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MasterCard wants to connect your credit card to an augmented reality to allow cardholders to ‘see, explore and access the benefits’ of their account. The application uses augmented reality
to deliver a photorealistic experience that ‘transports users to a 360-degree virtual environment, where a series of interactive portals brings their card benefits to life’. First teased in
2017, the MasterCard AR experience is expected to launch in the US in Q2 of 2020 for iOS only, with a further launch coming later in the year. According to Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing
and communications officer at Mastercard, the company is leveraging an intuitive AR design to avoid customers missing out on card benefits. The new platform is directed at ‘Digital-first
consumers’ who Tim Sloane, vice president at Mercator Advisory Group, identifies as ‘the first to explore and use technology’. How it works is by connecting your credit card to the
MasterCard phone application, which will then prompt users to scan the area around them. Three different portal types will then presented – _Experiences_, _Everyday Value _and _Peace of
Mind_ – depending on the kind of benefit available in the area. Benefits like discounts at a spa would fall under the _peace of mind _category. Once inside the application will detail
relevant items with benefits in real-time through augmented reality. Unlike the first version of the platform, users do not have to use smart glasses to view the AR, with the ‘portals’
appearing directly on your phone screen. ‘With the new Mastercard benefits app, these cardholders will experience an immersive and truly unique environment where every tap delivers the value
and benefits of their card in a fashion never experienced before,’ said Mr Sloane.