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Starbucks to Let Customers Pay By Android Phone

June 15, 2011Written by George Anderson

The semi-long awaited introduction of a mobile payment app for Android phones at Starbucks is finally here.

The coffee chain, which launched its Starbucks Card Mobile application for other platforms in January, said the new Android app would be available July 15 at all of its 6,800 stores in the U.S. along with 1,000 locations in Target and the same number of Safeway-owned stores.

"The expansion of our mobile payment footprint has been driven by customer interest and input. With the addition of Starbucks for Android to the Starbucks app line-up, a Starbucks mobile payment app may now be used on approximately 90 percent of smartphones currently in use," said Adam Brotman, vice president, general manager, Digital Ventures at Starbucks Coffee Company, in a press release.

"Our customers have shown us that they love the utility, convenience and fun of our mobile apps and especially the ability to pay with their Starbucks Card using a smartphone," said Brady Brewer, vice president Starbucks Card and Loyalty. "While mobile payment is the top feature, customers' next favorites are the ability to reload their Starbucks Card and track their progress toward their next free drink in the My Starbucks Rewards program."

Chuck Davidson, category manager for innovation at Starbucks, told Computerworld, that the company processed three million mobile payments in the first nine weeks after introducing its iPhone and Blackberry apps in January.

"That's a big number in a short period of time, which we achieved with no complaints and no training issues," Mr. Davidson said.

Mr. Davidson said Starbucks' success means the chain isn't waiting on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to process mobile payments.

"Having NFC readers [inside stores] is not the issue; it's [having enough] NFC [chips] in the phones, which we believe is two-and-a-half to three years out," Mr. Davidson said.

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