In this post we’ll be examining the difference between MOBIX Miles, the MOBIX Reward Token (ticker: MOBX) and some examples of other existing rewards programs from industries such as airlines and hotels.
A Brief History of Reward Programs
Rewards programs aren’t new. The first such incentives to spur customer loyalty to a particular business emerged in the late 18th century in America. ‘Premium marketing’ was the term at the time, in which following a purchase at a particular business, a customer would be given a metal token (like a business issued coin) that could be used for extra credit on their next purchase.
As time went on and these programs became more popular, these metal tokens were replaced by redeemable stamps. When enough of these were accrued, they could then be redeemed for products from a brand catalogue.
Finally, toward the end of the 19th century, ‘loyalty aggregator’ programs were introduced. Think coupons that could be earned at and applied to any business that was part of the scheme- ancestors of schemes like Air Miles, IHG points and Uber Rewards today.
Air Miles / Miles & More
Air Miles as a rewards program are well established- and this is evidenced through most people having a good idea of what ‘air miles’ are. For those who don’t know, Air Miles are points that are earned on purchases from participating businesses that can be redeemed against flights with specific airlines. The scheme has been operating since 1988.
The exact companies behind the Air Miles program have changed over the years, and there are many nuances to the program. However, in short, the modern ‘frequent flyer’ program has users accrue points through:
- Qualifying purchases with particular credit cards
- Qualifying flights depending on which of the three ‘Airline Alliance(s)’ travelled with
- Purchasing fuel from petrol stations
Users can then use these points to purchase:
- Free ‘reward flights’ to selected international destinations
- Discounts on flights to destinations not within the reward flights program
- Hotel stays at major hotel chains
- Car hire (most often from airport car hire companies)
- A selection of activities ranging from boat tours to stays at Disneyland
- Premium alcoholic beverages
Air Miles, Miles & More, frequent flyer program, Avios, whatever you call it, is typically the archetypal format for most modern forms of reward programs. IHG’s rewards program operates in a similar fashion, in which points are gained through purchases at business partners and overnight stays in group hotels. IHG points are then spent on free stays at group hotels.
Uber Rewards
Uber’s rewards program is currently being trialled in certain geographical areas, and users of the app can opt in in those regions. The basic offering is that a point is earned for every ‘eligible dollar’ spent on Uber Eats… and you earn more points for Uber’s premium transport options (3x points on Exec trips, which often carry fewer passengers in premium cars). Notably, points cannot be earned on bike or scooter rides booked through Uber.
Where this differs slightly from your typical rewards program is that overall points earned and ability to spend the accrued points differs on your Uber ‘membership level’ (there are 4 tiers and you only move up a tier by gaining more points). This was clearly inspired by IHG’s similar tiered scheme, in which rewards and points are differently distributed to scheme members based on their past loyalty. In schemes like these not all points or rewards are made equal.
How is MOBIX Miles different?
Despite the slight differences between the case studies above, aside from promising repeat customers some benefits, one thing they have in common is that they are not particularly eco-friendly. Points are earned through generating heavy CO2 emissions and are then spent on rewards that generate heavy CO2 emissions. So… what differentiates MOBIX miles from your typical rewards program?
First, the goal of MOBIX is to reduce CO2 emissions by incentivizing users to choose eco-friendly transport alternatives. Here, MOBIX tokens come into play. These tokens are rewarded to MOBIX Wallet users for eco-friendly mobility activities like walking or using micromobility devices, such as eScooters, eBikes, cargo bikes, eMopeds, or Mini-EVs, instead of cars with combustion engines.
The native cryptocurrency of the MOBIX Marketplace, MOBIX Tokens, have a fixed supply of 100 million. The majority of these tokens will be used to reward users for eco-friendly mobility behaviour. MOBIX Reward tokens will be allocated to users via a point-based distribution mechanism. Users will be able to earn MOBIX Miles for specified actions. At defined time steps, MOBIX Miles can be converted into MOBIX Tokens, which then can be used as a means of discount for future shared micromobility trips, or which can be traded on cryptocurrency exchanges.
MOBIX Miles is a completely digital reward program, based on crypto (i.e. Blockchain) technology. All MOBIX Reward token transactions are secure, transparent and traceable. You find a detailed overview on the MOBIX Miles reward logic here.
MOBIX Miles exclusively rewards eco-friendly behaviour. It translates into a personal benefit: you earn MOBIX Miles and get used to a healthier lifestyle through moving more, and a social-environmental benefit: by favouring eco-friendly mobility over CO2-emission-heavy transport, each MOBIX user adds to quality of life in general.
In closing
We hope that this post has informed you how MOBIX miles work and highlighted how great the rewards are for using the MOBIX platform. The MOBIX wallet is launching on Wednesday, 20 October 2021, so you can start earning MOBIX Reward Tokens!
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