Kakao will launch a 4,900-won-a-month integrated membership that bundles affiliate services including Gift, Tok Deal, Kakao Pay and Melon into one package.

Kakao said on Wednesday it disclosed pricing and benefits for "Kakao Membership" and will begin first-come, first-served sign-ups for a small group of users. Kakao Membership is Kakao's first integrated membership linking services including Gift, Tok Deal, Kakao Pay, Melon, KakaoPage, emoticons, Tok Cloud, general insurance and securities.

The core benefit is points accumulation based on shopping and payment use. On Gift and Tok Deal, users earn shopping points equal to 0.5 to 5 percent of the payment amount regardless of payment method, with a monthly cap of 20,000 points.

If users pay for Gift and Tok Deal with Kakao Pay Money, they earn Kakao Pay points of 0.5 to 1 percent. For offline payments, they earn 0.5 to 2 percent. The maximum monthly cap is 50,000 points. Accumulated Kakao Pay points can be used not only on Gift and Tok Deal but also offline, including at convenience stores and cafes.

For content benefits, users can choose each month between "Emoticon Plus" and "Tok Cloud". Emoticon Plus offers access to more than 850,000 Kakao emoticons, while Tok Cloud provides a 130GB pass for storing KakaoTalk chats and media files.

The package also includes 2,000 KakaoPage cash, up to 4,900 won in cash back on fees for selling domestic stocks at Kakao Pay Securities, up to 70,000 won in compensation from Kakao Pay General Insurance for mobile phone screen damage, and a discounted subscription for Melon Streaming Light.

New subscribers also receive a one-time sign-up benefit. Kakao will randomly provide 1 domestic stock worth 4,900 won in a Kakao Pay Securities account and provide Melon cash worth a total of 6,000 won. For users under 19, Kakao will provide a 5,000-won Olive Young discount coupon instead of a domestic stock.

Kakao plans to limit the number of subscribers initially to stabilise the service and then gradually expand eligibility. Users who add the Kakao Membership Talk channel can receive sign-up alerts when additional recruitment opens.

Kim Min-kyu (김민규), a performance leader at Kakao, said, "Kakao Membership brings together benefits needed across users' daily lives, from subscriptions to shopping, content and practical perks," adding, "We will expand benefits by linking with various services in the future."