Starbucks to introduce contactless payment
Starbucks is to introduce contactless payment to its coffee shops from 2012, following a deal with Barclaycard in partnership with Visa Europe.
Customers in stores using the technology will be able to pay for their coffees by holding their contactless credit or debit card over a payment terminal.
Customers will also be able to pay using their mobile phone. Orange customers who use a "Quick Tap" enabled handset will be able to tap their mobile phone on a contactless reader to make purchases of £15 and under.
Provided a pilot is successful, the technology will roll out across the bulk of Starbucks coffeehouses in the UK and Ireland.
Pete Blower, Starbucks technology services manager in Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA), said: "We're seeing more and more people use cards for payment and contactless will allow us to serve our customers more quickly and with greater ease."
Mark Austin, Head of contactless at Visa Europe, said: "Starbucks' take-up of this new technology shows we are reaching a tipping point where contactless payments will become a mainstream way to make fast, secure, low-value transactions. Increasing acceptance by retailers and demand from consumers means the growth of contactless payments is set to accelerate quickly and will be widely visible in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games."
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By Neil Gerrard
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