The Starbucks app has always been the de facto way to pay for your Starbucks drink whether you walk into the store or use the drive-thru – quick, convenient and no fussing with your credit card, Starbucks card or cash. All you have to do is open the app and push the ‘Pay’ button and up pops a barcode that the cashier will scan and it will immediately deduct it from your card balance. You can even leave the tip for your purchases via the app – it will remind you later to see if you want to add the tip or decline. The app will automatically keep track of your rewards and let you know what your next reward is – food, drink or percentage off – and you can show the cashier so they will deduct it from your total.
Starbucks did not wait around for Samsung Pay or Android Pay and came out with their app in 2011 after beta testing for a couple of years. Their app has always been very functional – it shows the balance on your ‘card’ and allows you to locate a Starbucks, you can reload your Starbuck’s card through the mobile app from your bank account, PayPal or another credit card. It is a convenient way to keep track of your number of ‘stars’ or rewards and you can manage your Starbuck’s card if you have multiple ones and you can even consolidate them onto one card. You can even send a gift card in different amounts from the app and it even allows you to pick the type of gift card – Birthday, Thank You, Workplace, Love, Wedding, Baby or Anytime.
The only function really missing was the ability to order your drinks and food…up until now. When you open the side options, you will see the new option to ‘ORDER beta.’ Pressing that will take you to ‘Featured’ items with beautiful colored pictures, or you can select ‘Categories’ or the selection ‘All.’ From there you can select what you want to order, read a detailed description and customized your order – Size, Shot Options, Toppings, Flavor intensity, Add-ins and Milk Choices – from there you will see the Nutritional value and then add the item to your order. It even remembers your last order to make it really quick if you get the same thing all of the time. At the bottom of the app there is an option to select the Starbuck’s store where you want to place the order. My app is telling me my order will be ready in 5-10 minutes, at what store and how far away the store is from me. If you press on the store it will bring up the map, give you its store hours, phone number, hours of operation and its amenities – oh, and you can have google maps take you there turn-by-turn.
Starbucks has once again shown just how progressive they are when it comes to marketing their products. The app will work in the US, Canada and in the UK, and they are continuing rolling out and adding stores that accept orders on the mobile app. Next up and “Coming Soon” will be delivery – order your Starbucks, pay for it, add you tip and watch it being delivered right to your doorstep
