If Apple and Samsung can do it, Kohl’s can, too. That appears to be the mentality the retail chain adopted in introducing its own mobile payment system — Kohl’s Pay.
For all you frequent visitors of the popular department store, you can take your Kohl’s Charge card out of your wallet and depend solely on your trusty smartphone instead. Kohl’s Pay is the latest addition to the Kohl’s app. It lets you link your Yes2You Rewards ID to your charge account and receive points for your purchases.
“If you have the Kohl’s App and a Kohl’s Charge, then you’re practically already signed up,” the company said in the announcement of the feature. “Just open the app and find Kohl’s Pay in the features menu. Verify your charge account in one quick step and you’re ready to go.” Paying for items promises to be a breeze with the payment system — according to Kohl’s, “We’ve made paying and applying all your offer as simple as snapping a single picture.”
You can automatically redeem special coupons, discounts, Kohl’s Cash, various rewards, and make returns. Because each and every Kohl’s Pay transaction remains stored in your smartphone, you can easily make exchanges or review purchases.
While other retailers have introduced mobile payment options within their applications, Kohl’s is unique in that it focuses completely on the Kohl’s Charge, its own credit card. So if you want to pay for your purchases with your Visa or Mastercard, you are out of luck — this is for loyal customers only.
However, with more than 25 million active cardholders in the U.S., it seems like Kohl’s has a ready market for this new feature.
So if you are one of the many Americans with a Kohl’s Charge in your pocket or purse, take it out. You do not need that piece of plastic anymore.