Grab gives out rewards for its devoted customers

Photo credit: Grab.

Ride-hailing startup Grab is introducing a customer loyalty program called GrabRewards, its newest feature to retain regular users.

Passengers who often use GrabBike, GrabCar, or GrabTaxi accumulate points. The number is based on vehicle type and ride service, ride distance, and payment from each ride.

GrabRewards benefits vary from discounted and free Grab rides, to special offers. Grab is also partnering with establishments in the food & beverage, travel, lifestyle, and retail sectors for discounts.

A spokesperson from Grab said that passengers earn the same number of points whether they’re paying for a ride in cash or with GrabPay, or any other digital payment. However, passengers won’t get points if they used a promo code on the ride.

Digital payments Grab accepts include Grab’s recently introduced e-wallet GrabPay, Android Pay in Singapore, AliPay in Singapore and Thailand, and credit cards.

Encouraged to explore

GrabRewards works regionally and partners with merchants from different countries. Because of this, Grab encourages riders to redeem rewards as they travel.

You could get a special discount while shopping in a Singapore mall, then redeem a discount on dinner when you’re in Indonesia.

“With our Reward Partners, we enable passengers to redeem rewards at places they frequent or try new locations. This ultimately provides a more holistic experience,” Grab’s spokesperson said.

Waiting on public response

Photo credit: Grab Singapore.

GrabRewards is currently in its beta phase and available for selected passengers in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It will roll out in the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam in the coming weeks, Grab said in its press release.

Grab encourages riders selected for the beta test to give feedback on GrabRewards, and lets them know which types of promotions it intends to include in the program.

Grab claims that GrabRewards is a pioneering rewards program for ride-hailing apps in Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, arch-rival Go-Jek runs a reward program for loyal users, merchants, and drivers, but so far these have been handed out as individual awards, not through an ongoing and transparent points collecting scheme.