Apple said to be working on rewards program for mobile payment service

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Apple is working on a rewards program for its upcoming mobile payment service, according to a new report from Bank Innovation. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the site says the company has been talking with the InterContinental Hotels Group (Holiday Inn, Crown Plaza, etc.) about a possible loyalty partnership.

Additionally, the outlet points out that Apple has recently posted a job opening for a Senior World Wide Partner Marketing Manager. While the title seems ambiguous, the person in this position would be tasked with creating training materials for external partners with the purpose of aiding customer adoption of “new features.”

Those “new features” could very well be the mobile payment service Apple is expected to unveil tomorrow. And if it wants to differentiate the service from competitors like Square, Google Wallet and other offerings, a rewards program seems like the smart way to go—i.e. “tryout our new service and get $5 off your next purchase.”

Apple has reportedly already signed on a number of major partners for its service, including 3 of the 4 big credit card providers and several major financial institutions. Not much is known about how it will work, but it’s believed to support both the iPhone 6 and iWatch and feature a combination of NFC, token and Touch ID tech.

For more on what we’re excepting to see unveiled at tomorrow’s event, click here.

[Bank Innovation]