Mastercard Launches Augmented Reality App
Mastercard announced a new augmented reality app today that brings card benefits to life. Consumers with a Mastercard credit card can see, explore and access their card benefits through a photo-realistic AR experience.
According to the J.D. Power 2018 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, rewards continue to drive consumer satisfaction with cards, yet only a third of credit card holders completely understand all the benefits available to them. Using augmented reality, the new Mastercard app puts benefit information front and center for cardholders in a fully immersive experience that can be easily accessed with their mobile device.
App users will have access to a 360-degree virtual environment, where a series of interactive portals brings their card benefits to life. Everything from Priceless experiences to safety and security benefits can be viewed via the app.
Here is how the app works:
- Upon launching the app, cardholders will be prompted to scan their Mastercard to start the session.
- Using their phone to scan the area around them, cardholders will see three portals, each one representing a different category: experiences, everyday value and peace of mind.
- To explore a benefit area, cardholders can tap the related portal to launch a fully immersive 360-degree experience which brings that category to life. For example, peace of mind is represented by a spa and everyday value is a stylish home.
- After clicking the portal, cardholders can use their phone to look around the virtual room and discover their benefits, which are each represented by a relevant item. Tapping on a set of golf clubs prompts a pop-up screen where a user can learn about and access the Priceless Golf benefits.
The app is not out yet. It will available in the app store (for iPhones) in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2020, with additional region and device availability coming later in the year. Hopefully for Android too.
Mastercard currently backs cards from Citi, Capital One and Bank of America. And they have some great everyday cards such as Capital One Savor Rewards, Citi Double Cash or travel cards such as Premier, Prestige and American Airlines.
You can read the full press release here.
