Starbucks iOS App Gains Support for Apple Pay

Wednesday February 11, 2015 10:24 AM PST by Juli Clover
Starbucks today updated its iOS app to add support for Apple Pay, making it possible for iOS users to reload their Starbucks cards using Apple's payments service.

Starbucks was listed as an Apple Pay app partner when Apple Pay launched in October, but it has taken several months for the feature to be available to Apple Pay users. Apple Pay can only be used in the Starbucks app for reloading Starbucks cards because Starbucks is not an Apple Pay retail partner.

The coffee chain uses its own bar code-based system for in-store purchases with the Starbucks app and Starbucks locations are not outfitted with the NFC technology that would enable Apple Pay. There has been no word on whether Starbucks plans to implement NFC and support for in-store use of Apple Pay.

apple_pay_starbucks
Along with Apple Pay support, today's Starbucks app update also introduces an enhanced menu with calorie counts and a better experience for Mobile Order & Pay in Portland.
Introducing Apple Pay and a Few Helpful Changes

Now you can use Apple Pay to quickly reload your Starbucks Card. Touch ID makes it faster than ever.

By popular demand, the menu is enhanced. When you browse our menu you'll now find additional calorie information on menu items. We've also enhanced the experience for Mobile Order & Pay in Portland.

This update addresses various bugs and stability issues.
The Starbucks iOS app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: Starbucks
82 comments


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MrCornfed
59 months ago

No thanks. I stopped going to Starbucks after they canceled my gold card.

What do you have to do to get your gold card canceled? Piss in a milk frother?

I go to McDonalds for my coffee. They have better tasting coffee IMO.

That's like saying you prefer to have your nuts kicked instead of squeezed slowly.
Rating: 8 Votes
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aolbites
59 months ago
Crashes every time I try and reload. Closed the app. Restarted the phone, nothing works.
Rating: 5 Votes
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Jimrod
59 months ago
Ahh Apple Pay, I remember this fabled feature from when I bought my iPhone 6... So can I use it in the UK yet? Can I even get iTunes Radio yet? I can't help feeling I'm paying for features im not receiving...
Rating: 3 Votes
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linuxcooldude
59 months ago
No thanks. I stopped going to Starbucks after they canceled my gold card. I go to McDonalds for my coffee. They have better tasting coffee IMO.
Rating: 3 Votes
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CarlJ
59 months ago

It's 50 in the UK. You need to go pretty much once a week to maintain gold status.


Or seven times a day for one intense and incredibly jittery week, during which you can talk at 900 words per minute and see through walls.

Seriously though, once you're gold, they have a lot of little promotions along the lines of "try X and get 3 bonus stars", or "earn Y stars this week and we'll give you Z bonus stars". If you take them up on a few promos you don't need to "earn" anywhere near the whole 50 (30 in the US) stars.

And with an iPhone 6 running iOS 8.1.3, Apple Pay as the only form of payment registered, and a decent balance already on the card... yeah, it crashes every time, at what seems like the point where iOS would be handing control back to the app.
Rating: 3 Votes
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NightStorm
59 months ago
Spoke with a customer service representative this afternoon who stated that the crashing issue has been identified and their technical team is working on a fix.
Rating: 2 Votes
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nburwell
59 months ago

Interesting how Starbucks will bother with Apple Pay but not iPhone 6 native resolution. It's hideous right now...


Agreed. I expected the update to include the larger resolution of the 6/6+ screens, so I was disappointed to find that was not the case.

I'm also not cool with the fact that it's tracking my location, even when the app is closed. They need to only track my location when I'm actually using the app.
Rating: 1 Votes
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TechiEmmanuel
59 months ago
Starbucks iOS App Gains Support for Apple Pay

My first thought as well. I don't really like the idea to manage several apps for paying my stuff. It's like carrying around an extra wallet for every store you visit in town...



Starbucks already has a mobile payments system that works rather well, so they don't think it's worth it to rebuild the system. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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Agreed. I expected the update to include the larger resolution of the 6/6+ screens, so I was disappointed to find that was not the case.



I'm also not cool with the fact that it's tracking my location, even when the app is closed. They need to only track my location when I'm actually using the app.



Starbucks generally isn't very good at making apps.

30MB of my mobile data is taken up monthly by Starbucks re-downloading my Card artwork whenever I open up the app to pay, check my rewards, etc.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
CarlJ
59 months ago

I think the US get a much better deal with your rewards programme. We have some "earn extra stars" but they usually come attached to something more. The last one I think was to earn 8 stars in a week and you'd get double stars. Still required you to go more than once a day for at least a week.

Plus we have to earn 15 stars to get a free drink versus the US's 12.

I believe the only thing we seem to have is free syrups/soy milk and free unlimited extra shots at gold level. I couldn't see these on the US site.


Ah, interesting. I think we used to get free syrups, or some such, but I don't see it now (it's not something I use, ordering mostly boringly standard things). And our doubling promotions are often structured like "in week X, earn 3 or more stars and we'll give you 3, or earn 5 to get 5, or earn 8 to get 8", so yeah, 8 for 8, but also partial bonuses for lesser amounts. (And I was guilty of rather US-centric thinking in my previous post - not surprising that their deals might be structured differently per-country.)

It is also entirely possible that they tailor some of these per-person, depending on their algorithms' perception of how much it takes to draw you in. I am not an everyday visitor of Starbucks, just here and there. Cheers!
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
coffeemadmanUK
59 months ago

Or seven times a day for one intense and incredibly jittery week, during which you can talk at 900 words per minute and see through walls.

Seriously though, once you're gold, they have a lot of little promotions along the lines of "try X and get 3 bonus stars", or "earn Y stars this week and we'll give you Z bonus stars". If you take them up on a few promos you don't need to "earn" anywhere near the whole 50 (30 in the US) stars.

And with an iPhone 6 running iOS 8.1.3, Apple Pay as the only form of payment registered, and a decent balance already on the card... yeah, it crashes every time, at what seems like the point where iOS would be handing control back to the app.


I think the US get a much better deal with your rewards programme. We have some "earn extra stars" but they usually come attached to something more. The last one I think was to earn 8 stars in a week and you'd get double stars. Still required you to go more than once a day for at least a week.

Plus we have to earn 15 stars to get a free drink versus the US's 12.

I believe the only thing we seem to have is free syrups/soy milk and free unlimited extra shots at gold level. I couldn't see these on the US site.
Rating: 1 Votes
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