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Starbucks Partners With Square

Posted by Soulskill on from the physical-wallet-death-clock-just-ticked dept.

Square, the start-up mobile payment service that aims to bring credit card transactions to anyone with a smartphone, has formed a partnership with Starbucks, a move that vastly increases Square's reach and visibility. According to the NY Times, "This fall, Square will begin processing all credit and debit card transactions at Starbucks stores in the United States and eventually customers will be able to order a grande vanilla latte and charge it to their credit cards simply by saying their names. Though smartphone payments have a long way to go before they replace wallets altogether, Starbucks’s adoption of Square will catapult the start-up’s technology onto street corners nationwide, and is the clearest sign yet that mobile payments could become mainstream. ... At first, Starbucks customers will need to show the merchant a bar code on their phones. But when Starbucks uses Square’s full GPS technology, the customer’s phone will automatically notify the store that the customer has entered, and the customer’s name and photo will pop up on the cashier’s screen. The customer will give the merchant his or her name, Starbucks will match the photo and the payment will be complete."

7 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. Crap coffee meets crap payment system by Hazel+Bergeron · · Score: 4, Funny

    Mediocrity loves company.

    1. Re:Crap coffee meets crap payment system by Nimloth · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dunkin Donuts?

    2. Re:Crap coffee meets crap payment system by the+phantom · · Score: 4, Funny

      By your logic, McDonalds makes an obviously-better-than-average burger, Taco Bell serves an obviously-better-than-average taco, and Pabst Blue Ribbon is an obviously-better-than-average beer.

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      Rhapsody in Numbers
    3. Re:Crap coffee meets crap payment system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I can't pick out coffee brands, because a lot of them are crap. My coffee of choice (when I am not home*) is an americano (espresso + hot water, for those that don't know) from a couple of independent coffee shops. Starbucks, like McDonalds with their hamburgers, are more concerned with consistency than flavour.

      *When at home I do have a couple of espresso machines, and, when I want more caffeine, a bodem. I grind my own beans that I buy from one of a few local roasters.

      This is your defense in reply to a thread where someone asked if we're going to get all hipster-douche about it?

  2. I Was Super Confused By the Headline by eldavojohn · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Uh, yeah, I'll have a double Crono frappuccino and a venti Cloud -- be sure to leave room for Chocobo."

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    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:I Was Super Confused By the Headline by cupantae · · Score: 4, Funny

      "One bard, please. Extra spoony."

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  3. Square and Starbucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Was it just me who thought this would be about making sure Square-Enix developers stayed focused?