Google Play Points rewards program goes official, only works in Japan for now

Early this month we revealed that Google was working on a new rewards program called Google Play Points. Now, that program has quietly gone official, at least in one region…

As surfaced on Google’s support pages in Japan, Google Play Points is now live for that region (via Android Police). As we previously reported, Play Points will reward users based on funds that are spent in the Play Store, as well as through in-app purchases. There are five tiers to the program with a point being awarded for each ¥100 (~$0.90) spent. As you progress through the levels, though, more points are awarded based on your spending, with certain purchases being worth more or less points.

• Bronze level (up to 249 points):
  • 1 point earned for every ¥100 spent
• Silver level (250–999 points):
  • 1.25 points earned for every ¥100 spent
  • 1 ¥300 credit for in-app items
  • 1 ¥100 movie rental
• Gold level (1,000–3,999 points):
  • 1.5 points earned for every ¥100 spent
  • +1 ¥300 credit for in-app items
  • 2 ¥500 ebook credits
  • +2 ¥100 movie rentals
• Platinum level (4,000–14,999 points):
  • 1.75 points earned for every ¥100 spent.
  • +1 ¥300 credit for in-app items
  • +4 ¥500 ebook credits
  • +4 ¥100 movie rentals
• Diamond level (more than 15,000 points):
  • 2 points earned for every ¥100 spent
  • +2 ¥300 credits for in-app items
  • +6 ¥500 ebook credits
  • +5 ¥100 movie rentals

Once you rack up points, you can then use those points to purchase Google Play credit or spend them directly on apps and games in the store. Alternatively, it appears that you can use Google Play Points to discount an item. Points can’t be transferred between accounts, though.

To join Google Play Points, you’ll need to visit the Play Points section of the Play Store app and tap Join to get started. The program doesn’t automatically enroll users.

Right now, it’s largely unknown how Google Play Points will be rolled out. It’s entirely possible that this will only be a region-specific program, but it could also be that Google is justing testing the waters with the Japan market. We’ll simply have to wait and see for the time being.

More on Google Play:

• Some Google One users receiving $5 in Play credits to make up for rough launch
• Google Play giving developers more insight into how users are discovering Android apps
• Google Play officially acknowledges that Fortnite is not in the Play Store

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