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Popular coffee chain Starbucks will begin accepting Apple Pay by the end of the year, says Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey, who spoke today at Re/code's Code Mobile Conference in Half Moon Bay, California.

Starbucks plans to team up with Apple to launch an Apple Pay pilot program in select U.S. stores this year before rolling Apple Pay out to approximately 7,500 company-owned Starbucks locations in the United States in early 2016. The Apple Pay payments service will be connected to Starbucks' own loyalty program, but it is not clear if Starbucks customers who make purchases with Apple Pay will be able to earn Starbucks rewards.

jenniferbaileycodemobile-800x449.jpg

At the current time, Starbucks uses its own barcode-based in-app mobile payments system for coffee and snack purchases made within its retail stores. The Starbucks iOS app does support Apple Pay, but only for reloading Starbucks cards. Given the popularity of Starbucks, Apple Pay availability at the chain could be a major boon for Apple.

In addition to Starbucks, Apple Pay will also be available in KFC fast food locations and Chili's sit-down restaurants starting next year. In Chili's, customers will be able to pay for their food directly at their tables using Apple Pay.

On stage, Bailey said Apple was "fully committed to NFC," calling it the "best technology out there" for mobile payments. She also said Apple wants to bring Apple Pay to as many countries as possible in the future, expanding beyond the United Kingdom and the United States.

Article Link: Apple Pay Coming to Starbucks, KFC, and Chili's in 2016
 
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rorschach

macrumors 68020
Jul 27, 2003
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For Starbucks, they're were probably planning to add terminals to support EMV cards anyway...and if the terminals have NFC built in anyway, then pretty much all they have to do to support ApplePay is not turn that off.
 

Karma*Police

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Jul 15, 2012
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This slow and steady rollout of a new tech is expected, but at some point it has to hit that inflection point where retailers adopt Apple Pay en mass before it can go mainstream. I just hope it happens sooner rather than later.

On a side note, I really like Chili's implementation of being able to pay right from the table... no more flagging down a waiter just to get a check.
 

mxmgodin

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Oct 22, 2014
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She also said Apple wants to bring Apple Pay to as many countries as possible in the future, expanding beyond the United Kingdom and the United States.

Canada, please? Pretty, pretty please?

The Apple Pay payments service will be connected to Starbucks' own loyalty program, but it is not clear if Starbucks customers who make purchases with Apple Pay will be able to earn Starbucks rewards.

I don't understand that part... How can it be "connected to Starbucks' own loyalty program" and not give rewards....?
 

Red Oak

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Jun 14, 2011
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The retail rollout is. So. Slow

It does not even work half the time and Panera now. And they were featured at the launch

At, it now does not work at Home Depot

The whole retail expansion plan is a mess. I hope Apple Execs understand this. If they don't, this thing is going to fail
 

Nevaborn

macrumors 65816
Aug 30, 2013
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Starbucks and many chains have gone backwards in the UK. The company decided that the one in my city should do away with NFC and instead just have the barcode scanning.

Hope this is addressed in the future as NFC needs promoting better.
 
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rdlink

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Nov 10, 2007
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.... Wait... How the hell was it not at Starbucks lol...

Starbucks had a ton of money and infrastructure invested into their barcode scanner technology payment system. They had no reason to make Apple Pay available. To be honest, as excited as I am about using Apple Pay if I don't get rewards for using it I will just stick with my Starbucks app and continue to get free drinks.
 

Böhme417

macrumors 6502a
Mar 11, 2009
980
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They raised the price on Venti iced coffees. I don't do $Bucks no mo.

When? I paid the same price today that I've paid for a long time.

I mean, I know prices can vary by location, so maybe just the one(s) near you?
 

Stupotpot

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Jun 16, 2013
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Newcastle Upon Tyne
I don't understand that part... How can it be "connected to Starbucks' own loyalty program" and not give rewards....?
In the UK, there's a contactless terminal and a separate bar code scanner. You either pay with the app, or Apple Pay...if it's Apple Pay, you don't collect stars or linked to the rewards programme. Not sure if the implementation will be the same/different in the US roll out.
 

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
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If they're going to do this one company at a time, it's going to take a thousand years to become prevalent.

Then they can start accepting a cryptocurrency, and actually start making a meaningful cultural impact.

Individual companies don't have to sign on one at a time; any old NFC-capable sales terminal will do, whether or not the company chooses to show the logo and make a "thing" of ApplePay support.
 

rdlink

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Nov 10, 2007
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Out of the Reach of the FBI
The retail rollout is. So. Slow

It does not even work half the time and Panera now. And they were featured at the launch

At, it now does not work at Home Depot

The whole retail expansion plan is a mess. I hope Apple Execs understand this. If they don't, this thing is going to fail

I'm fairly confident that they understand it better than you or me. The issue is that they have to make it a no-brainer for a large retailer, like Starbucks and Home Depot while not giving away some of the major reasons it's a win for the consumers, such as privacy, ease of use and security. Walgreens' kludgy deployment is an example of letting a launch partner have too much say in the experience. Buying something from Walgreens with Apple Pay is a little like filling out a job application. Contrast that with Whole Foods and Sprouts, who make the whole process easy-peasy.

On top of that Apple needs to show smaller retailers that this is a good thing for them with the new EMV cards coming, because it will save time at the register.

Even at that, Apple Pay has done more to advance contactless payments in about a year than Google Wallet did in the 4+ years it existed prior.
 
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