Starbucks Launches Mobile Payments App for BlackBerry and iOS
Jan 19, 2011 02:10 PM EDT by Sarah Silbert, LAPTOP Staff Writer 
Today, Starbucks launched its mobile payment app for BlackBerry and Apple iOS users. Available for free from the App Store and the Starbucks website, the app lets customers load money onto a Starbucks card and then swipe their phone in front of a scanner at the counter to pay. Users can also check their card balance and view past transactions through the app.
iPhone and iPod touch users with devices running iOS 4.0 or higher can use the app. The BlackBerry 8800 series, the BlackBerry Bold, Curve, Storm, Storm 2, and Tour are among the supported devices on the BlackBerry platform. No word if the app will work with Android in the future.
We had a Starbucks card lying around and were needing an energy boost, so we downloaded the app on our iPhone 3GS and headed to the nearest Starbucks to test it out.
Entering our Starbucks card information was simple. We just had to type in the card number and the PIN code on the back.
The app helped us even before we got to the store; if you enable location services, it will display the Starbucks locations nearest to you on a map.
Once we had a coffee in our hands and were ready to pay, we simply clicked the “Touch to Pay” button on the app and handed our phone over to the barista. And voila! Our balance dropped from $3.52 to $1.89, reflecting our recent purchase.
