If there's any question as to why companies are doing this:Money. These apps can collect more data, and having more data allows more data to be sold which means more money. It's that simple.I would strongly recommend avoiding "official" store apps whenever viable. Use Catima, use the original plastic cards, etc.Avoiding loyalty cards altogether when viable is even better, though often that means missing out on sales, so better store them in a way they can't passively collect data 24/7