Skip to main content

Points mean prizes as Google Play Store rewards program comes to U.S.

If you sometimes find yourself splashing the cash in Google’s Play Store, then signing up for its new rewards program is surely a no-brainer.

Following an earlier launch in Japan and South Korea, Google Play Points has now arrived in the U.S., giving Android users the chance to earn rewards and discounts for their purchases in the Play Store.

Google

“It’s free to join, and you can earn Play Points to use for special items and discounts in top games like Candy Crush Saga and Pokémon Go, or for Google Play Credit to use on movies, books, games, and apps,” Google’s Winston Mok wrote in a post announcing the new program.

Recommended Videos

If you’re feeling charitable and have lots of points in your account, you can even use them to support various nonprofits from a rotating list, with the first ones including Doctors Without Borders USA, Save the Children, and the World Food Program USA.

Play Points are earned with every purchase that you make in the Play Store, whether it’s for in-app items, movies, books, subscriptions, or anything else, and additional points can be earned by downloading free apps and games featured regularly by Google.

Four levels

The points system comprises four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. You can move your way up the levels by collecting more points, with higher levels offering more perks that can include things like weekly prizes.

At the Bronze level, you’ll earn 1 point for each ‎$1 spent, but if you move up to the Silver level, you’ll earn 1.1 instead. The Gold level earns you 1.2 points for every $1 spent, while Platinum earns you 1.4.

Points are rounded up for each purchase, too, so in the case where you spend, say, $5 in the Silver level, you’ll receive 6 points instead of 5.5.

Google

How to join

To join Google Play Points, open the Play Store app on your Android device, tap the three-lines icon at the top of the display, and look for “Play Points” in the menu that appears.

As an extra incentive to join, Google is offering three times the usual number of Play Points on every purchase made in the first week of use.

Looking for some awesome Android games to get you started? Then check out these Play Store suggestions from Digital Trends.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Google is paying a $700 million fine, and you’re getting some of it
Google Play Store on the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

If you think your Tuesday is off to a rough start, at least you aren't Google. In the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, December 19, Google confirmed that it's paying $700 million as part of a settlement regarding antitrust concerns around the Google Play Store.

In July 2021, over 30 states (plus Washington, D.C.) filed a lawsuit against Google over its business practices related to the Google Play Store on Android. Specifically, the lawsuit targeted fees Google charges developers to use the Play Store — and the alleged lack of competition the Play Store allows. Google settled the lawsuit this past September, and now Google has announced the details of that settlement.
Google's paying you $630 million ... kind of

Read more
Google’s Android monopoly finds its biggest challenge, and Apple might be next
Apps screen on the Google Pixel 7.

The Competition Commission of India slapped Google with two hefty fines over anti-competitive strategies that have allowed it to dominate the mobile ecosystem in India. Totaling over $250 million, the penalties reprimand Google for forcing smartphone makers to avoid Android forks, prefer Google’s web search service, and pre-install popular cash cows like YouTube on phones.

Google was also disciplined for forcing its own billing system on developers that allowed the giant to take up to a 30% share of all in-app purchases for applications listed on the app store. Google is not really a stranger to titanic penalties; The EU handed Google a record-breaking fine of approximately $5 billion in 2018 for abusing its dominant market position — a penalty that was upheld in September this year following Google’s appeal.

Read more
Google wants you to know Android apps aren’t just for phones anymore
Person holding Samsung Galaxy smartphone showing Google Play Store.

When most people think of the Google Play Store, the first thing that comes to mind is smartphones. However, the spread of the Android ecosystem is far broader than that, and Google is taking steps to increase awareness of this and make it easier for folks to find apps on the Play Store for their smart TVs, watches, and even cars.

In a blog post today, the Google Play team announced three significant changes that should make it easier for Android fans to discover apps for all their devices, right from their phone. This includes recommendations of apps for non-phone devices, a search filter to focus on only games optimized for non-phone devices, and even a remote install feature that will let you deliver those apps to your Android TV, Wear OS watch, or Android Automotive-equipped car.

Read more