Earlier this month, Android Police stumbled upon what appeared to be a loyalty program for Google Play in their APK teardown. The rewards scheme is called Play Points and has gone live in Japan, according to a support page for the app.

Eligible users can join the program by navigating to the 'Play Points' section in the app's hamburger menu. To begin with, one point will be awarded for every¥100 (about $0.90) spent on apps and games. The credits can be used to make in-app purchases or to buy apps off the Play Store. As you progress to higher levels, greater rewards can be unlocked. Check out the different levels below:

Bronze level(up to 249 points):1 point earned for every ¥100 spentSilver level(250–999 points):1.25 points earned for every ¥100 spent1 ¥300 credit for in-app items1 ¥100 movie rentalGold level(1,000–3,999 points):1.5 points earned for every ¥100 spent+1 ¥300 credit for in-app items2 ¥500 ebook credits+2 ¥100 movie rentalsPlatinum 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 rentalsDiamond 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

Spending points count towards your level, which means that you can spend existing points to get more points. It will, however, reset at the end of each calendar year, though. For now, the program is available in Japan only, but the likelihood of it making its way to other countries is high in the not too distant future. Japan may well be the testbed for this new scheme so that Google can iron out any kinks ahead of a wider release. You can read more about the program on Google's support page. It should be fairly easy to rack up points solely on the basis of monthly subscription-based services such as Google Play Music. We'll know soon-ish.

News Source: Google