Apple Rolls Out iTunes Pass For In-Store iTunes Account Top-Ups
The feature is a key one for Apple’s ability to reach an even wider range of customers with its digital content stores – enabling a simpler method for iTunes account top-ups means that the company can better serve its customers who either aren’t able or don’t want to use credit cards to automatically transfer funds to their account. Kids who don’t yet have credit but earn their own cash through part-time jobs or allowances are one example of this type of customer, but also customers in markets like China who might not have as ready access to credit as consumers do in the U.S.
Users could already set up an iTunes allowance for their kids, or fill up their account credit using physical gift cards available in many retail channels, but the new iTunes Pass option is just one more way Apple can make the process easier, which in the end means more money in the coffers and an even better iTunes digital goods economy for app developers and content providers. Plus, rumors persist that Apple could eventually make a broader play for iTunes-powered mobile payments, and this ability to reload would definitely help with that.