Starbucks launches new mobile payment services in the UK and Canada, and partners with Apple Pay

Following the recent launch of Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay service across 7,400 stores across the US, the coffee chain is continuing to expand its mobile payment services with new product launches in Canada, the UK, and a partnership with Apple Pay.

 

Mobile Order & Pay comes to the UK

Starbucks is launching Mobile Order & Pay in the UK, allowing customers to pre-order drinks and food in over 150 London stores.

The mobile app allows customers to select their food and beverages and pay for them in advance of their visit to a Starbucks branch. After tapping ‘Order’, the user selects the store they want to pick up the beverages from. The app also tells users how long they have to wait before everything is ready.

The service is also integrated with Starbucks’ reward scheme meaning users can sign up and earn loyalty points.

“We Brits are famous for queuing, but in an age of such sophisticated technology ‘why wait?’. With more people leading busier lifestyles than ever, saving minutes can really help, so we are excited to be bringing Mobile Order & Pay to our London customers – the first to have this feature outside of the US,” said Ian Cranna, vice president Marketing & Category for Starbucks EMEA.

 

Swiftly followed by Canada

Alongside the UK launch, Starbucks has also expanded the service to Canada. The company said it plans to launch the mobile payment service in approximately 300 company-owned stores in the Greater Toronto Area on October 13, 2015.

The feature will be available for customers using the Starbucks app for iPhone (in the Greater Toronto Area including Markham, Scarborough, Richmond Hill, Unionville, Vaughan, Etobicoke, Aurora and Thornhill). Starbucks plans to expand Mobile Order & Pay to other select Canadian cities in 2016.

Expanding the service to Canada makes sense considering the amount of mobile payments Canadian Starbucks customers make. Today, mobile payments represent 18 per cent of all in-store transactions in Canadian Starbucks stores and more than 1 million Canadians are active My Starbucks Rewards members.

“Toronto is the largest city in Canada and also home to some of Starbucks busiest North American stores. The simple, convenience of Mobile Order & Pay means customers can bypass the line. It represents a significant opportunity for us to enhance the customer experience and significantly save customers some time,” said Jessica Mills, director brand and digital, Starbucks Canada.

 

Apple Pay

Alongside its pre-order and payment service, Starbucks is also jumping on the Apple Pay train. The company has already started piloting the tech giant’s mobile payment service in select US stores and plans to introduce the technology to all of its 7,400 US stores next year, said Apple Pay VP Jennifer Bailey earlier this week.

The partnership also benefits Apple by allowing it to deal with criticisms that say the service’s coverage is not wide enough. Along Starbucks, the payment service has also partnered with KFC, Chili’s and Best Buy.

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