NEW YORK – According to news reports this week, the retailer-backed Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) is preparing for an August trial launch of its digital payment solution, CurrentC.

The limited trial run select retail locations is following beta testing by store employees and will precede a wide-scale rollout planned for later this fall. MCX is a member of Conexxus, with retailers including CVS, Rite Aid and Walmart.

"CurrentC is becoming a viable choice for merchants wishing to push into the mobile wallet space, and a great opportunity to incent consumers to use more cost effective payment methods such as ACH," said Gray Taylor, executive director of Conexxus. "Retailers of any scale will have to look into alternative payment channels, such as CurrentC, to be competitive."

Similar to Apple Pay, CurrentC allows users to digitally pay for purchases using an app. The CurrentC app also allows users to redeem exclusive offers, programs and coupons automatically, earn instant loyalty rewards and points, and pay with checking accounts, store gift cards and select store debit and credit cards. Currently, MCX does not have any agreements with major credit card issuers, unlike Apple Pay’s extensive agreements with banks and credit card brands.

Also this week, Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins announced that they are among the merchants that will enable their customers to use rewards programs through CurrentC and Apple Pay, beginning this fall. The two affiliated brands, which have been paired with gas stations, join others like fuel retailer Meijer, to link up with the rival digital payment solutions. 

Earlier this summer, Apple announced that it is adding support to Apple Pay for rewards programs and store-issued credit and debit cards, an essential for many retailers who depend on customer loyalty programs, perhaps in a bid to offer the same loyalty incentives as those planned by MCX for CurrentC.