Mobile phones have increasingly become tools that consumers use for banking, payments, budgeting, and shopping. Given the rapid pace of developments in the area of mobile finance, the Federal Reserve Board began conducting annual surveys of consumers’ use of mobile financial services in 2011. This 78-page report, “Consumers and Mobile Financial Services” (March, 2015) examines trends in the adoption and use of mobile banking, payments, and shopping behavior and how the emergence of mobile financial services affects consumers’ interaction with financial institutions.
Starbucks Launches Mobile App for Android in UK and Canada
Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) today announced the continued global expansion of the Starbucks mobile platform with the roll-out of Starbucks® app for Android™ to the United Kingdom and Canada. In addition, U.S. customers who download or update to the official Starbucks® app for Android™ will be able to experience new enhancements including a widget, PayPal™ support, PIN code protection, and viewing the My Starbucks Rewards™ history dashboard.
“The expansion of our mobile payment footprint to two of our most important markets is a strong milestone for us, but more importantly, it extends the number of customers who now have a faster and easier way to pay at Starbucks,” said Adam Brotman, chief digital officer at Starbucks Coffee Company. “We are thrilled to extend mobile payment capabilities to Android smartphones in the UK and Canada and enhance the experience in the U.S.”
Customers who download the official Starbucks® app for Android™ in Canada and the UK will now be able to access a range of features including Starbucks Card mobile payment, store locator, My Starbucks Rewards™ stars, check balance and reload, PIN code protection, widget and balance transfer capabilities. Through the Starbucks® app for Android™ expansion to the UK and Canada, Starbucks mobile payment will now be accepted at nearly 14,000 Starbucks locations worldwide.
Starbucks® App for Android™ Features:
Starbucks® app for Android™, available on Google Play, is available for phones running Android™ 2.2 or above and is designed to offer a rich user experience. Starbucks® app for Android™ allows customers in the U.S., UK and Canada to:
- Pay with your phone: Enjoy the faster, more convenient way to pay at participating Starbucks stores. Just download the app, enter your Starbucks Card number, scan and go.
- Pay and reload with PayPal™ (NEW): Pay and reload your Starbucks Card via PayPal on your Android device through the Starbucks® app for Android™ (US and Canada only). Additionally, you can use your smartphone to reload your Starbucks Card using any major credit card.
- Manage your card account: Access your Starbucks Card balance directly from your phone.
- Manage and check your My Starbucks Rewards status (ENHANCED): Find out how close you are to earning your next free drink through an easy-to-view My Starbucks Rewards™ history dashboard.
- Find nearby Starbucks stores: Save time by finding a Starbucks store near you. The locator helps you view the stores through a map view or list view and helps you search for stores based on your needs.
- Activate a widget (NEW): Core to the Android™ experience, a widget is now available so you can quickly and easily view your balance, My Starbucks Rewards™ star count, store locator and Touch to Pay icon.
- Leverage safeguards (NEW): Add another safeguard by including a PIN code protection.
Source: Starbucks
Commidea Processes 80% of Contactless Transactions in UK
Commidea, a leading card payment processing solution provider in the UK, has announced that one million contactless transactions with a total value of more than £4 million have been processed using Commidea solutions so far this year. This means that over 80% of contactless transactions in the UK are processed by Commidea.
As Commidea and industry numbers indicate, contactless payments are on the rise. More consumers are ‘tapping’ their contactless cards at convenience retail and food outlets to pay for transactions under £15. The transactions take less than half a second and eliminate the need for handling cash, therefore reducing queue times and helping to increase sales.
In addition to the emerging trend of contactless payments, customer transaction volumes across Commidea’s systems as a whole have increased by 60% from this time last year. An average of approximately eight million transactions are carried out each week using Commidea’s card payment processing systems online and at customer locations including Blockbuster, EAT, TGI FRiDAYS, Lush and Thomas Cook.
These statistics illustrate Commidea’s growing customer base and the continuing trend of consumers using contactless, credit and debit cards instead of cash for everyday transactions.
“Contactless payments are on the rise particularly in the convenience payment sector and the figures show Commidea’s technology is at the forefront of facilitating this trend,” said Ian Rutland, Director of Marketing and Communication at Commidea. “We have always provided secure, easy-to-use technology for our customers across the retail and hospitality industry and this commitment continues in new payment types such as contactless. Our solutions help retailers to meet customer demand for convenience by accepting card payments for items ranging from smaller ‘impulse’ buys up to luxury and holiday purchases.”
Source: RealWire