A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog that asked whether mobile payment will stamp out the need for cash. My conclusion fell on the side that it would take over cash and, much to my delight, today’s announcement from Starbucks is evidence that mobile payment really is pushing its way in. The coffee giant has just rolled out a pilot programme in San Francisco and New York for a digital Starbucks card for iPhone and blackberry. The card lets users pay by holding up the 2-D barcode on their smartphone to the scanner at the counter. The card works much like oyster cards – you can either top it up online manually or you can set an auto-reload that will take money from your account at a scheduled time or when your balance falls below a particular point. This technology fits in particularly!--more-->
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