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LOL on impressing people. I like pushing technology integration forward. In sure 20 years ago pulling out an cell phone was impressive and it got more and more people to move towards mobility.
 
Do you have to buy a starbucks card first in order to use the app or can you just add the funds directly in the app?
 
Ahh paranoia due to mass hysteria or misinformation.

im guessing you throw your credit cards away without shredding them? :rolleyes:

if i don't want an rfid sticker on my phone, im going to destroy it prior to tossing it in the trash. hardly hysteria.
 
What does that get you, a small sized mocha latte? :p
Two.
:p

I actually use the Starbucks app all the time to pay for my order. I love it. Yes, I like Starbucks and don't really care that they're expensive. Sue me.

KeyRing is also very handy, as others have mentioned, for grocery store cards. No way I'm stuffing my actual key ring with 25 different cards the way my wife does (and still does despite the fact I've also set up KeyRing on her phone).
 
Do you have to buy a starbucks card first in order to use the app or can you just add the funds directly in the app?

I think you need to be a card holder first, but you can buy any size card (even a $1 card), register it online, then use the iPhone app from there on out. Adding more money, either automatically or when you specifically choose to do so, can be done through the iPhone app as well.
 
Been using the app for about a 6 months now -- it's so wonderfully easy, plus you get rewards (free beverages every 15 visits) and free add-ins (making my vanilla latte $.50 cheaper) for using it.
 
Ahh paranoia due to mass hysteria or misinformation.

Mmm not quite. RFID is not secure.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10030509-52.html

Unlike NFC, RFID is a 'dumb' device. It is just a reflector that ALWAYS sends back a signal when it is polled. You can't turn 'off' an RFID reflector... all you can do is try to block the signal by putting the reflector in some kind of Faraday's cage.

In effect, this allows anyone within a certain vicinity to read the details of your RFID-enabled credit card without having to touch it or see it.


NFC (which Android is using) is different. It is a 2-way protocol that you can activate or deactivate at will. This means that you can not use it at all, or password protect any access to it.

Hacking NFC in a phone would take more effort than just waving a radio emitter to record RFID details.

Misinformation? No. Hysteria? There definitely should be. RFIDs are routinely hacked by amateurs every year at DefCon. Using something that weak as security on your financial assets is probably not the wisest path.
 
yeah, won't be long. i know some japanese are already doing it. my cc co sent me a small rfid sticker thing for my phone. i promptly burned it tho.
It's not in the 'sticker', the sticker is only an advertisement, like the Core2 Intel Inside sticker on the palm rest of your laptop.

The RFID circuit and chip are embedded. You need to locate the chip, and use a screwdriver and hammer, light tap (too hard will break card itself), to shatter it.
 
This is something I would normally try. However, I'm entering a new phase where I don't do things unless I actually think they'll make my life easier. They swipe my card at starbucks and I leave. Not sure how much easier it gets.

That said, the points or whatever may be worth considering.
 
This is something I would normally try. However, I'm entering a new phase where I don't do things unless I actually think they'll make my life easier. They swipe my card at starbucks and I leave. Not sure how much easier it gets.

That said, the points or whatever may be worth considering.

Yeah using the card is super easy as well, but I can see it being a benefit to people that carry their phone in their hand when going to the store or Starbucks for example, which is most of us techies. Open the app and pay instantly, then go back to what you were doing while you wait for your coffee, instead of reaching for your wallet (or purse) looking for the CC, handing it over, swiping and accepting your card, putting it back in your wallet (or purse) then putting it back in your pocket. It makes life a tiny microscopic bit easier I'd say.
 
I saw someone do it once... the girl next to him was very impressed, not sure why (some blonde). Anyways, I like the concept but I hate having to re-fill my card every time to do it. If it were directly linked to my bank account, I wouldn't mind.

You can set up automatic refills from your bank account (to keep your balance above say $15) if you go to the card management settings on Starbucks.
 
That said, the points or whatever may be worth considering.

The app just connects to a Starbucks prepaid card, which you can register and use just fine without the app and get all the rewards program points stuff and benefits. The app does do a bunch more, but it's just as easy for me to use the card.

Whether it's easier to pay via the app or via the card is up to the user, I've not tried paying via the app; generally easier for me to grab the card out of my wallet than pull out the phone, unlock it, switch to the app, etc. Using the phone app may be easier for others, which is why it's cool there are both options.
 
I would love to see an NFC chip in the next iPhone. Then for me, it is good bye wallet! I'll just have to carry my iPhone and my license. Maybe some cash in the beginning when everyone is still in the process of implementing the new features.
 
It's not in the 'sticker', the sticker is only an advertisement, like the Core2 Intel Inside sticker on the palm rest of your laptop.

The RFID circuit and chip are embedded. You need to locate the chip, and use a screwdriver and hammer, light tap (too hard will break card itself), to shatter it.

it's a sticker. yes im aware it's embedded. it was embedded in an additional thin/small card (that was sent along with a new credit card) which in turn had adhesive on the bottom which allows it to stick to your phone (that's what they designed it to do)... like a "sticker"
 
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