games. There are weekly points events to boost the rate at which you earn Play Points. These points can be spent on “special items and discounts,” including items in popular games or Google Play Credit to buy movies, books, games, and apps.
There are four levels you can achieve with the rewards program: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The higher your level, the more points you will earn for every dollar that you spend (up to 1.4 Play Points per dollar). Each level also has corresponding weekly prizes, and as you level up, you will earn more prizes every week.
Google will also let you use your points “to help support a great cause—or causes—of your choice from a rotating list of nonprofits, starting with Doctors Without Borders USA, Save the Children and the World Food Program USA.” It’s a great alternative if you don’t have anything to spend your Play Points on.
Google Play Points is completely free to join. All you have to do to sign up is go to the Play Store app on your Android device, tap menu, and then tap Play Points. Plus, you’ll earn three times the points on everything you buy during the first week of your membership, so try to sign up right before your next purchase.
