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Starbucks Mobile Payments for iPhone and iPod Touch Now Available Nationwide

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Starbucks today announced that its mobile payments solution for the iPhone, iPod touch, and select BlackBerry devices is now available nationwide, allowing customers to pay for their purchases using the company's mobile app at nearly 6,800 traditional Starbucks locations and over 1,000 Starbucks locations in Target stores across the United States.To experience mobile payment at Starbucks, customers just need to download the free Starbucks Card Mobile App for select BlackBerry smartphones, iPhone or iPod touch mobile devices. More than one-third of U.S. Starbucks customers use smartphones, of which nearly three quarters use BlackBerry smartphone or iPhone mobile devices. In addition to the mobile payment capability, the app allows customers to manage their Starbucks Card account, check their card balance, reload their card with any major credit card (iPhone users can also use the PayPal feature), check their My Starbucks Rewards status and find a nearby Starbucks store with the store locator feature.

Customers can pay with their smartphone by holding their mobile device in front of a scanner on the countertop and scan the Starbucks Card Mobile App's on-screen barcode to make a purchase.Starbucks began testing the mobile app payment functionality nearly a year and a half ago in a handful of stores, expanding the trial to Target-based locations in March 2010.

While the Starbucks mobile payment system relies on a scanner being able to read a QR Code displayed on the iPhone's screen, many have been waiting for Apple to embrace more advanced technologies such as near field communications (NFC) that would allow users to make purchases by simply bringing their devices into close proximity with sensors at retail points-of-sale.

Rumors of NFC- or RFID-equipped iPhones have been circulating for some time, and Apple has also filed several patent applications related to the technology while also hiring several employees known to be experts in the field. One such employee, Benjamin Vigier, joined Apple last year, bringing extensive experience in NFC and other mobile payment technologies, including having developed the current Starbucks mobile payment system while working at mFoundry.

Article Link: Starbucks Mobile Payments for iPhone and iPod Touch Now Available Nationwide
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/01/19/starbucks-mobile-payments-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch-now-available-nationwide/
pagansoul

pagansoul

macrumors 65816
Aug 10, 2006
1,040
43
Earth
There are a lot of hardcore Starbuck junkies. I see them all the time. I myself am a Chick-fil-A junkie. :cool:
 
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martint84

macrumors regular
Jun 28, 2009
135
0
Used it this morning. Fast and really easy to do. Everyone in line was fascinated.

To those wondering why it's useful:

- No need to carry your gift card everywhere
- Starbucks has a reward program for using it (free refills, etc)
- I'm not a "starbucks junky" (few times a month), so not carrying a gift card all the time is great.
 
D

D0rk

macrumors member
May 23, 2009
56
0
I was wondering about this the other day. As it seems they had been Target-only for a long time. When I asked a normal store barista about it the other day, they were clueless.

Wasn't a big deal, but it's nice to thin out my wallet a bit.
 
C

CoreyHendo

macrumors newbie
May 13, 2009
23
0
countrydweller said:
One less card in your wallet. :)
Click to expand...
I aim for as few things in my wallet (really more of a card holder for my bank/insurance card and my IDs) as possible, but if you've got to carry a bank card anyways, why not just pay with that? I could see if I could order and pay with the app and just pick up at the counter, but this...IDK.
 
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3282868

macrumors 603
Jan 8, 2009
5,281
0
I was at Starbucks (aka Crackbucks) the other day and while waiting for the barista I browsed the Starbucks app thinking how cool it would be to order and pay from it. I have a Nespresso machine at home so I rarely use Starbucks (for any coffee/espresso aficionados I highly recommend Nespresso, cheaper and better than Starbucks)
 
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ShiftyPig

macrumors 6502a
Aug 24, 2008
567
0
AU
Very basic solution. Leave it to Starbuckers to come up with some showy feature that's rather pointless.
 
NebulaClash

NebulaClash

macrumors 68000
Feb 4, 2010
1,810
0
Ah, I understand the dynamic now:

Android phone gets a feature: iPhone sux! Androids can do this and iPhones can't. Lame!

iPhone gets a feature: Gee, what a pointless, flashy thing. Who needs it?
 
John.B

John.B

macrumors 601
Jan 15, 2008
4,194
705
Holocene Epoch
CoreyHendo said:
I aim for as few things in my wallet (really more of a card holder for my bank/insurance card and my IDs) as possible, but if you've got to carry a bank card anyways, why not just pay with that? I could see if I could order and pay with the app and just pick up at the counter, but this...IDK.
Click to expand...

I have a gold Starbucks card, it works similarly to a prepaid debit or gift card that needs to be reloaded periodically (and can be done automatically if you'd like).

The point of the card is to get rewards, mostly a free drink for every 15 paid for. Hopefully this doesn't impact that program.

The difference between the card and this app is that you can send the card with a friend on a coffee run, but that's not something you'd want to do with your iPhone.
 
S

strabes

macrumors regular
May 12, 2010
109
0
Moyank24 said:
Not a coffee drinker, but I love the idea. Can't wait until more stores fall in line with this. Taco Bell and Burger King, I'm talking to you. And Chipotle...
Click to expand...

Chipotle has had an app for a long time, but I guess it's kind of different. You can order and pay for your burrito from your phone from home and then go pick it up in 10 minutes from the location you specify.
 
Ping Guo

Ping Guo

macrumors 6502
Oct 5, 2008
349
0
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
mr.steevo said:
Interesting if it could become universal.
Click to expand...

I would be nice to see NFC happen in a meaningful way in the US, but realistically I don't see it. We're too backwards, mobile phone penetration is still lagging behind a lot of other countries, and there's a lack of collective will between hardware manufacturers, telecoms, and consumers to make it happen.

I love how in Japan you can shop at a convenience store, ride the metro, buy a movie ticket, and pay for a meal all by swiping your mobile.
 
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deadkennedy

macrumors 6502
May 22, 2010
320
0
Coffee sucks, is ultra expensive, I doubt this app will make it better. Starbucks is yet another company charging the IDIOT tax.
 
chrmjenkins

chrmjenkins

macrumors 603
Oct 29, 2007
5,325
158
MD
I'm just interested in how secure this would be. I'd be concerned about skimming. I've already considered EMI shielding my wallet.
 
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cvaldes

macrumors 68040
Dec 14, 2006
3,237
0
somewhere else
Ping Guo said:
I would be nice to see NFC happen in a meaningful way in the US, but realistically I don't see it. We're too backwards, mobile phone penetration is still lagging behind a lot of other countries, and there's a lack of collective will between hardware manufacturers, telecoms, and consumers to make it happen.

I love how in Japan you can shop at a convenience store, ride the metro, buy a movie ticket, and pay for a meal all by swiping your mobile.
Click to expand...
Yeah, "osaifu keitai" (literally "wallet phone") is the way of the future. Of course, the Japanese have enjoyed this for about six years.

America is way behind the times in this aspect of mobile technology.
 
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