Apple has added more vendors to its Passbook digital certificate program, including the first credit-card reward redemption option. While American Express lets users check their balance and transaction notifications, Discover has updated its iPhone app to convert CashBack Bonus rewards into digital certificates that Passbook can store and redeem at various merchants. In addition, version 4.10 of the app now lets users make payments, send money using PayPal Messenger, search transactions and refer friends to Discover, which earns extra points.
In addition, Google has recently added Passbook support to its Chrome web browser (both Mac and iOS versions), Qantas and Air China have both added boarding-pass support recently, and real estate agency Re/Max has updated its app to enable “digital business cards” in Passbook. Last month, Amtrak implemented its Passbook compatibility, and more airlines signed up, including Air Canada, Malaysian Airlines, Porter Airlines and Turkish Airlines. Other companies, such as ticket agency Fandango, AirBnB, Eventbrite and McDonald’s have joined up following the lead of companies like Starbucks, Target and Major League Baseball.
The app acts as a kind of “digital wallet” for tickets, passes, coupons and other e-documents, and has fostered a quiet but growing acceptance of digital passes with a growing number of retail and service clients. Passbook can store a number of the certificates and call up the correct on automatically when a user enters the location, such as on arrival at a stadium for a sporting event. The pass can even appear on the lockscreen when the user arrives at the event. Venues that honor Passbook eCertificates can scan the phone using special handheld scanners.
